Ordinary Mercies

Through Lent we are considering what we can do to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly,” and our focus is now on mercy. The scripture today is the familiar parable of Jesus talking about separating the sheep from the goats: “If you have done this for the least of these, you have done it for me.” Jesus is saying that God is near in the needs of the needy. If humans are made in the image of God, then we can surely behold God in our paying attention to the needs of others. That also means that when we, ourselves, are needy, we encounter God in our broken places. It also means that the more time and energy we spend with the needy, the more we encounter God. Our ancestor in Methodism, John Wesley, encouraged the rich to visit the poor and through that action to see God.