Children’s Sermon

Matthew 25:31-46

Meeting Needs

By Lois Parker Edstrom

OBJECT SUGGESTED: Objects to represent basic needs such as food, water, clothing, house key, etc. or items necessary to meet the needs of a newborn.

When you were a brand-new baby, what did you need? You needed a home where you would be protected from rain, snow, and hot sun. You needed clothes, food, and water. You needed someone to help you and take care of you if you became sick. And, when you were very young and couldn’t get around on your own, you needed to be held and be able to hear your parents’ voices.

Most of us have what we need to feel safe and secure, but there are many people in the world who lack these basic things. Some people don’t have homes; some are cold, thirsty, and hungry. Others are sick and lonely.

In the Bible, as we read the words that Jesus spoke while he was on earth, we find something very powerful. He was speaking to a group of people and he said, “Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (25:40). When Jesus talks about “the least of these” he is talking about people who don’t have what they need to feel safe and secure.

When we give care to people who need help it is as if we are giving the care directly to God. What are some of the ways we can help? Give food to a food bank, send clothes to a homeless shelter, give someone a cup of water, make people feel welcome, visit the elderly who are housebound or in a nursing home, or volunteer at a hospital. All of these are powerful ways to help others and at the same time serve God.

“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'”

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible

Copyright 2007, Richard Niell Donovan