Andi Taylor and a cup of cold water,
My beloved colleague and friend the Revd.. Andi (Andrea) Taylor preached at St. Boniface Church on Siesta Key, Sarasota FL yesterday.'
The assigned gospel passage was Matthew 10:37-42.
Andi zoomed in in these words (attributed to Jesus) from the gospel:
" 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.”
She reminded us that getting a cup of cold was no easy task in first century Palestine. A person would have to go to a fast floating creek, or to a very deep well to get cold water.
It was a good sermon which "spoke to my soul".
For you see ---- my extremely difficult and oft-times obnoxious neighbour E is holed up in a Nursing Home down in Venice, some 20 miles from here.
You may remember that I discovered her "all sick and hallucinating" in another neighbors' driveway at 5:00 a.m. . back in early May, and that I called 911 so that our splendid SRQ EMT's could rescue her.
That they did, and then I took off for my vacation in England and Norway.
Once I was back at home I began to think about E.
My thoughts were remote and inquisitive. They were devoid of care or compassion --- until I began to pay attention to Andi's sermon.
That was when I realised that I needed to follow the Gospel and "share a cup of cold water" with my neighbour E.
I did so this morning. E. was pleased to see me, and I did my best to be gracious to her.
It is not that I am a "good person". Rather it is that I feel a compulsion to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus in Matthew, i.e. to "take a cup of cold water" in the name of a disciple.
I took this "cup of water" to E. this morning. The gospel tells me that it should be in the name of a disciple. So I did it in the name of Andi Taylor.
The Gospel also speaks of the reward, but never specifies what that reward will be.
In suggest that the reward is in the action. There is a lovely "reward" in doing the right thing.
The assigned gospel passage was Matthew 10:37-42.
Andi zoomed in in these words (attributed to Jesus) from the gospel:
" 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.”
She reminded us that getting a cup of cold was no easy task in first century Palestine. A person would have to go to a fast floating creek, or to a very deep well to get cold water.
It was a good sermon which "spoke to my soul".
For you see ---- my extremely difficult and oft-times obnoxious neighbour E is holed up in a Nursing Home down in Venice, some 20 miles from here.
You may remember that I discovered her "all sick and hallucinating" in another neighbors' driveway at 5:00 a.m. . back in early May, and that I called 911 so that our splendid SRQ EMT's could rescue her.
That they did, and then I took off for my vacation in England and Norway.
Once I was back at home I began to think about E.
My thoughts were remote and inquisitive. They were devoid of care or compassion --- until I began to pay attention to Andi's sermon.
That was when I realised that I needed to follow the Gospel and "share a cup of cold water" with my neighbour E.
I did so this morning. E. was pleased to see me, and I did my best to be gracious to her.
It is not that I am a "good person". Rather it is that I feel a compulsion to be faithful to the teachings of Jesus in Matthew, i.e. to "take a cup of cold water" in the name of a disciple.
I took this "cup of water" to E. this morning. The gospel tells me that it should be in the name of a disciple. So I did it in the name of Andi Taylor.
The Gospel also speaks of the reward, but never specifies what that reward will be.
In suggest that the reward is in the action. There is a lovely "reward" in doing the right thing.
Thanks Andi!
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