Hearing the Voice of God

Matthew 25:34-36 (NRSV) 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'

God is always speaking to us. Sometimes as the ones who serve and other times as the ones who are served. On Saturday those two came together in a sacred moment that you should know about, celebrate, and plan to participate in.

Eric and Kathy Stitt and a very hard working, yet woefully small, crew of servants of Christ took time to clothe the naked. Over the last week they invited you to bring your bags of unwanted, and gently used, clothing. And you did, big time. Those clothes were separated by size and gender, folded or put on hangers, and laid out for display. "Shoppers" were invited from all over the northland to come, pick out what fits, and take it with our blessing. I spoke with the counselor at our partner school (Maple Park Middle School) who told me that all the counselors in the North Kansas City School District were sending home a flyer about this ministry with the students whose families needed it the most. Her excitement about our ministry touched me to the core.

Over 100 families were provided with clothing, echoing Christ's words to us, "I was naked and you clothed me."

In addition, 35 of those families were served in our food pantry. Many of them were treated to the first fruits (or veggies) of the Shepherd's Garden as bags of fresh lettuce were passed out. Christ's words were again echoing through the church, "I was hungry and you fed me."

So, do you hear God calling to you? The food pantry is now very near empty. Can you help? The garden needs constant care, can you weed?