“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’“ Matthew 25:34-40 NIV
In the Christian circles I ran around with in the late 1990s, W.W.J.D bracelets were all the rage. I had one in just about every color imaginable. The bracelets stood for the age old question, “What would Jesus do?”
Our neighbors are in need. We all have experienced the rise in prices at our grocery stores. As mentioned in The Kewanee Voice article on Oct. 24 by Susan DeVilder, food insecurity is continuing to rise. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been cut and frozen with the government shutdown.
What would Jesus do?
Feed the hungry. Give a drink to those who are thirsty. Be hospitable to the stranger in our midst. Visit those who are sick or in prison.
Prayer is something all of us can do. I encourage you to pray for our government and for our neighbors who are in need. Prayer changes things.
If you are able, I also encourage you to give financially or of your time to help support our local food pantries that are helping to care for our neighbors who are hungry and in need of support.
Jesus is the Bread of Life. Share what you have received with a world that is starving.
Rev. Haley Hausman
Pastor of First United Methodist Church
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.
***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association
