When we look into the face of the poor, whose face do we see?

Six Righteous Works of Kindness “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“This is not works righteousness; acts of mercy are not done as a means to an end, but are expressions of the knowledge of God’s love…there is no higher ethic than the love command. Christianity does not bring a new ethic that other humans do not know. It brings a new motivation, enabling, and understanding of the extent to which love is willing to go.” Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent, 562.

Human Need and Acts of Hospitality Hungry – food, table, welcome, service Thirsty - refreshment, hydration, gift Stranger – home, welcome, trust, space Naked – identity, warmth, dignity Prison – loneliness, physical deprivation

Contrast of “the King” and “the least.” The King is rich, powerful, resourceful; respectful service is to your advantage (James 2.1-4) The Least is weak, poor, without influence or resources; has nothing to give in return for compassion, mercy, acts of kindness. Luke 14.13

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

When did we see you hungry? “The judgement of the Lord does not depend upon your conscious confession of faith, but on the faith which is working unconsciously in your behaviour.” (Bultmann) Christian hospitality is simply Christians being who they are: thoughtless kindness unselfconscious goodness enacted compassion embodied presence

“To enable and empower the personhood of every patient” “To welcome each person as Christ.” Hospitality is Specific – requiring actions fitted to circumstances Personal – relational initiatives, paying attention Expensive – gifts of time, work, material costs Unselfconscious – habit of the heart, way of seeing people

“This is not works righteousness; acts of mercy are not done as a means to an end, but are expressions of the knowledge of God’s love…there is no higher ethic than the love command. Christianity does not bring a new ethic that other humans do not know. It brings a new motivation, enabling, and understanding of the extent to which love is willing to go.” Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent, 562.

Refused Hospitality is a Criterion for Divine Judgement

Hospitable Living - Criterion of Judgement Offences against hospitality “and you did not….” “When did we see…?” “the least of these…” Judgement means assessment of our actions accountability to one who sees actions and motive consequences of complacency, hardened heart, selective vision, culpable ignorance…..

Kate Adie Dorothy Day George Macleod

“To enable and empower the personhood of every patient” “To welcome each person as Christ.” Hospitality is Specific – requiring actions fitted to circumstances Personal – relational initiatives, paying attention Expensive – gifts of time, work, material costs Unselfconscious – habit of the heart, way of seeing people

We cannot separate our relation with God from our relation with people We cannot separate our relation with God from our relation with people. To experience the compassion of God makes one a medium of compassion, and in the need of others we encounter our own relation to God. For those in Christ the origin and recipient of every act is Christ himself. Klyne Snodgrass.