“And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” Matthew 10:42
It will be “Tartan Time” in Minden this Saturday, April 20, do you hear the pipers calling? Soon Miller Quarters Park will be full of kilts, sporrans, ghillie brogues and Jacobite shirts, haggis and Scotch pies as the faithful Scotsmen and women gather for games, food, stories, music, dancing, and fun. Now, I must go back to the 17th century to find my first truly Scotch relative, a Captain William Archibald Thompson who was born in Argyllshire, Scotland before moving to Derry, Northern Ireland. From there on we were Scotch-Irish, but I still enjoy Scottish culture, the writing of Robbie Burns and their music.
First Methodist Church Minden will be at the festival with free water and smiles. We hope you come by and say hello. Look for our blue tent in the vendor area although we are not selling anything. We would like to get to know you and we have some brochures which outline our times for worship, areas of ministry, Bible studies and Wednesday meal if you would like to take them.
In the scripture above spoken by Jesus about his disciples, water symbolizes refreshment, provision, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. It reminds us to use the simple, available things that we have or can access, to bless the lives of others. The idea of “cold” in a hot climate like that of Israel either means that this is fresh spring water that they called “living water” or water from a home that had a simple evaporative cooling device using cloth. Either way, some effort had been made to provide this cool water in the heat of the day. God will reward that effort of kindness especially when we give it in God’s name. It reminds me of Matthew 25, when Jesus told a parable about goats and sheep. One group has “done to others as they would have it done to them” even when they did not know that they were doing God’s will, and they are blessed. The goats (not the greatest of all time) ignored the needs of humanity and were sent away into the outer darkness. This gives a eternal significance to that dented can of soup you donated to the food drive and a plastic bottle of purified water given in love.
I hope and pray we have good enough weather for the Scottish Tartan Festival and Highland Games this Saturday. Come by our booth and say hello, we would love to meet you!
(Steve Berger is pastor of First Methodist Church Minden, a Global Methodist Church. He is the husband of Dianne, his partner in ministry, they have two adult sons, a dachshund, and love living in Minden.)