Daily Devotion

Saturday, March 20, 2026  

Today's Scripture
Matthew 25:45

Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

Reflection

Two phrases jumped out at me in this text. One phrase was “least of these,” and the other was “do it to me,” which is to say, God or Jesus.

You cannot read this without first feeling the contrast between the least of these and God. Yet, God and the least of these are a continuum; the least of these are the people through whom we see God Nature, the living and inanimate reveal God.

The author Sherry Turkle recognizes the communal and justice foundations of communication via her Reclaiming Conversation among emotive, affective human beings. She resonates with scripture that we do good to others because they are part of us, and we are part of God. The least reveals the Holy, the Holy is revealed through the least... not the billionaire or the genius.

God reveals the Holy via my doing good to the least, the homeless, the neighbors. Marc Dunkleman’s book Vanishing Neighbor laments the disappearing village, and Susan Pinker’s The Village Affect shows we are all together emotively and define ourselves via the other.

This is Hegelian. The German thinker says society exists by one person recognizing the other: no one is a stranger. Hegel uses reason to reveal the superiority of feeling, awe, and spirit. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche reacted to Hegel by noting that existence is subjective, felt, appreciated, and not mere logic, argument, or quantity.

Do I feel overwhelmed with current events, with apathy in trying to do good, since I am a finite, fallible part of Creation? Trusting in God to help me, I ought to believe God holds my hand, and so I walk in Christ’s footsteps to do good. You and I are not alone.

Prayer

Lord, please help each of us to hasten the arrival of your kingdom in our time by not settling for complacency and helplessness, but, rather, give us the courage to do the good that’s ours to do now. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Written by Michael Kazanjian, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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