James 2:1-8
My brothers, have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, without partiality. For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your assembly, and also a poor man in ragged clothing comes in, and you have respect for him who wears the fine clothing and say to him, “Sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor, “Stand there,” or “Sit here under my Listen, my beloved brothers. Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? But you have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you and drag you before the judgment seats? Do they not blaspheme that worthy name by which you are called? If you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. James 2:1-8 (MEV)
Today’s scripture speaks to me as a reminder that God has called us to love our neighbors and that there is no room for judgment in love. On the first and third Tuesdays and second Saturdays, love looks like food in the trunk of a car for Southwood and the Food Bank of Lincoln. Sometimes, it is hard to keep judgment out.
Southwood hosts Mobile Food Distributions in our parking lot and in Palmyra every month. One of the volunteer duties is to gather completed forms from each of the cars going through the distribution. It is the best job of the distribution, in my opinion. You get to connect with people in each car, and hopefully give them a sense of being seen and welcomed. I was lucky enough to have this job one day when two very different kinds of cars were next to each other in line. A shiny, brand new car was followed by an old, loud and rusty car. The people in the new car gave me their form and pulled up to receive food. Then the old car pulled up to give me their form. As they pulled up, the new car stalled and held up the line for a moment. It gave me a little extra time to talk with the people in the old car. The person commented about the new car in front of them, “They shouldn’t be here because if they can afford that car they can afford food.” I totally understand the judgment she was making. Everyone makes judgments or assumptions about people because of what they drive. And when we feel like we don’t have enough, we really don’t like to see anyone else get more than they deserve. I would have made those same judgments a few years ago. But I was able to share a different perspective with her on that day. I told her that we are just here to give people food. We don’t know the circumstances that bring anyone to a distribution, and we don’t judge anyone by the car they are in. She laughed a little and moved on to have food loaded into her trunk. I don’t know if she cared for my perspective and I’m sure she wasn’t the only person at the distribution thinking that the new car didn’t need to be there. But if we are judging we aren’t able to love. And God calls us to love not to judge.
The truth is that there are so many scenarios that could explain how a brand new car was going through a free food distribution. It could be someone picking up food for a friend that needs it but has to work during the distribution time. It might be someone nice enough to give a friend a ride. Some people pick up food for elderly neighbors or refugee families that they know have a need for food. It could be that they bought the new car and then lost their job and now they need a little help getting by until they get paid by their new job. There are just so many explanations that are possible. We can’t know all the stories or circumstances that might bring someone to a distribution and we don’t need to know. All we need to do, the only thing we are there to do is show them love.
It is awesome that we are a church that lives out loving our neighbors as ourselves as a way of life, not just words written on the wall.
Questions for Reflection:
- What does loving your neighbor look like for you?
- Is there a place in your life that you need to let go of judgment and just love?
Prayer
Gracious God, I am in constant need of reminding that judgment has no place in loving people. Please guide my thoughts and actions to show others love without judgment. Forgive me when I fall short of loving my neighbor in the way you have called me to love. Thank you for the people in my life who show me what love is. Be with me as I learn to love my neighbor as myself. Amen
If you’d like to be a part of the many ways Southwood is loving our neighbors, you can see the opportunities here: https://southwoodlutheran.ivolunteer.com
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