Inasmuch as people lament the death of Christendom today, the fact that those in prison, the sick, and the hungry are no longer at the extreme margins of our society, demonstrates the influence of Christianity in our world. Unfortunately, it is often no longer the Christians, but others who continue to fight for the marginalized; still it should give us hope that God is still working in the world. Like in times past, when the people who God called don’t carry out God’s mission, God will find someone who will.
Perhaps the death of Christendom was not caused by sports, greed or or other religions, rather by the Christians who lost sight of the mission and chose to judge rather than to love. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and imprisoned, we end the quarantine and restore people back into community.
When we follow Jesus to “the least of these” we bring His image, His grace, and His presence to break into their darkness. We continue His mission “to proclaim good news to the poor… to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)
When have you fed the hungry, clothed the naked and visited the sick and imprisoned? Jesus was not talking about dropping off your old stuff as a donation or picking up a can of soup at the store; we are called to love people and welcome them into our lives. Are you carrying on with the ministry of reconciliation?
Journey Through Scripture 