Cool Water
Author: The Rev. Dr. David Bridges, Priest
June 25, 2020
Do you remember the Marty
Robbins song, “Cool, Clear Water”? The first verse reads: “All day I've faced a
barren waste, without the taste of water, cool water. Old Dan and I with
throats burned dry, and souls that cry for water. Cool, clear, water.”
At Matthew 10:42, Jesus
says, “… whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones
(new or vulnerable believers) in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you,
none of these will lose their reward.”
Our Nation is thirsty for
justice. Our parched souls are tired of turmoil and division. We are surrounded
by fear and doubt. We are living in a time when brother turns against brother,
sister against mother, parents against children, children against parents, and
people everywhere have turned against each other (See Matthew 10:21-22). Our
souls are parched!
When we are physically
thirsty, we can feel weak and unfocused. If we go long enough without water, we
will die. When we are extremely thirsty we can take a drink of water and it
seems we can feel that water rushing through our bodies. Our souls are parched.
Humans have marginalized,
divided, and demonized each other since the beginning of recorded history. Some
groups have mistreated every other group that doesn’t like look like them,
believe like them, or hold the same ideals they do. These injustices have left
a permanent mark on the psyche of every American.
These days we are
experiencing a barren waste in the human soul. We are seeing every dispute or
disagreement boil-down to a zero-sum outcome; there can only be one winner. Our
throats are burned dry by hatred, discord, divisiveness, exclusion,
marginalization, racism, and innumerable other evils humans regularly inflict
on each other.
When we offer peace we
are offering a cool drink of water to ease someone’s discomfort. When we offer
love, we are giving a cool drink of water to a beloved creation of God. When we
decide to hear, I mean really hear, the voices of the oppressed, marginalized,
shunned, mistreated millions in our world today, we are offering a soothing
drink of cool water to a world dying of thirst.
Our world should be
thirsting for the Kingdom of God. After explaining to his disciples why
worrying is useless, Jesus goes on to say:” Seek first the Kingdom of God, and
[everything you need] will be provided to you.” (See Matt. 6:25-34)
I believe one way to seek
the Kingdom of God is to be a part of positive change. It means learning to
listen to the voices of others in a meaningful way. We can learn to see others
as beloved children of God, all deserving of fair and equal treatment. We can
learn to peacefully and cooperatively discuss how positive change will be made.
We can begin to practice
offering a cup, not just a sip, of cool, clear water to a parched soul. Thanks
be to God.
Blessings and Peace to
You All,
Fr. David+
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