We are called to serve — it’s the least we can do

Dear fellow children of God:

Recently, I was touched to hear Valley resident Michelle Overstreet speak about homeless students.

Michelle is helping in the efforts of the Mat-Su Borough School District to aid students who are homeless. She works primarily out of Burchell High School in Wasilla. Of the 260-plus students at this school, more than 100 are homeless.

What touched me about Michelle’s presentation were the stories. I have heard, and unfortunately at times even thought, that perhaps most homeless students were homeless because of their own choices. I’ve heard it said that “they don’t want to obey the rules at home, so they leave.” The implication is that homelessness may be a choice.

But Michelle tells stories of youth she has worked with who are abused and leave home for their safety. She tells of youth whose parents are in jail. She tells of youth whose parents are incapacitated by substance abuse. She tells of youth whose parents have left the state while their children remain here. There are so many in need, and not just students.

In this coming Sunday’s Gospel lesson we will hear Jesus tell us, “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 … I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Jesus doesn’t even say it matters how a person ended up in need. He simply calls us to help others when in need.

Our call to help others does not earn us God’s love; rather, it’s a response to his love for us when we were in need. When we were hopelessly lost because of our sin, when we had no hope of heaven or eternal life, when all we faced was death and judgment because of our own sinful actions, the son of God gave his life for us so that we might not only be helped with the trials of this life, but given the blessings of eternity. Because Jesus gave himself in love for us, he calls us to love others.

In our church council meeting on Sunday, Eleanor Allen talked about the efforts of the Human Needs Board to encourage St. John members and friends to help the needy. The Palmer Food Bank is providing meals for families again this Thanksgiving and at Christmas. The word coming in is that there are more in need this year than ever before in Palmer.

The food bank can use donations of a meal or food to help with a meal. It can also use cash donations. You can call the Food Bank at 746-3565. It is located in the red building on Colony Way north of the Palmer Police Department.

Let me encourage you to help the food bank help others this year, and throughout the year. After all, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

We are children of God, blessed to help Jesus through helping others.

Jonathan Rockey is Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer.

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