Today’s scripture: Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tommy Chittenden):
As technology continues to bring such amazing enhancements to our lives, one of the negative aspects of these time-saving and cost-effective improvements is our ever increasing loss of connection with other human beings. For some, this might be viewed as yet another plus.
Think about it: we can check our mail without having to talk to or see another person. Most basic financial transactions can be handled with the swipe of a card. You could go to the grocery store, be so intent on your task you may never even make eye contact with the other people sharing the same aisle as you — and you can even use the self-check lane and not have to engage in conversation with a clerk.
Perhaps the irony of this lies with the explosion of social networking sites in recent years — MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and all the rest. We seem to be perfectly happy connecting and reconnecting with friends, family members, old school classmates and will spend countless hours “electronically interacting” with others. We even sometimes call different networks our “communities.” I, too, think the evolving of technology provides us with tools to accomplish things like never before. But at what cost?
Is it possible that our ever-increasing use of technology/texting/email has only separated us from one another instead of bringing us together? Certainly the popularity of these tools indicates humanity’s desire for connection, but it seems as if something’s missing!
Our scripture today gives us an insight into the human condition. (Notice the similarity between today’s humanity and the one to whom Jesus spoke.) Jesus points out our propensity to avoid other people, especially people who are perceived to be different — less than or better than us! Let’s test this.
As we think through our day, think of all those we tend to overlook in our world:
- the mail carrier who delivers our mail day after day,
- the person behind the counter who gives us our change from our extra value meal,
- the people who vacuum, clear trash, and mop floors in our workplace,
- the person next to us at the red light driving a car held together with duct tape and bailing wire.
These, and many, many more, have found their way into an anonymous persona that makes it easy for us to ignore them. We don’t “have to” recognize their humanity. But, let’s go deeper:
- Is there even one of us who has not worked at avoiding eye contact with that homeless man or woman, or the young person who is holding a sign by the road?
- Or when we zone out when we hear the announcements that volunteers are needed to help at The Horizon House, Indiana Youth Group, or Damien Center.
- Or as we quickly turn the channel when the commercials are shown for the charities that help orphans in those countries we can’t even pronounce.
In this very curious story Jesus is teaching us about those we tend to overlook. When we ignore others, we deny not only their humanity, but we deny the Divinity that resides within each one. When we allow any individual to be marginalized, we marginalize the Creator.
When we surround ourselves only with people like us, we’re avoiding the beauty and creativity of the Creator, as revealed through others. Every time we choose to separate ourselves from one another, through technology or intention, we forsake the gift of God available to us at that moment, as reflected back to us from that individual.
Reuben Welch authored a book, We Really Do Need Each Other!, in which he is emphatic when he states that we “need” to include those who are different from us in our experience of life. Through the myriad “differences” we can see the never-ending facets of God, the never-ending “faces” of God, in the widow, the hungry, the imprisoned, and the stranger. God is in the least of these!
Thought for the day: My assignment is to love God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love my neighbor as if that person were me — my own particular, strange, and different self. Do this, and the doing will teach me everything I need to know about who I am!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.