Since we’re talking about the poor, see yesterday’s words, here’s a parable that cemented the idea for me. It showed up in the gospel of Luke 19, 31-46, the gospel of the Sheep and the Goats, all though, to tell you the truth, I never knew it by that name. I simply remembered the little story where it is explained that what you do for the least of these you do for me, i.e. the Lord, and he is them and they are Him.

I suppose that’s why I liked Joan Osbourne’s song, One of Us, with the lyric, “What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us. Just a stranger on the bus. Tryin' to make his way home?” because I know how hard it would be to accept the idea and act on it, because I know how many times I’ve driven by a stranger sitting on a street corner with a sign saying I’m hungry, and given them nothing. If Luke is right, then the points against me are piling up.

And all of this leads straight to the idea that being a good Christian and living up to the Gospels probably means more than going to church on Sunday, singing a few songs, dropping a dime in the collection plate, and then heading home to watch the NFL. It seems to me that being a good Christian might be a full time job of outreach and acceptance and understanding and giving. Although, it’s important to remember, I’m not a social scientist nor am I a theologian. I’m just a guy who went to church, and this is what I picked up along the way.

Part 13, Living in America, An Old Man’s Journey into His Past