A Thirsty World

Mark 9:38-41

Truly serving God is demonstrated by living a life of love.

This morning the rain came down and gave our garden a cool drink of much needed water. Water is such a common thing.  Water is hardly given a second thought when it comes to beverages.  it's usually something we 'settle for', until you really need it that is. On Friday, Diane, Alex and I went out to run some errands and at one point we noticed just how thirsty we were. It was such a dominating feeling, I could hardly think of anything other than finding something to drink. The way the day went, the schedule of things to do were such that we hadn't had something to drink in several hours. Its a strange thing to have a need like thirst suddenly creep up on you when you have the means to satisfy that need readily available. We stopped off at a grocery store and bought some beverages and off we went. It was that easy.

You would think with the number of churches around the country and the religious diversity in our country that it would be easy for someone to satisfy their need for community and spiritual refreshment as well.

There are those in the family of God, those who have faith in Jesus Christ that feel alienated from the body of Christ. This alienation happens in a lot of different ways. But if we are truly living out our call to be God's people in Jesus Christ, there will be no one who called on the name of Jesus who will go unchanged and none will be left out.

A few years ago, when I was a restaurant owner who wanted to be a pastor, I had an employee that invited me to her church. Actually she invited my kids to come and take part in her church's week long Vacation Bible School. My kids loved going to Vacation Bible School. At VBS you get to sing, hear stories, play games, eat snacks and make crafts all while learning about how much God loves each one of us. So yeah, I sent my two children to this church that we were invited to to have some fun. It wasn't the first day, but it was definitely either the second or third day of VBS that I was introduced to the pastor of the church. He was very nice. He welcomed me with a smile and said how happy he was that I was there and even thanked me for letting my kids come to their VBS. He asked me what I did, you know, what I do for a living. So I told him. I also told him that I was going to school and I would one day go into pastoral ministry. “Oh?” he said, sounding very interested, “what denomination?” I told him that I was a United Methodist. With that he turned around and walked away and said not another word to me...ever.

You see, we United Methodists have a reputation for being too liberal. That is what you would have found out if you would have asked that pastor what his problem with me was. On the other hand a large segment of faithful Methodists and others feel that our denomination is too conservative. The thing is that we are a Big Tent kind of people. We try to draw the biggest circle that includes the most people possible. If you are are ultra conservative or ultra liberal there is room for you in the United Methodist Church. That may be our strength or it may be our weakness. That pastor that walked away from me had a very small circle of people that he felt were good enough, holy enough, Christian enough to associate with. He did not offer me the drink of water that so craved. Jesus says to make the circle bigger!

The followers of Jesus wanted to point out to Jesus that there were some people working miracles in Jesus name and they weren't even part of their group! How dare they?! They even admitted to trying to stop this person. Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Who ever is not against us is for us.

Who ever is not against us is for us. That is a pretty big circle. Sure there are those who are indeed against us. And by us I mean against us because we have faith in Jesus Christ. I'm not talking about the people around the world who may oppose our governments foreign policy; I'm not talking about those who are against the material excess of Western culture; I am talking about the very limited number of people on this planet who are against us because of our faith in Christ. Even then, our hope is like that of king David's when he wrote the words of the 23^rd Psalm: You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

So there is a pretty huge number of people, that, by Jesus standard, are for us. That's some good news for today!

Here's some more good news. We are called to serve for truly I tell you, who ever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

This scripture talks about us receiving a cup of water and its the giver receiving the reward. The one that is given the water has a very real need met and the giver is blessed in the giving.

Jesus loves us so much. Jesus does so much with us. He is talking about water. Water is so necessary for life. It's hard to imagine not having enough water, living here, in Michigan where we are surrounded by the largest concentration of fresh water in the world, but there are indeed places that are parched and people who are thirsty, physically thirsty. And Jesus wants them to have water.

Jesus loves us so much he want us to have what we need. He wants us to have a loving relationship with God, but if we are dieing of thirst then we can think of little else. So Jesus is saying you need water. Your brothers and sisters need water. Give them the water that the need. Give them what they need so that they can be free to love the Lord our God.

God has used water to bring people to him before you know. Moses took a his staff from before the Lord, Just as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them “listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you? Then Moses struck the rock twice with his staff. And water come out abundantly. So the community drank and their beasts drank too.

That was a miracle! The people had a need. God commanded Moses into action. Moses was obedient and the needs of the people were met.

Jesus once did something special with water once. Remember? He was at a party. The wine ran out. And Jesus made the water that was in the stone jars that was used for ceremonial washing to become wine. He took the water that was used to fulfill the law as it concerned cleanliness and made it into something used to celebrate with a new married couple. He took something common and ordinary and made it into something extraordinary.

That was a miracle! The Lord Jesus saw a need, called the servants into action and the people were blessed in abundance.

Not only does God give us what we need. God blesses to the point of overflowing. But God always calls us into action. God uses those who are willing to be vessels and conduits of his love. It is when we are obedient to God's call to love and to serve that His will is done.

<invite the participants of the mission to Savannah, GA to come forward>

One week from today you will be arriving in Savannah Georgia. Savannah is a beautiful, interesting city. It is also a city that has needs. The poverty rate is rising. The homeless population is growing. There are thirsty people in Savannah and you have answered the call to go and give them a drink. You will be working for just a few days in that community. You may be asked to do things that may not sound all that interesting. Your work there may not seem that profound. There will likely be a lot of painting going on. But just remember, Moses was obedient and the people were blessed. The servants at the party were obedient and Jesus took their ordinary everyday service and made it into something extraordinary.

Do you know what else Jesus did?

At the last supper he blessed the wine and said that it was his blood, shed for the forgiveness of sin.

Gods grace fill us to overflowing.

And we are made into something new.

I have a drink of water that I want to give you.

Take this little cup of water, you that have taken upon yourselves the name of Christ, and drink it. Keep the cup, it's a gift. When you go to Savannah Georgia let this cup remind you that you go to serve God's people. That you go offering a simple gift of service. Let the Christ that lives in you make the ordinary acts of service that you will perform into extraordinary acts of God's grace for those who receive them.