Grace, peace, and mercy are yours from the Triune God.
Amen.
Like all the small acts of devotion,
tenderness, and forgiveness that go largely unnoticed but strengthen the
relationships that are most important to us, the life of faith is also made up
of many small gestures – gestures like making a phone call to ask how a friend
or stranger is doing, dropping off groceries for someone who is ill, reaching out to the
lonely and most vulnerable among us.
When was the last time you did something for someone else? A
small favor? A kindness?
Do you think it made a difference to that person?
When was the last time someone did something like that for
you?
Did it make a difference for you?
According to Jesus, there is no small
gesture. A cup of cold water is the smallest of gifts – a gift that almost
anyone can give. But a cup of cold water is precious to a person who is really
thirsty and,
in some instances, the gift of life itself. In the game of
life, while we might prefer to be the hero, it seems that Jesus’ heart leans
towards the person
on the sideline handing out the water.
What a little thing, don’t you think,
to give a cup of cold water? We often imagine discipleship as requiring huge
sacrifice or entailing great feats, and sometimes that is exactly what
discipleship comes to. But at other times, Jesus seems to say, it’s nothing
more than giving a cup of cold water to one in need. Or offering a hug to
someone who is grieving. Or a listening ear to someone in need of a friend. Or
offering a ride to someone without a car. Or volunteering at the local
foodbank.
It reminds me of the starfish story.
Once upon a time, there was a wise
man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on
the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the
shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He
smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so
he walked faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he noticed that the
figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at
all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects,
and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out
“Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?” The young man paused, looked up, and
replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” “I must ask, then, why are you
throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, “The
sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
Upon hearing this, the wise man
commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles
of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a
difference!” At this, the young man
bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it
met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”
The smallest of good deeds: a little
thing done in love. The cup of cold water is the symbol of that. It doesn’t
take much to be hospitable, welcoming, and accepting of other people. A cup of
cold water replicated in a host of other simple, small deeds. And Jesus tells
us that every single one of those small deeds is important, even eternally significant.
It doesn’t take much; every one of us
can make that difference. We can find God in those smallest of good deeds. Jesus does not specify the nature of
the reward for those who help “the little ones”, but in the kingdom of God, the
smallest service brings with it eternal reward for the giver.
We are all called to be Christ to
each other. Jesus sends us to share the Good News, alleviate human suffering,
to meet real needs, to work miracles of love and healing through acts of
kindness…through
cups of water. We must look around us to see who is in need and then do
something about it. We are to be the ones offering the cups of water. But let’s
ensure that it is clean, drinkable water, and that we don’t expect payment.
We are called to remember that we,
too, are to go as people willing to receive those same acts of kindness. When
we welcome one another, we discover the reward that comes from the deep
hospitality found in God’s welcome of us.
Hospitality is central to the gospel. It's not just a matter
of recognizing someone as Messiah, prophet, or righteous person, but what we're willing to do for them. Are we
accepting them, welcoming them, receiving them?
Jesus calls us to take the love for our family, that love
for our closest community, and to extend it, extend further and further still.
Welcome in the stranger. Welcome in the one whose life we hardly understand.
Not to change them, but simply because they too are one of God’s children.
While hospitality is central to the gospel, it is not without risk and
should not be offered in hope of gaining something in return. Hospitality and
compassion are outward expressions of God’s love. But that love is not always met
with love. As we
learned last week, Jesus is clear with his disciples
that being his followers will be difficult at times and that they will suffer
persecution, sometimes crucifixion.
We are called to compassionate welcome through hospitality
in a world that is shaped by varying oppressions and inequalities. We are called to love
in the midst of hate, even in those times where it appears
that hatred has won.
But superficial hospitality will not be enough. Our doors
may say “all are welcome” but who are we leaving out? What about those who don’t
come to our doors? What would happen if we stopped
expecting people to come on their own initiative through our church doors, and
instead took seriously our calling to bring the gospel to them? What would
happen if we truly believed that we bear the presence of Christ to every person
we encounter, in every home, workplace, or neighborhood we enter? What would
happen if we saw every conversation as an opportunity to speak words of grace,
every interaction as an opportunity to embody Christ’s love for the neighbor? Not to convert, but to be the window to
God’s eternal and ever-lasting love.
We are not the gatekeepers of the community of God. We must
practice not only hospitality but also repentance. Through true hospitality
combined with sincere repentance, we become the embodiment of Christian
compassionate welcome that leads to hospitality in God’s spirit and mercy. Our work
is to welcome, to offer an embrace when embrace is invited, and to give a cup
of cool water when it’s needed.
There is no small gesture and through those cups of cool water, hugs, helping hands, and
listening ears you are caring for the
world God loves so much. Your reward, Jesus says, will be full indeed.
God of grace, you fill our cup with
your love and grace. Lead us to share our cup with a thirsty world. Give us the courage to step out and
share it with all your children.
Amen.
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