Chosen
Arnell McDonald · Tidal Church Shediac · September 20, 2026
Arnell McDonald centres on Matthew 25 and Deuteronomy 30, showing that choice is a sacred gift. Because Jesus has chosen us by grace, genuine faith shows up in compassion, generosity and action for the hungry, the forgotten and the vulnerable.
Topics: Faith, Grace, Mission & Outreach
Transcript
[0:00] God, I thank you for today, and I thank you for each heart here. God, I pray that you would speak through me, God. And whatever words are not of you, Lord, may they not hear it. Jesus' name. Amen. So I know many of us have stood in the grocery stores, correct? Yes. But have you ever stood in the grocery store completely overwhelmed by something that should be incredibly simple? You walk down the cereal aisle, and there are hundreds of choices. You got the regular Cheerios, the Honey Nut Cheerios, the multigrain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Chocolate Cheerios, and that's just the Cheerios.
[0:45] And I know many of you like coffee, so you would have done this. You stood in front of the coffee menu. Small, medium, large, decaf, regular, hot, iced, one shot, two shot, oat milk, almond milk. And you just started thinking, I only wanted a coffee. We laugh about it, but think about what that actually says about our lives. We live surrounded by choice. This morning, before most of us even arrived here at church, we made about a dozen choices. We chose what time to get up. We chose what clothes to put on, thank you.
[1:31] We chose what to eat or whether to eat. We chose what coffee to drink, and we chose what route to get here because Chetyak Main Street is ripped up, so you had to choose a different route. So most of those decisions seem completely ordinary. But here's what I've been thinking about. What feels ordinary to us can actually be an incredible privilege because there are people in our world who don't wake up wondering what's for breakfast. They wake up wondering, will there actually be any breakfast? They don't ask, what should I wear today? They ask, do I have something to wear today?
[2:18] They don't ask, what do I want to do today? Because sometimes survival has already made the decision for them. And that's when we begin to realize that choice is a gift. But maybe it is more than a gift. Maybe choice is sacred. And if God has given us the ability to choose, then perhaps one of the most important questions that we can ask is, what are we choosing to do with the choices that God has given us? Today, I want to talk about something we probably take for granted every single day, choice. From the moment that we wake up, we make choices.
[3:07] But today, I want us to see choice a little differently because choice is not only a privilege, choice is sacred. And the choices that we make can become one of the clearest expressions of our faith. Throughout scripture, God gives people choices. God could have created us without the ability to choose. He could have forced obedience. He could have demanded love without giving us another option. So God invites, he calls, and then he gives the opportunity to respond. Deuteronomy 30 verse 19, got a new Bible, so bear with me for a second.
[3:58] It says, today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessing and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice that you make. Oh, that you would choose life. I love those words, choose life. God places a choice before his people. He says, choose, choose life, choose obedience, choose faithfulness, and choose to walk with me. And thousands of years later, God still places choices before us. Will I follow Jesus when it costs me something? Will I forgive?
[4:44] Will I give? Will I serve? Will I notice the person everyone else walks past? And will I allow God to interrupt my plans? Will I choose compassion when it would be easier to choose comfort? Those are sacred choices. But here's something we need to understand, Church. While many of us live with an abundance of choices, millions of people around the world live with very few. Poverty doesn't simply mean having less money. Poverty often means having fewer choices. We might open the refrigerator. I've done this.
[5:29] I know many of you probably have as well. Open the refrigerator and say, there's nothing to eat. But what we often mean, there's nothing in here that I want to eat. Or feel like eating. There's a difference, Church. For someone living in extreme poverty, the question isn't, what would I like for supper? The question may simply be, will there be any supper? Imagine handing a child a piece of beef jerky. To us, it's just a snack that we have in between meals when we're hungry. The child eats it slowly and then asks for another piece. You hand them another one, expecting them to eat it.
[6:15] But instead, they carefully wrap it up and hold on tight to it. You ask, aren't you going to eat that? And the child says, no, I'm taking this home for my family. For us, beef jerky is a choice among dozens of things that we could eat. For that child, it wasn't about choosing what they wanted. It was about having something to eat at all and then choosing to share what little they had. Sometimes poverty means you don't choose what you're eating. You eat what is available. For some children, the choice isn't, what school do I want to attend? The reality is that they may not attend school at all because their day is spent bringing water back home, helping to provide for their family and doing whatever is necessary for survival.
[7:13] And when survival becomes the focus of every single day, dreams get pushed aside. Purpose gets buried beneath necessity. Preference then becomes a luxury and choice, it disappears. And that brings us to an important question this morning. How does our faith shape the way that we exercise our choices on behalf of people who have so few? Jesus speaks directly into this in Matthew 25 and the setting of this passage matters. Jesus isn't simply giving some advice about generosity. He describes himself as king.
[7:59] The son of man returns in glory. He sits on his throne. The nations are gathered before him and the king separates the people like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Then he says this in Matthew 25 verses 34 to 40. We'll do 31. Thank you. Okay, I can't see small words. Okay, but when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon the glorious throne.
[8:50] 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 in 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 from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you cared for me. And I was in prison and you visited me. Then these righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?
[9:40] 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 were doing it to me. And they respond, Lord, when did we do that? When did we, when did we see you hungry? Thirsty. When did we welcome you? When did we clothe you? And when did we visit you? And Jesus gives the astonishing answer. When you did it to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.
[10:26] Think about what Jesus is saying here. Every time they saw someone in need and chose to respond, they were serving him. They didn't realize it at the time. They weren't doing it for recognition. They weren't keeping track. They simply saw someone who needed compassion and chose to act. And Jesus says, you were doing it to me. This passage, it challenges something in us, because sometimes we can reduce Christianity to simply believing in the right things. We ask, do I believe the right things?
[11:12] And yes, what we believe actually matters. Truth matters. Doctrine matters. And knowing Jesus matters. But Jesus pushes this question further, church. Does my faith actually change the way that I treat people? Does my faith actually change the way that I treat people? Because genuine faith isn't something that only exists in our heads. It changes our hearts. And when Jesus changes our hearts, it changes what we do with our hands. Jesus doesn't say, I was hungry and you felt bad for me.
[11:58] No, he says, you fed me. He doesn't say I was thirsty and you wished someone would help me. No, he said you gave me something to drink. He doesn't say I was a stranger and you hoped someone would welcome me. Oh no, he says you welcomed me. That's the difference between simply feeling compassion and living out compassion. Compassion isn't meant to stop at emotion. Compassion moves. Genuine faith sees. Genuine faith cares. And genuine faith acts. And Jesus makes it incredibly practical for us this morning. Feed the hungry.
[12:43] Give drink to the thirsty. These aren't complicated acts. They're practical love. Welcome the stranger. Clothe those in need. Jesus keeps bringing faith into the everyday places where people hurt. And then he continues, care for the sick and visit the prisoner. Notice how tangible this is. Food, water, clothing, presence, hospitality, and care. Jesus is describing a faith that becomes visible. A faith that doesn't simply say, I believe.
[13:29] It's a faith that says, because I believe I will respond. And then comes one of the most powerful statements in this passage. Matthew 25 verse 40. I tell you the truth when you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me. Think about that. Jesus identifies himself with the vulnerable, with the forgotten. Those who are hungry. Those who are struggling. Those without power and those without choices. So when we step into the life of someone who is vulnerable, we aren't simply doing something nice for another person.
[14:14] We're not just giving food. We're not just giving clothing. And we're not just giving our time. Jesus says, you are serving me. But Matthew 25, it doesn't end there. Jesus turns to those on his left. I'm going to read it from my paper. Then the King will turn to those on his 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 drink. Next slide. I was a stranger and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked and you didn't give me clothing.
[15:04] I was sick and in prison and you didn't visit me. Then they will reply, Lord, when did we ever 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 refuse to help the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. And they ask the same question. Lord, when did we see you? And Jesus responds. When you refuse to help the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. What's striking is what they didn't do. Jesus doesn't list specific acts of evil.
[15:52] No, their failure was that they didn't even act at all. They saw a need or had the opportunity to respond to the need and allowed life to continue as usual. How many of us do that? See something, see somebody in need or see, yeah, see something in need or see someone in need and just not respond, just walk by them. It's what we sometimes call a sin of omission, knowing there is good we can do and choosing not to do it. And Jesus says that matters because our treatment of people, it reveals something about what's happening in our hearts. We don't serve people in order to earn salvation.
[16:40] We serve because Jesus has transformed us. Genuine faith naturally produces genuine love. And this is where I want us to come back to choice this morning. If poverty can rob people of choice, then one expression of Christ-like compassion is helping restore it. And that begins by learning to see people the way that Jesus sees them. Not as projects, not as statistics, not as photographs on a screen, and not simply as the poor. But as people, people created in the image of God, people with names, people with personalities, people with hopes and dreams, people with gifts, people with God-given value.
[17:33] Because transformation often begins with someone knowing, I am seen, God sees me, someone else sees me. I matter, I value, I have a voice. And when we serve in a way that restores dignity, we're not simply giving someone something, we're helping restore agency. Agency means helping people regain the ability to make meaningful choices, to have a voice in their future, and to participate in shaping their lives. Sometimes the most powerful thing that we can give a person isn't something simply material. Sometimes it's the dignity of being able to say, I choose.
[18:24] I remember hearing about a little child who was given a simple meal of rice and beans in a plastic dish. To us, it wasn't much to our standards. But to this child, it was precious. The child ate only part of the meal and then covered that dish up. Someone had noticed and asked, are you finished? Aren't you hungry? The child held onto that dish and simply said, I'm taking the rest home for my mom. Think about that this morning, church. This child didn't get to choose what was being served. There wasn't a menu. There weren't other options waiting at home.
[19:09] The child had been given one simple bowl of rice and beans. And yet, in a life where so many choices had been taken away by poverty, this child had one choice to make. What will I do with what I have been given? And the child chose love, chose generosity, chose mom. Sometimes those who have the fewest choices can teach those of us who have so many what it really means to choose love. The child didn't have an abundance. There wasn't a pantry overflowing with options like some of us may have when our kids don't want to eat our chicken bake.
[19:57] Go to the closet, get a granola bar, chips, whatever. There was no options for this child. There wasn't another meal waiting around the corner. And yet, with what little was available, that child made a choice. A choice rooted in love. A choice that said, this is for mom. This is what love does. Love takes what has been placed in our hands and asks, how can I use this for someone else? And sometimes the people who have the fewest choices teach those of us with the most what generosity really looks like. So what do we do with all of this?
[20:43] We began with Deuteronomy, choose life. God has given us a sacred gift of choice, but maybe he hasn't given us that gift simply for ourselves. Maybe God has blessed us so that his blessing can flow through us. We aren't meant to be reservoirs where God's goodness just stops. We're meant to be conduits through which his goodness flows. God has given us choices so that we can choose life. Love, generosity, compassion, presence, sacrifice, and Jesus. And when the king returns, may he find a church whose faith was visible.
[21:31] Not simply people who knew what to say. Not simply people who attended church. Not simply people who sang songs like we did this morning, but people who lived differently because they knew who Jesus was. People who fed the hungry. People who welcomed strangers. Who cared for the vulnerable. People who noticed the forgotten. Who surrendered comfort for compassion. People whose genuine faith led to sacred choices. Today we're being given a choice. And maybe for some of us, today's choice is to make ourselves more vulnerable.
[22:16] To stand in front of a camera and say, I'm willing to be chosen. To surrender control. To surrender to love. To care. To surrender chosen to pray. Chosen to encourage. Chosen to walk alongside a child and their community. A child who gets to look at your photograph and make a choice. I choose you. But don't miss this church. Long before that child chooses you, God chose you. He chose to love you. To pursue you. He chose to extend grace to you. And he calls you to take the love you've received and carry that into the world.
[23:03] Church, let us choose today to become the hands and feet of Jesus. Let us see the vulnerable. Let us hear the forgotten. Let us act when others walk past. Let us use the choices that God has placed in our hands. To help restore choices to others. And may everything we do ultimately point toward the greatest choice that we could ever make. And may everything we do point toward Jesus. Because food matters, water matters, education matters, dignity matters, and opportunity matters. But ultimately, our hope is that through the way we love, serve, give, and walk alongside others, people will encounter the one who sees them completely, knows them fully, and loves them eternally.
[24:03] We have been chosen. Chosen by grace. Chosen by love. And chosen by Jesus. And because we have been chosen, we now have a choice. May we choose life. May we choose compassion. Church, may we choose generosity this morning. May we choose to see. May we choose to act. And may our genuine faith be revealed through the sacred choices that we make. Because we have been chosen by Jesus, let us choose to love like Jesus. Let's pray. Father, thank you that you see us, that you know us, and that you have called us your own. Thank you for every blessing, every opportunity, and every choice you have placed in our hands.
[24:52] God, open our eyes to people we might otherwise overlook. Give us hearts that don't simply feel compassion, but move us into action. Teach us to see others as you see them, God. Not as projects or statistics, but as people created in your image, Lord. Worthy of dignity, love, hope, and choice. Today we surrender ourselves again to you, God. Use our hands, use our resources, use our homes, our families, and use our choices. Let your love flow through us so that others might experience your goodness. And as we make ourselves available to be chosen, God remind us that the first and foremost, we are yours.
[25:38] May our faith be genuine and our choices be sacred. And our lives continually point people towards the greatest hope of all, Jesus. In your name, amen.