Sheep or Hagfish - The Rev. Joanna Leiserson

Sermons from the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer

You're downtown. You're on your way to the Bengals game, and you see a panhandler on the street with a sign. Hungry. Please give. You do one of three things. You pull out your wallet and give him a dollar. Or you shake your head to say no. Or you look straight ahead, trying not to catch his eye as you walk by him. And then you feel guilty and you wonder, Did I just become a goat because I did not feed the least of my brothers and sisters? Jesus told me that when I feed the hungry, I'm feeding the king. And when I refuse, I refuse the king. And as you keep walking with those troubling thoughts, you look up and you see six more panhandlers ahead of you Is every single panhandler the king who judges us? Are we being tested every time we do or do not help the needy? Does a king really count up all of the times that we give a handout and balance them out against all the times we don't? The king gathers up everybody and separates the good from the bad. Or as we say in theological terms, separates the keepies from the creepies. The sheep from the goats. Which I kind of object to because I think it's unfair to goats. So, for today, I am going to substitute for the more accurate hagfish. Also known as slime eels. Because hagfish are out only for themselves. And they spew slime at any strangers who come near. Just like in this story.