Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 146: 5-9, and Matthew 25:31-40
Today I’m going to start my sermon with a silly story. I encountered a conflict while preparing the sermon. Today, we commemorate the Presbyterian World Service & Development Sunday, as designated by the denomination. We will soon begin Lent. It is not easy for a church to send missionary offerings to external organizations while facing a projected deficit. But by worldly standards, we are not very smart people. If we look at ourselves, there are cases where we buy a house with a mortgage. Although we have a huge debt, we give to the church and live a life of faith. Why is that? Because we have faith. The world would say it is wise to save that money and pay off the debt quickly. Our church, however, is trying to cooperate in this work, even if only a little. We would like to allocate a budget to local ministries and seek your consent at the Annual General Meeting. The world might ask, why are you going to such lengths? But we will do it because this is God’s heart. Your donations will support this mission. If you would like to support Presbyterian World Service & Development through our church, please indicate on the offering envelope. If you would like to support Local Mission, please indicate on the offering envelope as well. I also extend my special thanks to the Session and Board of Managers for their hard work in this missionary work.
Here, I would like to share a volunteer’s report on PWS&D’s projects and work. She is Christine Samuels, a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newmarket, Ontario.
Today we gather to celebrate and reflect on the work of Presbyterian World Service & Development, an integral ministry of The Presbyterian Church in Canada that reaches out in Christ’s name to people around the world—helping families overcome hunger, gain access to clean water, grow sustainable food and build a future of dignity and hope. It’s fitting that on this Sunday, we turn our hearts to two passages that show us both who God is and who we are called to be.
Psalm 146 reminds us that “The Lord gives food to the hungry and lifts up those who are bowed down.” And in Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that when we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty or welcome the stranger we are serving Him. Both scripture passages invite us to participate in God’s compassion. Psalm 146 opens by saying, “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.” The psalmist points us away from worldly powers and toward the God who alone brings real justice and hope.
How does God do this? God executes justice for the oppressed, God gives food to the hungry, God lifts up those who are weighed down and God protects the foreigners and cares for the orphans. God, whose very nature is mercy and provision, pays very close attention to those who are vulnerable. This psalm also tells us about the power of God who frustrates the wicked and reigns throughout generations. The Psalmist says that God remains faithful forever (Psalm 146:6). Our support to PWS&D allows marginalized men and women to plant crops that can survive drought or learn new skills to feed their families. In so doing, we step into the work God has called us to do.
In Matthew 25:31–40, Jesus paints a vivid picture of the final judgment, a scene where the Son of Man comes in his glory and separates the nations as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. At first glance, this passage seems to be about works, but at its heart, it reveals the nature of true discipleship and the heart of God’s kingdom. Jesus identifies himself completely with those who are in need: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick and the imprisoned. This identification is startling. He does not simply care about the poor—Jesus locates himself among them. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” In these words, Jesus collapses any divide between love of God and love of neighbour. Service to the marginalized becomes sacred ground, a meeting place with Christ himself.
We must show deep empathy toward every person created in God’s image and likeness, recognizing their eternal worth. This understanding should ignite within us a passion for missions and a fervent desire that none be left behind. Serving humbly among the least of these reflects the humility of Jesus, who left the splendor of heaven to save the weak, the broken, the outcast and the dying. Our service must never arise from mere religious duty, for that only reveals pride. Rather, we serve because we have been served, we love because we have been loved, we lift others because we ourselves have been lifted, and we must never forget this truth.
That means every meal shared, every seed planted through the ministry of PWS&D is more than long-term development or humanitarian aid: it is Christ encountered. When we provide therapeutic food for a child in Malawi, teach sustainable farming in Guatemala or help communities rebuild after disaster we are not only helping others survive: we are meeting Christ himself in the faces of those we serve. Jesus calls us to serve out of humility. The presence of Christ is found not in prestige or power but in vulnerability, need and compassion. Compassion that moves beyond sentiment to action.
Both Psalm 146 and Matthew 25 call us to an active, living faith. The psalm invites us to trust in God’s faithfulness. Matthew 25 calls us to embody that faithfulness in the world. Faith, then, isn’t a quiet belief we hold in our hearts: it’s a posture of compassion, a way of life that mirrors God’s own generosity. When we give to PWS&D, we don’t simply send money or resources: we send hope. We declare that hunger is not inevitable, that poverty is not acceptable and that God’s love is not limited by borders or circumstances.
Through this shared ministry, we also become transformed. We learn to see as Jesus sees, to recognize Jesus’ presence in the faces of those who struggle and to remember that we, too, depend on God’s daily bread. When we live generously, when we ensure that others have enough to eat, we reflect the very heart of God’s kingdom—the place where all are fed, all are welcomed and none are forgotten.
Friends, as followers of Christ, we are called to be bearers of hope in a hungry world. When we give, when we pray, when we serve, we participate in God’s own mission of justice and mercy. Through PWS&D, we see what happens when faith becomes love in action: hope takes root where despair once lived.
May we never forget that in every act of compassion, we meet Christ, the One who said, “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.” So let us go and live as people of that kingdom trusting God’s promises, walking humbly, loving generously and bringing hope to the hungry, until all are fed and all know they are loved. Amen.