Matthew 25 Summit Keynote by Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis,

The first Matthew 25 Summit with the Presbyterian Church USA was held January 16-18, 2024 at New Life Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA. Rev Dr Liz Theoharis gave the keynote. 

Transcript

In his last book. Where do do we go from here? The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther king JR Wrote the prescription for the cure. Rests with an accurate diagnosis of the disease. A people who began a national life inspired by a vision of a society of brotherhood. Can redeem itself. But redemption. Can come only. Through a humble acknowledgment of of guilt. 


[00:01:00] And an honest knowledge of of south. Redemption. Can only come. Through a humble acknowledgment of guilt. And an honest knowledge of self. Gathering together with you. in 1 of reverend doctor King's hometowns. Just a a day after his birthday. I think we owe it to him. But we we also owe it to ourselves to take these words seriously. And I would say. rather. than honest self awareness poverty. And low wages. Our policy makers today, legislate. As an inequality is not an emergency. From hundreds of millions of people. Rather than a humble 

[00:02:00] acknowledgment of the immorality of abandonment in In the midst of abundance. Many of our churches preach. that there there will be pie in the sky. When we die. But that's that's a lie. Amen. As a people. Too often we believe that we can claim. To be Christian. Just by going to church on Sunday. than dedicating ourselves to the the issues that Jesus cared most about. Every day of the week. Given the scale of poverty. Of racism of inequality their structural causes today. Our nation falls short. Of an accurate diagnosis. Let alone a prescription for the cure. 

[00:03:00] We live in the richest country. In human history. Where poverty is the fourth leading cause of death. More than homicide. Alzheimer's diabetes. Most of the things that we think are the the biggest deadliest things. And I mentioned. We live in a country. That throws out more food. That could feed, not just everyone that's hungry here, but across the world. And yet there are 45000000 people regularly experiencing hunger and food insecurity. At this moment. There are nearly 80000000 people uninsured or underinsured. There are. 10000000 people living without housing or on on the brink of homelessness. And our American education system. Continues to score near the pilot. 
compared to 37 countries. The Richest 

[00:04:00] countries in in the world. There's so little talk. Of poverty and food insecurity, low wages. And even fewer. Structural solutions offer. In Reality the 
poor. Have become a a four letter word and today's vocabulary. Following decades of a trickle down economic approaches and you'll liberalism, stagnating wages. Rising household debt. And then despite this time, Our sacred texts. lift up the before. More than anything. That's right. Hideable is 1 of the only media sources that has anything good to about the poor. Jesus himself was was homeless. He led a movement of poor people to bring a justice. 

[00:05:00] Of earth justice, reign of justice here on earth. But how is it? That we. Including us Christians. Have become comfortable. Separating Jesus. and justice. Which brings us to Matthew 25. 1 of One of the most famous about poverty and and justice in the Bible. 1 that I got a little tired of before our church decided to take it it up. And the biblical Inspiration for this summit here today. I want to think a little bit about that scene. From the gospel text that we heard earlier. The son of of man. And his messengers sitting in front of all the nations. gathered. You see my my daughter. Sophia. 
meaning And then divine wisdom is is in the technical theater at her her high school. 

[00:06:00] She's into set design and all of of those backgrounds settings. Now that she's there. I pay little more attention. To what's happening in the the back. I've heard from her. And I've seen it for myself. that the setting of of the story matters. And And in this scene. Jesus is gathered with. The nations around. The first thing that we get wrong often. when we talk about Matthew 25, is that it's a message for individuals. Even for individual congregations or soup kitchens or prison ministries. We're not there. Matthew 25 10. How is us? But Jesus speaking to to the nations. Perhaps even especially, Those with with the political economic power in those nations. To meet the needs of the people. The very same nations. That are are oppressing and [00:07:00] subjugated. The people. Jesus has come. Maybe an hours today. as well. So we hear in Matthew 25, that these nations Nations. Are denying people, healthcare. Ignoring the the hungry. They're locking people up and throwing away the key. They're deporting the immigrant and the strainer. they're evicting people than housing them. And they're they're away the very life supporting policies that. could Actually is it below to poverty? 
Doesn't that sound familiar. Not so. Far away. in our setting anymore. are we? So in Matthew 25, when he's gathered with all of of these political and religious leaders from the nations. Jesus raises What matters most? to him, What 

[00:08:00] matters most to God. Now I have a spoiler alert. The issues. That Jesus holds 
dear. They're not about gun rights. they're not waving flags. Determining who gets to marry whom. They're not about politicians picking their voters rather than voters electing their leaders. They're not about controlling women's bodies or people who can get pregnant. They're not about banning books or looking away from violence and genocide or harassing and threatening LGBTQIA youth. No. The Bible is pretty clear. Those issues. are Are the work. The law of empire. And Jesus is is clear about that. Even if some who claim to [00:09:00] follow him, aren't. Rather, Jesus' main concerns are food. Sustenance immigrant rights, health care. an Adequate standard of living decent housing, prison, abolition, all of those issues that we heard in that that opening video. And Jesus priority. are the people who are most impacted. By the lack of of food. Or housing. Or all forms of marginalization. And visibility and discrimination. Those are the ones that are closest God and Jesus himself. And before any of us get worried and and think that. Saying that God's concern for the the least of these. is too exclusive or puny or not universal enough. For those who think proclaiming that black lives matter. 

[00:10:00] Signifies less significance. on brown. Or indigenous. Or Or even white people's lives. Those who worry that God's preferential option for the poor means less love or blessings for those who are middle income or college educated or with less student debt than those who qualify for Pell grants. We would do well. To remember that Jesus suggests starting from the bottom. Bottom up. Not top down, not middle out. Bottom up. In Matthew 25. We hear in fact that when you lift from the the bottom. Everybody rises. When you lift from the bottom. everybody rises. And we also learn. 
But the least of these. Are actually most of of 

[00:11:00] us. After all sociologist mark rank, a friend of ours from Cornell university reminds us that 80% percent of Americans will struggle to to make meet at some point in our our lives. As we heard from occupy wall street. that 99% percent of the population, even more than that are not benefiting fully from God's abundance. or what 
Well, what we be up from COVID, that as long as even one person lacks health care, our 
Our whole society. Is sick. sick. In fact economists from the economic policy Institute, the Institute of policy studies, many others tell us that the cost of poverty. Is far greater. than the cost of of end today. Do you know that our nation wastes 1000000000000 dollars a year because kids are are poor. When it saves us $7 dollars for every 

[00:12:00] dollar we spend. And in child poverty. That means that what what is good? For low low wage workers. And the the unhoused or those with inadequate health care, 
With downs to the benefit. Um, of The whole society. The message of Matthew 25. 
is He's one of the nation and naps to believe. The whole society. Flourishes. As long as 
as we forgive. those in bondage and and pay workers, a living wage, give to others without any expectation that will be paid back. As long as we care for each other in times of crisis, when we build a movement of those considered expendable. When we confront the powers and principalities, when those wounded by deep social and economic wounds heal. 

[00:13:00] Through a mutual solidarity and more action. We can end poverty. We. Can achieve justice. There will be known. Oh among you. We also warned though. that if we refuse to organize our society, Our nation. Around the needs of of the poor. rather than the endless systemic greed of the powerful. That poverty. And want will never be banished. And we will abandon Jesus. Among the poor and dispossessed of our society. 
I believe it must be said. God does not condone poverty nor suggest that it's inevitable. 
Christ Jesus 

[00:14:00] does not proclaim. I didn't make enough food for everyone to to eat. That's us putting it on God. Nowhere does God say my abundance will trickle down from the rich to the rest. That's us putting it it on God. The Bible does not proclaim that a little charity is as good as it it gets. That's us. Thinking we can play God. Nowhere. Do we find teachings? That justify war. Protect guns over kids. Threaten people. Is anything other than going against God. And as we all all know, Jesus traveled around around the countryside. setting up it up free health care clinics. Never charging a leper a co pay. So why. In the hell Do some 

[00:15:00] of the richest corporations in the world get to profit off of our death and and misery. We must remember the God we follow cries out. I am the 1 who led you out of of Egypt. That's how God names God's. self to to us. That God reminds us that. How we 
we treat the poor. How we treat the immigrant neighbor. is actually how we honor and worship God. Thats, what Matthew 25 says. It's echoed throughout all of of the Bible. 
Lest Lest we forget. I grew up pretty well versed in the in the Bible. Church was my second home from a very young age. I was teaching Sunday school at age 13. I was was ordained as a at 16. But it wasn't until some So called 

[00:16:00] Christian leaders started warping biblical messages of abundance for all weaponizing our sacred texts to justify blaming the poor for poverty. that I realized that I maybe needed to read this Bible a a little more clearly. I wanted to to understand Jesus really said. And perhaps more importantly, what we, Christians are required to do. 
As I got more involved in both organizing as well as biblical interpretation. I began to see some real parallels. The moral and and political agency of the and homeless organizing a a movement today. looked pretty much like that leadership and agency of 
of those early Christians. setting up mutual aid societies, various associations among the poor. They were forced to live without adequate housing or food or education or health care. They protested injustice. What do we think? Turning over the tables is if it isn't a massive. 

[00:17:00] act Of civil disobedience. And as I explored the development of that early Christian movement, I saw that both back then, and and today, We as a people, as a movement, committed to justice, figure out how to how to meet each other's needs. 
And then keep keep on fighting. I also learned about a battle for the the Bible. Throughout our history. How enslavers produced a Bible that excluded the the exits. 
that took away the prophets, that erased Jesus, inaugural sermon about preaching. Good news to the poor Kairos. Those who who have made. poor and captive 
To racism. injustice. I read about how abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and Harriet, Moses Tubman called. forth a freedom church tradition. Referencing traditions teachings. that proclaimed Liberty throughout. The lane I learned about a social gospel 

[00:18:00] proponents. Preaching was. Responsibility and bounty and And abundance. 
That abundance we We were singing about, oh, And it's that vision of of abundance. I think we have have to keep with us. And then the pack. To get it and achieve it for after. 
If we hard to follow God's economy. There is no poverty. there is no hunger. There is no homelessness. And And then. That absence of poverty. Isn't just about an absence of poverty. It's about about a presence of justice. Maybe you've heard that quote from from Dr. King, that peace is is not just the absence of tension. With the presence of justice. Maybe you've you've heard from Brian Stevenson from the equal justice initiative, that the opposite of poverty isn't home. It's justice. That's. 

[00:19:00] we're getting at in this. Matthew 25 summit. That's what it is it is to be a Matthew 25 church. Just a few chapters before Matthew 25. Jesus just rains. This critique. He says you have neglected. The weightier matters of the the law. Justice. Mercy, righteousness, just faithfulness. You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, if we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would would not have part in the shedding of the blood of the the prophets. The day after king day. What's that saying? It's easier to to build a monument. To our our fallen heroes. than Then to continue the movement that they were on. 

[00:20:00] Matthew 23. We have to address the current crisis of racism and poverty and and injustice. With the urgent attention of building a beloved community for all time. And that means enacting universal health care, and living wages and debt relief and housing rights for all. It includes holding those in power accountable. Demanding that the rich and powerful. Don't get to prophet. off of our suffering and pandemic and climate change and war and genocide, while the poor and oppressed of the of the world suffer. We. have to remember. That our society. And indeed. Abolish racism. And poverty. Turn militarism war economy into a a piece of condoms. And protect the earth. If we the prophet's call to transform distorted narratives 

[00:21:00] that demean and degrade and We've organized. And organize And organize and And organize. We We can bring about a moral revolution of values that proclaims that all life is sacred. But if if we fail to realize this. We have have not just let ourselves down. We fail God. We Be like Jesus. And we we allowed to allow to to suffer needlessly. I wanna And with one more quote from back at you. Sometimes it's not the Doctor King we hear about, but it's the 1 that's that's so needed at this time. 
When the earth earth is groaning at millions are pushed into poverty and and misery. He said God has left enough. and to despair. In this world for all his children to have the basic necessities of of life. God never intended for 

[00:22:00] some of his children to live in an inordinate to perfluous wealth while others live in abject deadening poverty. And somehow I believe that God made it all. I believe firmly that the earth is the the Lords. And the fullness. They're up. And since we didn't make these things by ourselves, we must share them with each other. And I think this is the only way we're going to solve the basic problems and the restructuring of our society, which I think is so desperately needed. We need. Everyone here. Everyone gathered on mine. In our Kairos center family. We welcome you all. Into the poor people's a national call for more revival. We're building a a moral movement. Led by those most impacted. In the words of Frederick Douglass, those who would be free must strike the first blow. We're 

[00:23:00] We're addressing interlocking, injustices of racism and poverty, ecological, devastation, militarism, and the false narrative of white Christian nationalism. We're choosing life. we're choosing truth. And justice and peace. We're solving basic problems. and Now we're restructuring our society around the people. I wanna invite 
invite you that we have biblical and theological resources to use in your congregations. 
We gather every Wednesday for Bible study every Sunday for the church for the poor services. We're We're organizing with other Christians United to American democracy, sponsoring congregational renewal programs to counter the impact of racial and religious nationalism. Our communities. And with the what the state coordinating committees of the poor people's we're mobilizing to hold state assemblies in 30 state 
This March second. We're crying out To all who 

[00:24:00] have have ears to hear, to fight poverty. Not the the poor. Fight poverty. Not the poor. Fight poverty. Ending poverty is possible. But only. If we organize a movement. That movement is is about making Jesus says 25 vision and and demands a reality. It's joining with poor and and impacted who are are leading the way towards justice. Nothing about us us is for us. And the And the work is not easy. It It takes persistence and commitment. But we can make it. If we try. God requires this of us. And So. What are are we to do? to join God. 

[00:25:00] Amen.