Sheep and Goats

Despite the snow on Sunday there was a good attendance for the CAP Sunday service at the Countess Church and the team enjoyed sharing about Ely and District CAP. The children particularly enjoyed Fiona's foot washing demonstration and the theme of acts of service was continued in the talk from John based on Matthew 25.

Matthew 25: 31 - 36 (NIV)

31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 ‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

To a greater or lesser extent we all have a moral compass, a dividing line between what is right and what is wrong. For the Biblical shepherd with a mixed flock of sheep and goats, separating them was quite a tricky process as they can look alike. As Christians, we also have the example and teaching of Jesus to show us what that line looks like. But it is not just ticking Good Deeds off a list, so many visited in prison this week, so many fed, so many clothed. Both the sheep and the goats were surprised about when they had done (or not done) these things.

Matthew 25: 37 - 45 (NIV)

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? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?”

40 ‘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.”

41 ‘Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me.”

44 ‘They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison, and did not help you?”

45 ‘He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

For those on the right hand, these actions were often unthinking, putting others first as their way of life, a friendly smile, time to stop a chat with someone in trouble, helping someone with shopping or any other acts of service being an integral part of the way they are living their lives. For the others, their lives are lived with themselves first and these opportunities may go past unnoticed with the focus on their own agenda.

For most of us, it is not so clear cut, we may try to put others first but our own worries get in the way. This is where Jesus steps in with forgiveness. He knows that we can't always get it right, but He loves us for trying and gives as the strength and support to carry on however far we may have strayed.

One of the ways to tell sheep and goats apart is by their characters. Both live in the flock, but sheep are aloof, content to do what sheep do and follow the herd. Goats are more independent and curious. Sometimes we need to be like goats, more curious and interested in others unlike the aloof sheep. We also need to maintain a balance between becoming too dependent on our own strength or too complacent, happy to just follow the herd and not leave our comfort zone.

Money Coaching

The Money Coaching course started on Wednesday evening, with four coming along to find out more about managing their finances. An alternative session is coming up on Saturday morning as well.

Please pray for the team as they deliver this course, and for all those who attend, that it would help them better understand their finances and help avoid debt.

Schools Money Coaching is also starting at St. Mary's School on Monday, a valuable opportunity to help the children better understand money in a world where most things are now instant and electronic rather than hard cash making it harder to understand the reality of money and budgeting.

Please pray for the team as they go into the school on Monday and that the children will both have fun and gain from the experience.

Find out more about Money Coaching: CAP Money Coaching

Prayer

Please pray for all those who are struggling with debt, their worries and situations making it difficult to see beyond. Pray that the Ely and District CAP team can bring the love and strength of Jesus into their lives to uplift and sustain them.

Pray for the team as they juggle different talks and situations alongside their work for CAP, pray for the strength to manage these situations and for the love and care that they continue to bring to those struggling with debt in our community.

Pray that we can all have the strength to put Jesus at the centre of our lives, to be aware of the needs of others and not be blinded by our own agenda.