When we see the vulnerable

Rhoda Sturgeon · Tidal Church Moncton · March 1, 2026 · How Do We Change the World? series

Rhoda Sturgeon looks at Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus says whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him. She shows how simple acts of mercy help us see Jesus in the vulnerable and take part in His kingdom.

More from Rhoda Sturgeon · The How Do We Change the World? series

Topics: Love, Mission & Outreach, Discipleship

Transcript

[0:01] Well, good morning. It is such a pleasure being here with you this morning, and just sharing a little bit about what, what we are doing here. And so for those who don't know me, my name is Rhoda Sturgeon and I'm the director of Care here and have been for the last six months. So it has been a really exciting season for us. We've had to kind of look a little bit at what is happening in our community, in our city. Moncton has been the fastest growing city in Canada for the last three years. So we wanted to have a close look and see where the needs were in our community and how we can serve our community better.

[0:47] So we had a good look at that and we really believe in bringing a holistic approach to our care. And so some of the ministries that we launched last September was Stephen Ministry, which is our compassion ministry. It's a one-on-one ministry where we have a team who is trained. They have over 50 hours of training and it's confidential care. So they'll be paired with somebody who's going through a difficult season of their life, who needs a little bit of extra care, and they walk through that season with them for as long as they need to. So that's one of the wonderful ministries that we have. We have single and parenting, which is supporting and equipping parents who are single, which brings many, many challenges.

[1:39] So we're supporting them through that season. DivorceCare, DivorceCare for Children, which is for ages five to 12. And we also have GriefShare. So GriefShare is actually the ministry that I led for six, six years before I became the director of Care. And I continue to do so at the moment, but if you feel that on your heart, I'm, I am looking for somebody who's, who's willing to take that on. And it is just been such a blessing to be a part of this ministry. And it's a wonderful support group for people going through the death of a loved one, but also a program. So every week we talk about a death related topic, and just to encourage that person going through that season.

[2:34] It is a journey. There's no end to that. And the Food Pantry is also another ministry that we started last, we launched it in September, but for Thanksgiving, you all filled that food pantry. And we have been able to bless people continually and if you are ever interested and still continuing to bring that, we have a small box as soon as you walk in the atrium over to the right, it is there all the time. You are welcome to bring non-perishable items to that any time. So then we jump forward to December. And December was just a very exciting time.

[3:22] We had 80, our church blessed 80 turkey boxes to our community, and that is an increase of over 30%, compared to last year. So that just goes to show how much that need has increased. So then personally, over Christmas and New Year's, I had the opportunity to go to Jamaica with 22 Ca Island staff, which one of them was my daughter. And we headed to Jamaica. They had been hit by a category five hurricane, which devastated a lot of that island.

[4:08] And so we went and put on a camp for the children there and to encourage them as they're rebuilding their lives. So it was a really special time to encourage this youth mentoring ministry that we worked there with. And then I came back in January and I was here for a short time and then headed to Africa. And you heard Pastor Jim share a little bit about some of the things that we had done on the trip. We had been to Sierra Leone with World Hope and Kenya with International Needs. And it was just our days were filled with God wowing moments.

[5:00] I can't even begin to tell you everything that happened, but it was really so incredible. And the last week, I had the opportunity to, my husband was also with me, so we had the opportunity to go on a safari, which was something I had never done before. And let me tell you, it was a very wild experience. Right in the middle of the Serengeti, I also had an opportunity to celebrate my 50th birthday. And nothing brings you closer than laying in a tent when you know a lion is on the other side. So I became very close to God in that season too.

[5:46] So it was very exciting. But something else that really spoke to me that, I know there's a big emphasis on getting older and turning 50 and every decade it kind of reminds me all the more that why we are really here, my true purpose in life. And even though it was, yeah, it just, it kind of is an awakening moment. And going through all these, which brings me to the verse for today, and that's Matthew 25:31-40. "But when the Son of Man comes into His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne.

[6:33] All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at His right hand and the goats at His 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. For you, from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home.

[7:19] I was naked and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.' Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You something to drink or a stranger and show You hospitality or naked and give You clothing? When did we ever see You sick or in prison and visit You?' And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these, My brothers and sisters, you did it to Me.'" And this is one of Jesus's most sobering teachings.

[8:07] It's a picture of the final evaluation of our lives. And the surprising thing is that Jesus measures our love for Him, by the way we treat the vulnerable, the least of these. So just some, like, everyday examples of what the vulnerable might look like. It could be families relying on food banks, seniors choosing between groceries and medication, mental health and addiction, newcomers and refugees, single and widowed parents, children, teens dealing with difficult circumstances and job loss.

[8:53] And these are just to name a few. Our community is full of the vulnerable. And there are different seasons. There was a season where I was also a vulnerable, and Jeremy kind of brought it up too last week. It's the unprotected. So this passage just isn't about the end of times, but it's about how we live our lives right now. It's about what happens when we see the vulnerable. So there's three points that I want to make today. The first one is when we see the vulnerable, we see Jesus in the passage, both the sheep and the goats. And we'll get to the goats in a minute. Ask the same question, "Lord, when did we see You?"

[9:44] The question reveals the heart of the text. The Jesus is saying, "You didn't recognize Me because I wasn't where you expected Me to be. I wasn't in the spotlight, I was in the struggle. I wasn't in the palace, I was in the prison. I wasn't in those comfortable places. I was in those places of need." And the radical claim of Matthew 25 is Jesus identifies Himself with the vulnerable, not symbolically and not metaphorically, but personally. When we see the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned, we are seeing Jesus in disguise.

[10:38] The question is not, is Jesus present? The question is, do we recognize Him? Let's continue to read Matthew 25:41-46. Then the King will return to those on the left and say, "Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry and you didn't feed Me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn't invite Me into your home. I was naked and you didn't give Me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit Me."

[11:28] Then they will reply, "Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and not help You?" And He will answer, "I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these, My brothers and sisters, you're refusing to help Me." And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life. So the second point that I wanna make today is that when we see the vulnerable, we reveal who we are. The sheep and the goats weren't separated by belief, but by behavior.

[12:14] Not because works saves us, but because works reveals who we are. The sheep didn't perform heroic acts. They simply lived out a compassion that had already taken root in their hearts. And as followers of Jesus, that's what we do. The goats weren't condemned for cruelty, but they were condemned for lack of care. They didn't hurt Jesus, but they didn't help Him. This passage teaches us something uncomfortable but necessary. Our response to the vulnerable reveals the condition of our hearts. Compassion is not optional for followers of Jesus.

[13:01] Mercy is not a side ministry. It is the ministry. Love for God is proven for love for people. And when we see the vulnerable, our reactions expose what we truly value. Do we move towards them or away from them? Do we see a burden or do we see a brother? Do we see a problem or do we see a person? Do we see an interruption or do we see an invitation? And this picture that I have here, there's a picture of a trip that we, on our trip, we were in Kenya. And we had the opportunity to visit a family there.

[13:59] And this was a single mom. And she had two little boys, and one of them had special needs. And one Saturday morning, this ministry that we were visiting, they put on a Bible club. And it's right in the middle of the slums. It's the second largest slum in the world. And population, almost a million people. So the size of our province. And every Saturday morning, they, they feed the children, they do Bible club for them. And we had the opportunity to visit this family. And we made our way that morning, through the narrow hallways of small shacks, over the streams of sewage and up a steep, narrow ladder to get into this little room where they lived.

[15:00] Ian's brother, Ian, his little boy in the wheelchair, Ian's brother carries him every Saturday morning up through that same path to Bible club where they get to hear about the hope and the love of Jesus. And I'm sure it was very intimidating for them to be in their little home. But the joy that we all felt to be there and pray with them was just so incredible. And just like I said, you know, these aren't grand gestures. These are acts of mercy. And Jesus lists six simple actions. And the third point that I wanna make today is that when we see the vulnerable, we are participating in God's kingdom.

[15:52] And the simple actions that He lists, the first one is feed. This could look like supporting our food pantry or making a meal for someone in your small group who's sick. Give drink. When we give drink to someone who is thirsty, whether that's a bottle of water or providing comfort to someone who's spiritually dry, we are living out Christ's call to care for the least of these. Clothe. This could look like choosing patience with someone, giving gloves to someone who needs them more than you do.

[16:39] Care. Sometimes just being present. Listen and offer prayer. Offer a ride or check in with someone you haven't seen for a while. And visit. And the last one was just such a blessing. I feel like we were more blessed from visiting Ian and his family than they probably were from having us. But that can be such a simple thing. They're not grand gestures. It could be a hospital visit or a home visit. It could be sitting with someone who you just know needs some company. And that's one area of ministry that we're also expanding on.

[17:27] So if that's something that you feel called to do, please come and talk to me about that. Visitation. The Kingdom of God advances not only through preaching and through miracles, but through everyday faithfulness. Every time we choose compassion, we are participating in the work of the kingdom. Every time we lift someone up who has fallen, we are pushing back darkness. Every time we show kindness to someone who can't repay us, we're building something eternal. The world measures greatness by power. Jesus measures greatness by compassion. The world celebrates the impressive. Jesus celebrates the faithful. The world asks, what have you achieved?

[18:21] Jesus asks, whom have you loved? When we see the vulnerable and respond with mercy, we are living in the life of the kingdom right now. And in closing, I just ask that, Lord, that You open our eyes, that Matthew 25 is not meant to scare us, but it's meant to awaken us. That Jesus is saying to us today, "I am closer than you think I am. Present in the people that you overlook. And if you wanna love Me, love them."

[19:10] The question for us today is simple. When we see the vulnerable, do we see Jesus? Because one day the King will say to us, "Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for Me." Just ask you to stand. I'm just gonna dismiss us in prayer. Lord Jesus, God of compassion and mercy, give us eyes to see. Give us hearts to serve You, Lord Jesus, in our everyday situations. Lord Jesus, speak to our hearts. Lord, help us to take time out of our day and stop to talk to somebody who needs it.

[20:07] Lord Jesus, I thank You, Jesus. I thank You for, thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Lord, I just ask for Your Holy Spirit guidance, Lord, as we go out into our weeks, Lord, to notice those around us, Lord, the vulnerable, the hurting. Thank You, Jesus. In Your name, amen.