The Gospel of IDD

The Rich Man and Lazarus               “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.    And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.    The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.   He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’    But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in ...

Raised with New Bodies               What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.   Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”      The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us...

The Watchmen             The word of the  Lord  came to me:    O Mortal, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one of their number as their sentinel; and if the sentinel sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people;    then if any who hear the sound of the trumpet do not take warning, and the sword comes and takes them away, their blood shall be upon their own heads. They heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; their blood shall be upon themselves. But if they had taken warning, they would have saved their lives.    But if the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any of them, they are taken away in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at the sentinel’s hand. So you, ...

Choose Whom You Will Serve             “Now therefore revere the  Lord , and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the  Lord .    Now if you are unwilling to serve the  Lord , choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the  Lord .” Joshua 24:14-15             At the very heart of IDD social services is the idea of choice.   Personal power is anchored in the ability to live according to your choices.   Did our center’s clients want to live by themselves or with a roommate or in a group home?   Did the want to have a job or get a diploma?   Did the want to particip...

Parable of the Bridesmaids             “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.    When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;   but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.    As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.    But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’    Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.    The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’    But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’    And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him...

Love the Stranger             For the  Lord  your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing.    You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the  Lord  your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear.    He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen. Your ancestors went down to Egypt seventy persons; and now the  Lord  your God has made you as numerous as the stars in heaven. Deuteronomy 10:17-22             I am not eager to meet new people; I never have b...

Cleansing the Temple               The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.    In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.    He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2:13-18               One of the things that provokes God to anger the quickest is when His children are hindered from coming to Him and worshiping Him.   I get it.   If I were coming home from work and upon entering the hous...

Heavenly Worship             After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”                 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelations 7:9-12             Eternity will not be a lonely place.   It will not be a quiet pla...

The Least of These             “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;    for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’    Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to d...