Isaiah 58:1-14 MOVEMENT ADDENDUM
Notes
Transcript
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.
32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?
39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.
42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink.
43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Henri Nouwen in Compassion states
“The future has already begun and is revealed each time strangers are welcomed, the naked are clothed, the sick and prisoners are visited, and oppression is overcome.” (Compassion, 132)
18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
Brian P. Stone in Compassionate Ministry states
“Authentic compassion begins with solidarity. It enters into the suffering of another with genuine empathy, vulnerability, and concern. But the compassionate minister is not overcome by this suffering nor wholly determined by it. She remains free and brings something to the experience of suffering that is not derived from the experience itself. She brings a vision and a hope. She sees the possibility of liberation and community. She sees the space for creativity and novelty. And thus, while fully participating in the pain of the other, she brings faith and healing, emancipation and promise. Compassion is not compassion without this dimension of freedom. That is why compassion must never be understood either as a command to be obeyed or as a mere tool to accomplish other allegedly more important activities like church growth or evangelism.” (Compassionate Ministry, 63).
Phineas Bresee, our first General Superintendent, once stated...
“We want places so plain that every board will say welcome to the poorest. We can get along without rich people, but not without preaching the Gospel to the poor. We do not covet the fine churches of our neighbors; we only long after a rich anointing of the Holy Ghost, that we may be committed to reach the poor and outcast, for whom some care so little but for whom our Redeemer lived and died. Let the Church of the Nazarene be true to its commission; not great and elegant buildings; but to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and wipe away the tears of the sorrowing; and gather jewels for his diadem.”
Elie Wiesel in his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize (1986) states
“Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.”
