When the poor ones

Sing First Verse of “When the Poor Ones”

1   When the poor ones, who have nothing, still are giving;

     when the thirsty pass the cup, water to share;

     when the wounded offer others strength and healing:

 

Refrain

     We see God, here by our side, walking our way;

          we see God, here by our side, walking our way

 

Late one night this week, I was thinking about the scriptures selected for today. These short, but powerful portions of  welcome from Jeremiah 28 and Matthew 10, rattled around in my mind – making it impossible for sleep to come.

So, in the middle of the night I wrestled with the message of this scripture and noticed a bunch of cilantro that had arrived in a produce delivery earlier that day. As I got a closer look at the freshly cut sprigs of green – they were clean and dried off  - but wilting and scattered on the kitchen towel.

I was surprised by their wilted state. How this could be? In my earlier hurry to “take care” of prepping my weekly produce delivery – that included the cilantro; I forgot it’s needs. Without a “cup of water”, without a prophetic word of peace; the cilantro would have continued to wilt and eventually die.

In a moment of Holy Spirit clarity, I thought, “Perhaps they need a drink of water?”

So, I filled a mason jar full of water and carefully placed the little sprigs of cilantro inside and waited. In the cup of cool water, they lost their wilted state – and were revived and renewed.

The phrase, “give a cup of cold water to one of these little ones”, rattled in my mind. The phrase, “bring back to this place … the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.”,  as I watched the once weary herbs, spring to life in a cool cup of water.

In very recent days, and too many seasons to count; the history of people in places of power causing harm to the people not in power, has been the cause of prophets to speak out for justice.

My own heart is convicted and challenged as the Holy Spirit used a small bunch of herbs thirsty for water to call my attention to people that are oppressed, exiled, and ignored.

Today, people of color experiencing racism and for people rejected and abandoned because of their sexuality and orientation  – the Spirit asks me, “Do you see their need?” and, “What are you going to do about it?”

Prophets, people called to know the mind of God, speak truth to people and to power. In today’s Old Testament text: Jeremiah celebrates the hopeful words of Hananiah – as they speak an end to exile – and a homecoming of the people of Israel. After exile, war and suffering of Israel – Jeremiah speaks with hope because of the prophecy of Hananiah to…”bring back to this place…the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles…”.  These prophetic words revived the people and gave them hope for a world free of exile and true peace.

The call of a prophet is not an easy one. Historically speaking – traditional prophets in scripture and people who live as modern-day prophets – have not had an easy life - when they speak and act for true peace and true justice.

On a good day, a prophet could be described as odd or weird. On a bad day, they would be run out of town – or have their lives threatened or taken. But even with this risk, prophets of God continue to speak.

Prophets like Jeremiah,  Hananiah, John, Jesus, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Harriet Tubman, Nelson Mandela, Dr. King, Dorothy Day, Rosa Parks, Roberto Castellano, Bryan Stevenson, Eve Ansley and Lady Gaga – they run into the fray. Prophets use their God-given gifts to carry water to the weary; not for their own ego – but because of the little ones that will faint without their words and actions.

 

How peculiar, that God used a bunch of cilantro to reminded me of the “little ones” who are in need of prophets that aren’t afraid to pour water and take action.

Without an advocate or ally, the little ones will never know the end of exile. If the prophets refuse to speak and act on behalf of the little ones,  peace will be shallow. If the word of prophets; do not focus on freeing those caught in the vice of oppression; why do the prophets even speak?

If prophets of God and disciples of Jesus do not notice the needs of the little ones – who will?

·       There is an idea circulating, that there is too much talk of social justice in the church.

·       There is an idea that racism, sexism, classism  and all the “isms” are things best left to the “professionals” to wrestle with.       

·       There is worry that the work of dismantling the “isms” will detract time, energy, and resources that could otherwise be used to build up said church.  

·       There is a feeling of scarcity – that there will not be enough to go around.

·       There is great discomfort with that idea that personal struggle, on behalf of another – must be avoided.

All these ideas – are barriers to caring for the “little ones” that Jesus calls us to serve. These barriers are ideas, opposed to the gospel and show the roots of injustice where we least expect to find it – in the church.

(For more on this thought, see the book “Dear Church”by Pastor Lenny Duncan)

For me, the Holy Spirit used a sleepless night, a bunch of wilted cilantro and the words, “give a cup of cold water to one of these little ones”; to awaken me to the call to walk alongside those who are oppressed. The Holy Spirit calls me, to listen and learn from the experience of the oppressed – so to speak and act, not to relieve my own feelings, but to tend to the real hurt and thirst of those who live in exile; day to day to day, year to year, generation to generation.

When we hear the words, “… give a cup of cold water to one of these little ones…”,  I hear Jesus say to the church and to me – to look, listen and respond to the “little ones”.

·       Church - Do not believe the lie that you cannot speak out against injustice, against racism and all the “isms”.

·       Church - Do not allow the “powers that be” determine the fate of the little ones.

·       Church - Do not forget the power of peace – true peace that brings everyone home.

·       Church - Do not pass on the opportunity to pour a cool cup of water – for Jesus.

Christ states that the disciple who gives a cup of cold water to the little ones serves Christ himself. As disciples of Jesus, we are sent on a mission: to serve the little ones of this world and point others to see and join God’s action of mercy – God’s work of peace – God’s work of giving respite to the weary.

When we hear this phrase, “… give a cup of cold water to one of these little ones…”, in the middle of a sleepless night or wherever we find ourselves, as followers of Jesus, as prophets for a gospel of true justice and real peace, as the Church… who is the “little one” that we are called to serve? To whom are we to carry this cup of water too?

The oppressed, the weary, the misunderstood, the maligned and the mistreated.

·       Jesus invites each of us to be prophets and pour-ers of living water.

·       Jesus calls the church – to care for the little ones that the world treats unjustly, with our words AND actions.

The love of God has a way of helping people see the experience of another person – and being moved to action by compassion.

·       The love of God is calling the church to be an oasis for the weary.

·       The love of God is calling the church to be a body of Jesus followers – in word  AND deed.

God calls us – from our positions of power – to speak and live truth to power – so that all who have been exiled will have a home to come home to.

In this diverse and beautiful body of Christ, true welcome and true peace can be made possible, only if the children of God get to the work.

Church let us get to work… sharing cups of cool, reviving water of full bodied, all-inclusive and never-failing grace.

Whose name is to be added to that compassion-filled, truth-speaking action-taking, walking-alongside, list of prophets? Is God calling your name and mine?

The Spirit is calling us to join in the fight against hatred and all the isms that demean and decrease the beauty and value of all people:  black, brown, white, straight, gay, rich, poor, weak, sick, well, strong, ignorant, wise, young, old .

All made-in-the-image-of-God-humanity - We all are beloved by God.

 But the poor ones, the oppressed and the weary are being called to our attention by Jesus himself. Do we notice?

Will we, by our words and actions, be added to that compassion-motivated-list-of-prophets that go into the fray – on behalf of another soul in need?

Like in the Hymn, “When the Poor One”, will we walk their way, as God does?

May we, beloved, eclectic and diverse children of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, live into the call to speak out and oppose the powers that oppress our siblings in humanity; so to - “bring back … the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.”

 

2   When compassion gives the suff'ring consolation;

     when expecting brings to birth hope that was lost;

     when we choose love, not the hatred

all around us:  Refrain10024

 

Refrain

     We see God, here by our side, walking our way;

     we see God, here by our side, walking our way.

 

AMEN

Matthew 10:40-42

[Jesus said to the twelve:] ⁴⁰“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; ⁴²and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Jeremiah 28:5-9

⁵The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord; ⁶and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. ⁷But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. ⁸The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. ⁹As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”