"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, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ~ Matthew 25:37-40 (NIV)
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Monday was a great day! My friend and I met up with other volunteers to make a difference in the River District in downtown Sacramento, where a large population of homeless live. Nestled in this section of the downtown are numerous agencies providing shelter and provisions to the homeless, and we got to help out! We worked hard, painting a women's dorm room at the Bannon Street Shelter, met some wonderful people, and came away knowing we had done a good thing -- helping people and showing them the love of God through helping hands. We were truly blessed! And when I got home and watched a video clip of President Obama painting walls at a teen shelter, I just felt a sense of connection, a sense of community with my country's leader. Pretty cool...
Our new President is calling our country's people to responsibility and accountability, and I am impressed to see that people are listening. I heard a young pop music/movie star on TV last night, hosting an inaugural celebration, and he sounded excited about "stepping up our game" as a people, and rebuilding our nation by being involved in our communities. As I worked alongside so many other volunteers on Monday and saw the faces of the grateful residents at the shelter, I caught the vision of changing our country from the bottom up . . . of loving our neighbors as ourselves . . . of doing good without expecting to be paid back. And isn't that the love through social justice that Jesus preached? Isn't that the compassion that Jesus compels us to give?
I pray that we could all re-evaluate our level of service in our communities. I know that I have, up to this point, not been an active participant. But God certainly propelled me in the last couple of weeks to venture out -- and I'm thankful. I'm now even a captain of a First Baptist Church Fair Oaks team for "Hands On Sacramento"! The team members are growing daily, and I'm excited to see how we can be in the community for the good of the community . . . and, in the process, show and tell them of God's love for them. (NOTE: If you live in the Sacramento area, and are interested in being a part of our team, just reply and I can sign you up! We even have some folks interested who don't go to church -- we're glad to partner with anyone interested, so no worries there....)
God opened my eyes through a TV commercial about MLK Day On, and pointed me on-line to an existing volunteer organization that made it very easy to get involved. So, wherever you live, please consider going on-line and finding a place to get plugged in. I think you will get hooked on loving people in need! I know I have . . . and isn't that just like our Father in heaven?
Love,
Joelene
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