Serving “the Least of These”
AM Psalm 38 • PM Psalm 119:25-48
Joshua 3:1-13 • Rom. 11:25-36 • Matt. 25:31-46
I know we’ve all heard the phrase “wearing your heart on your sleeve,” but I imagine that the phrase “wearing a scripture on your forearm” might sound a bit odd to us. But that’s exactly what my wife Gwynne Gertz did. Gwynne is, by family tradition, a Jew, and we have a very happy Episcopo-Judaic household. She loves St. Paul’s and participates in its outreach programs regularly. She is, in my estimation, the very best kind of social and political activist—the type who doesn’t simply talk the talk of her commitment to social justice.
She showed her chops in 2018 and 2019 by taking two trips to the southern border—one to Brownsville/Matamoros and the other to El Paso/Juarez—where she helped to feed and care for the thousands of refugees who were applying for asylum and seeking to enter the United States legally. Gwynne doesn’t speak any Spanish, so in preparation for her expeditions, she had a Spanish translation of Matthew 25:35, “I was a stranger and you invited me in,” tattooed on her right forearm.
And, according to Gwynne, it seemed to work: The folks waiting at the border would see the tattoo, perhaps acknowledge the source, but certainly recognize her as a friend, an ally, a helper.
Of course, putting the sentence from Matthew 25 in tattoo form made it permanent. Gwynne will have this mark of her devotion for the rest of her life—the sentiment has become timeless for her. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing. When is it not a good idea to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, and visit the prisoner?
But I have a question to ponder as I consider this passage: Our government has responded generously to help refugees from war-torn Ukraine fleeing the violence and destruction brought on by the Russian invasion and the concomitant destruction of their homeland. And that’s good. But why does our government apparently work so hard to avoid helping the refugees at the southern border? These folks are also fleeing from mayhem—from gang violence, from drug cartels, from graft and corruption on the part of elected officials, the military, and law enforcement. Aren’t these refugees “the least of these” whom Jesus urges that we help? Just asking.
Written by David Jolliffe
At St. Paul’s, David sings in the choir, assists with community meals, and helps to coordinate the Tippy McMichael Lecture Series.