Max Lucado tells the story of a young musician who was dressed in regular jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a baseball cap. He went to the Washington, D.C. metro station where he took out his violin and began to play for the passersby. He played for about 45 minutes in front of some 1,000 people. The interesting part of this is that only one of those people recognized the young man. He was the famous violinist Joshua Bell. In concerts, he would command at least $100 for a ticket. In the metro station, he was given $32.17. Nobody noticed him. Everybody but one was too busy to stop and to pay attention to the man trying to earn money just to eat for the day. Nobody noticed. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of sheep and goats. He says that a day is coming when the sheep will go to his right and the goats will go to his left. He himself will separate them. He will say to the sheep that when he was hungry, they fed him; when he was thirsty, they gave him something to drink; when he was naked, they clothed him; when he was sick or imprison, they visited him. They story continues with those people asking Jesus when did they do these things to him? He answers, “When you did it to the least of these, you did it to me.” The goats, then, go to the left because when they saw the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the sick and imprisoned, they did nothing. They ask when did they see Jesus this way and not respond. Jesus again says, when you didn’t do it to the least of these, you didn’t do it to me. This is a chilling story to me. Yet, it is one of great importance for us as people of faith, as believers in Christ. Jesus separates the sheep and goats based on their righteousness. He determines their righteousness based on how they have lived out their faith. Jesus expects his children to serve people. Out of love for him, they serve those who need help. Adding to the intrigue of this story is the fact that Jesus states that when his children serve people who are in need, they are in fact serving Christ himself. Have you ever thought about that? Has that image ever entered your mind as you saw someone standing on the street corner holding a will work for food sign? Refusing to help that person is refusing to help Jesus. I speak to myself when I say that because I turn my head away from people like that. But Jesus teaches here that his people are to be agents of service and good deeds and help. Please notice also that what Jesus expects of us is pretty simple. He doesn’t say when you saw someone sick, heal them or when you saw someone in prison, liberate them. He just asks us visit them, to give them a drink, or to give them something to eat. He even says, when they are in need of school supplies, give them a pen and paper. On August 14th, we got the tremendous privilege of living out Matthew 25. We were able to help people with real-life needs. I thank you for your generosity and willingness to serve. I encourage you to continue to see the needs in people’s lives and to serve. I exhort you to view your neighbor, your co-worker, your classmate as if they were Jesus and to realize that you are serving Christ when you serve them. I want to be on the right side. I want to be known as a sheep. How about you? In Him, Pastor Steve