He Said "Whatever" - Love Your City DC Recap

The post below is a blog recap from one of the over 100 volunteers that came out for our Love Your City event in DC on Saturday, November 21st. The event included 7 projects serving various needs all over the DC Metro area. The day was amazing, filled with fellowship, fun, and real, impactful service showing our community and those most in need the powerful love of Jesus. For more pictures of the event, click here.

I’ve been thinking about the question, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink?” and Jesus replies saying, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.”

 This famous verse in the Bible has been quoted without end: sometimes to encourage people to serve, sometimes by organizations requesting donations, and sometimes on pamphlets or brochures of Christian non-profits.  It’s use - or as some may say, overuse-starts to boil down its actual meaning to a phrase used to pull donations or volunteers. At least that’s how I felt.

 Last Saturday, I participated in Love Your City, a multi-service project event where over 80 volunteers served around the D.C. area. My team went to the Central Union Mission, an emergency shelter for men in downtown Washington. Our project was to prepare for the lunch hour at the shelter, which included cutting up pastries, folding napkins with utensils, actually serving the food to each man in the shelter, and then cleaning the cafeteria after lunch.

 The service was fun to do as a group and was very much appreciated by the men at the shelter and the shelter staff.

 However, did I feel like I actually served Jesus?

 Not really. I left the project thinking, “man, I feel like that was nice but I don’t feel like I actually served Jesus.” All I did was really help serve a meal that someone else donated, prepared, and cooked.  I felt like the mere few hours on a Saturday that I dedicated to Love Your City could not be worthy enough for the title that I served Jesus.

 But that’s not what Truth says. Truth says that: “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.”

 Jesus never said- only those who actually cooked the meals for my brethren did it for Me- nor did He say- only those whose brethren actually appreciated the service, did it for Me. Nope, didn’t say that either. He said “whatever” you did- you did for Me.

 So yes, we actually did serve Jesus on Saturday by preparing, passing out the food, and cleaning tables. Every volunteer at Love Your City served Jesus that day- no matter what they did. Whether it was hosting a yoga class at the Youth Detention Facility or cleaning up toys at a Pregnancy center. Whatever you did, you did for Me.

 Love Your City was an incredible honor to partake of Jesus. First, not only did we serve Him but we also did so with members of our church, the body of Christ. I feel like I received Jesus in two ways that day- by serving and by being in fellowship with His body.

 It’s obvious that the world desperately needs love; but sometimes it’s daunting for me to think about how I can love the world. All I know now is how to love my community, those right in front of me.  I hope to focus on the people that God has placed in my life and the opportunities that He has provided to love my community, city, and world.