We Have One Job // Roll Down Justice // Mar 8 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing the Divine in the Unexpected and Overlooked

We often expect to encounter the sacred in grand, predictable ways, yet the scriptures consistently reveal that God shows up in the ordinary and the marginalized. The presence of Christ is not confined to sanctuaries but is actively waiting to be discovered in the faces of those the world ignores. This truth invites us to cultivate a holy attentiveness to our surroundings. It challenges us to look beyond appearances and to see with the eyes of faith, where a simple act of kindness becomes an encounter with grace. [07:37]

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40, NIV)

Reflection: Where in your daily routine—on your commute, at the grocery store, in your workplace—might you be overlooking an opportunity to see the presence of Christ in someone who is easily ignored or dismissed?

Day 2: Good Works as the Fruit, Not the Root, of Faith

A life transformed by God’s grace cannot help but bear fruit in acts of love and mercy. These actions are not a means to earn God’s favor but are the natural overflow of a heart that has been forgiven and healed. They serve as a vital sign of a healthy and vibrant relationship with God, a reflection of the inner change that Christ brings. This understanding frees us from the burden of performance and fills our service with joy and gratitude. [13:32]

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NIV)

Reflection: As you consider your actions this past week, what is one way you served others that felt like a genuine response to God’s love, rather than an obligation you had to fulfill?

Day 3: The Challenging Invitation to Love the Unlikable

Sometimes, Christ calls us to extend love and compassion to those we find difficult to understand or with whom we profoundly disagree. This is where faith moves from theory to practice, demanding a grace that surpasses our natural inclinations. It is in these moments of tension that we are given a unique opportunity to embody the radical, boundary-breaking love of Jesus, often discovering His face in the very person we struggled to love. [18:27]

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28, NIV)

Reflection: Is there a person or group of people you have struggled to accept or love? How might God be inviting you to see them through His eyes, even if you cannot yet fully understand or agree with them?

Day 4: Using Scripture as a Mirror for Ourselves, Not a Weapon Against Others

It is easy to use God’s word to critique the failures and shortcomings of those around us. The more difficult and transformative path is to allow Scripture to function as a mirror, revealing the condition of our own hearts and the faithfulness of our own walk. This passage calls for personal and communal examination, asking us to measure our lives not against others, but against the generous and compassionate standard of Christ. [21:23]

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3, NIV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you most often use your faith to judge others, and how can you intentionally turn that critical gaze inward for the purpose of your own spiritual growth?

Day 5: Our Calling to Knock the Doors Off the Hinges

The church’s primary mission is one of radical hospitality, actively working to remove every barrier that prevents people from finding a place at God’s table. This is not a passive welcome but an intentional, disruptive effort to create space for everyone—regardless of their story, status, or struggle. It is a call to build a community that reflects the all-embracing love of Christ, where every person is valued and belongs. [25:57]

“And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:29, ESV)

Reflection: What is one tangible “door”—a policy, a tradition, an assumption, or a personal reluctance—that your faith community or you yourself could work to remove in order to make room for someone who feels they have no place here?

Sermon Summary

Forty years ago, a memory from Perkins School of Theology frames a question about recognizing Christ in unexpected places. A student spots a poorly dressed person rummaging through dormitory trash and wonders if that was Jesus. Matthew 25 emerges as the theological hinge: the clearest definition of discipleship appears in the call to treat "the least of these" as if serving Christ. The text first addressed traveling missionaries and then grew to name anyone who is vulnerable, marginalized, or oppressed. That widening of scope insists that Christian love must reach those on society’s edges.

A tension surfaces between Protestant insistence on grace and the passage’s emphasis on deeds. The passage functions like a spiritual health check: good works do not earn salvation but reveal the vitality of faith. John Wesley’s diagnostic question—whether conversion produces zeal for good works—stands as a test of authentic transformation. Martin Luther King Jr.’s measures of life reinforce the claim that public honors mean less than feeding the hungry, visiting the imprisoned, and loving extravagantly.

Concrete examples bring the point home. A food pantry volunteer’s prayer acknowledges an expectation that God will be present in those who come for help. A congregation member’s awkward encounter with a dying congregant with AIDS becomes the place where hardened prejudice melts into compassion. Such moments show that people often encounter Christ through inconvenient, disliked, or uncomfortable people.

Matthew 25 reads as judgment, but the judgment functions more as a mirror than a club. The passage challenges individuals and congregations to reflect honestly: do actions, money, time, and attention reveal a community that sees Christ in the needy? Political victories, correct votes, or sharp critiques cannot substitute for visible mercy. Finally, the church’s vocation arrives in a vivid image: remove the doors, set a table large enough for everyone, and make space for every broken, beloved person. The memory of seeing Jesus in a dumpster becomes an invitation: look closely and ask whether the face of Christ appears in the least of these.

Key Takeaways

1. Seeing Christ in the vulnerable True devotion trains the eye to notice Christ in those society discards. Encountering the needy demands attention that crosses comfort, politics, and prejudice, turning inconvenience into sacramental encounter. Such seeing reshapes priorities and reorients worship toward neighbor-serving love. [14:58]
2. Good works as faith's health check Acts do not purchase grace; they reveal its pulse. Regular service and justice measure spiritual vitality rather than earn standing before God. A faithful life shows its inward change through concrete habits of mercy. [12:06]
3. Transformation shows in action Inner conversion produces outward motion toward the hungry, imprisoned, and lonely. Public honors or correct opinions mean little if life’s resources do not follow compassion. True change becomes visible where love costs time and money. [13:04]
4. Judgment functions as a mirror Judgment scenes test communities more than punish individuals: they expose whether love shapes life choices. Using moral texts to shame others misses the text’s primary call to self-examination and reform. Honest reflection produces repentance and renewed service. [20:43]
5. Church must set an inclusive table The church’s vocation concentrates on hospitality: dismantle barriers and make room for every person. A table with space for the marginalized expresses covenantal unity more faithfully than any policy or platform. Inclusive practice manifests theology in everyday life. [25:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:20] - Opening Prayer and Memory
[05:44] - Highland Park and SMU Context
[06:24] - The Strange Sight Outside Dorms
[07:37] - Matthew 25: Culmination of Discipleship
[09:00] - Defining "The Least of These"
[12:06] - Faith as a Spiritual Health Check
[13:04] - Wesley and Visible Transformation
[16:12] - Encounters: Food Pantry Prayer
[17:40] - Loving Those Hard to Like
[18:51] - Judgment as Mirror, Not Weapon
[23:22] - Church’s Call: Knock Doors Off Hinges
[26:15] - Final Invitation: See Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 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 foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Observation questions

In the passage, what specific actions does the King say were done for him (or not done for him) by the righteous and the unrighteous?
What was the initial reaction of both the righteous and the unrighteous when the King told them they had served (or not served) him? [08:14]
According to the sermon, how did the early church's understanding of "the least of these" expand from its original meaning? [09:15]
The sermon describes this passage as a "mirror" rather than a "club" or a "bludgeon." What is the difference between using the text in these two ways? [20:17]

Interpretation questions

How does the idea that serving "the least of these" is like serving Jesus himself change the motivation for helping others, compared to doing it out of mere duty or obligation?
The sermon suggests that good works are not what *earn* God's favor but are a *health check* that reveals the vitality of a person's faith. [12:06] What is the practical difference between these two ways of understanding the role of good works?
If the passage functions as a mirror for self-examination, what might it reveal about a person's or a church's priorities, use of resources, and attention? [21:02]
The story of the Italian family's Thanksgiving suggests the church's job is to "knock the doors off the hinges and set a table big enough for everyone." [25:57] What does this image say about the nature of true Christian community and hospitality?

Application questions

The passage challenges us to see the presence of Jesus in those who are vulnerable or marginalized. Who is someone in your community you find it difficult to see in this way, and what might be one practical step you could take to see them differently? [14:58]
Good works are described as a natural outpouring of a transformed heart, not a way to earn love. When you serve others, do you more often feel like you are earning something or responding to grace? How can you cultivate a heart that serves simply because it has been loved?
Judgment functions as a mirror for honest self-reflection. Looking at your life—your schedule, your spending, your passions—what is one area the mirror of Matthew 25 reveals that needs to change to better reflect a love for "the least of these"? [20:43]
The church is called to radical hospitality, to remove barriers and make space for everyone. What is one "door" or barrier in your own heart or in your church community that might need to be taken off its hinges to make more room? [25:57]
The sermon asks if anyone could tell from the way you live your life that you see Christ in the needy. [21:02] What is one recent decision you made—with your time, money, or attention—that would serve as evidence of this?
We are often invited to love people we have a hard time liking. [18:27] Is there a relationship in your life where you feel this tension? What would it look like to ask for the grace to see the face of Christ in that person?

Sermon Clips

And when grandmother would say the Thanksgiving Day prayer, we knew we were one family. And then she said, church, we have one job. Our job is to knock the doors off the hinges and to set a table big enough for everyone. Our job is to knock those doors off the hinges and set a table big enough for everyone. Forty years ago, I believe my friend Matt saw the face of Jesus. Do you? [00:25:31] (70 seconds) #SetTheTableForEveryone

I'm not sure it has anything to say to me. I mean, I vote the right way. I follow the right people on Facebook and Substack and threads. I have a collection of wicked memes that point out the hypocrisy of those people. To point out the cruelty of those people, who point out how far from being Christian those people really are. [00:19:13] (48 seconds) #PerformativeFaith

If Christ is king, what does that mean? If Christ is ruler over our lives, doctor King told them, then my Nobel Peace Prize is less important than my trying to feed the hungry. If Christ is king, then my invitations to the White House are less important than I visited those in prison. If Christ is lord, then my being Time Magazine's man of the year is less important than that I tried to love extravagantly, dangerously, and with all my being. [00:14:02] (33 seconds) #ServiceOverStatus

Could anyone tell from the way you live your life, the way you spend your money, the way you extend your passions, that you see in the least of these the very presence of Jesus? Or what about the church? This congregation or any congregation of the church, when you look at it, can you see that this congregation sees in the least of these the very presence of Jesus? [00:20:43] (37 seconds) #SeeJesusInOthers

It is a light that I use to shine on their cruelty and hypocrisy. But it's not just a light. It's a mirror. And when you look at yourself in the mirror of Matthew 25, what do you see? [00:20:02] (26 seconds) #Matthew25Mirror

If we are transformed in our lives, it will show. If we have experienced God's forgiveness and mercy and grace deep in our souls, it cannot help but be seen in the way that we live our lives. We can check the strength of our relationship to God by looking at how our lives express that in the world. [00:13:04] (30 seconds) #FaithInActions

In this story, we have the clearest definition of what Christian discipleship actually looks like. And it's pretty simple, isn't it? You treat the least of these the way you would treat Jesus. If you do something good for them, it's like doing something good for Jesus. If you do something poorly to harm them, it's like harming Jesus. That's that's pretty simple, isn't it? And yet, the story raises a couple of important questions. [00:08:09] (31 seconds) #DiscipleshipIsService

They poke him and they prod him. They look in his throat and look in his eyes and listen to his chest. Maybe take a little blood, maybe have him urinate in a cup, and then they pronounce him healthy or not healthy based on all of these tests that they did on him. He said in the same way this passage is a passage that is a health checkup on the vitality of the faith of the person involved. [00:11:43] (32 seconds) #SpiritualCheckup

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We Have One Job // Roll Down Justice // Mar 8 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing the Divine in the Unexpected and Overlooked

Day 2: Good Works as the Fruit, Not the Root, of Faith

Day 3: The Challenging Invitation to Love the Unlikable

Day 4: Using Scripture as a Mirror for Ourselves, Not a Weapon Against Others

Day 5: Our Calling to Knock the Doors Off the Hinges

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

We Have One Job // Roll Down Justice // Mar 8 2026

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