To the Least of These

 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,^* you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ Matthew 25:31-46

To the Least of These

Broken and ailing you came
these shore enveloped you
promised a new life, new hope
unwanted at home you came.

Someone found you and helped
someone saw Christ in your eyes
someone was moved by your need
someone put others first for a time.

They still need the love you got
the forgiveness you were afforded
the shelter that another shared
the meal that was set before you.

The true inheritors of this land
those who gave thanks for each day
knew that hospitality was more important
than judging or condemning you.

You were broken once and embraced
despite the filth and shame you carried
despite the overwhelming, aching need
they saw God's love in your eyes.

They say the hope that you had lost
and found their hearts renewed again
their abundance was your inheritance
your legacy is to be constantly generous.

The least of these are here to teach
to show us they way back to the divine
to open our selfish hearts and break them
open again for new family, new friends.