Who is my neighbor?

I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
~ Matthew 25:36 - 40

God walks among us, fragmented, wounded, and seeking wholeness.  While we ask, "Who is our neighbor?" 

We are reminded in the story of the good Samaritan that our neighbor, especially in today's world, can be much different than we are.  Broken? Perhaps.  LOVED... YES!

The people even asked Jesus, "When did we see You, Lord?" 

He responds, "When I was naked you clothed me.  When I was sick you visited me.  When I was in prison you came to me."

He then reminds us, "Whatever you did to the least of these, you have done to me." (Matthew 25:40)

God of the Forsaken
A reflection from under a bridge while thinking of the footsteps of Chris

My God! My God, why have you forsaken us –
Forsaken us in the painful groans of the crucified!
In Christ's miserable helplessness,
We are even more helpless,
suffering by the million
and dying
alone.

My God! The nails that pierced my Lord, cruelly
surely also pierced humanity;
The stares from Calvary’s spectators are ours:
The unspoken doubt that all 
ends in a silent cry,
empty of light and
love.

My God! That my Lord’s life should end,
watched by crowds filled with rejection.
Loved only by a terrified few
watching in fear,
leaves us all in
shock and
despair.

My God! Into that cold stone tomb
fall our best desires;
The visions of our youth
succumb to dark shadows,
and even in rebellious desperation
in the darkness
sobs.

Dear God! On that darkest of Fridays You did
not forsake us!
Not Jesus, nor any other desolate child of humanity –
That day You entered all our forsakedness,
tasting for Yourself the flavor of death
shaping the valley of the shadow
to become a pathway of
hope.

We praise you, O God! We proclaim You to be Lord!
Hated and rejected, One of sorrow and grief
great and marvelous are Your works!
Wounded for our transgressions,
bruised for our iniquities,
God is with us!
Hallelujah!

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2020