Matthew 25:35–43 (ESV): 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 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.’ 

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

The quick response to so many is “I will pray for you.” As kind as this may sound, at times we do not need prayer but the touch of a hand who heals our wounds, the meal cooked for us out of love, the quiet payment of a bill that cannot be paid, or the hour spent as one listens to a heart being poured out. Care of another is not a means of efficiency or of transactional value. Care for another is the cost of sacrifice and of time spent. Love always costs us. Yet, the cost somehow frees our souls from being encased in the cold tundra of transactional relationships.

Pastor Aaron Kruse