And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. Matthew 10:42

Tuesday, 1 PM: I just drove the Bali mission team to Dulles airport for the first leg of their 21 hour flight to Indonesia. Their first flight is 14 hours to Seoul, South Korea. They have a couple of hour layover and then a seven hour flight on to Bali. Twenty one hours sandwiched into a pressurized aluminum tube eating nothing but peanuts. Brutal! 

As we gathered at the church at 10 AM to weigh and load up the luggage, pray with the team and drive them to the airport, the church staff and a group of friends and family gathered to see the team off. Conversation was upbeat and easygoing, filled with lots of smiles and a few tears. The team will be out of the country for over two weeks so there was a lot to say! As we milled about I could hear interspersed among the well wishes and hugs a lot of last minute instructions and details- “don’t forget to change that doctor appointment… Check in with my work when you get a chance… Thanks for taking care of the dog… the garage door opener’s been acting up so when you check on the house…” 

So many details, all of the stuff of life, the little things that have to be done in order to launch a ministry team. Dozens of people helping out in hundreds of ways, doing chores, covering tasks, and lending a hand so that the work of God can go forward. 

In our minds we often think of things in terms of sacred and secular, ordinary and holy. We have a measuring stick in our head and we evaluate our tasks and consequently our worth based on what we do. A mission team, now that’s God’s work! Going out and preaching the gospel, traveling the world to share the good news- THAT is close to God’s heart; walking the dog, doing homework or taking kids to swim practice… not so much.

I think that’s a lie.

In eyes of God the ordinary stuff is every bit as important as the so-called extraordinary. He doesn’t hold a measuring stick, we do. In God’s mind, the one who stays behind is as important as the one who goes, the one who walks the dog is as vital as the one who preaches the word, the one who cares for children matters as much as the one who leads the worship. It is not just that the one enables the other to happen- which is, of course, true. Without friends and family support mission teams would never launch and without childcare, greeters and campus safety teams many would never make it into a worship service. BUT the acts themselves are important to God; even down to a cup of cold water. 

1 Corinthians 10:31 says “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” In other words every activity large or small, important or insignificant, sacred or secular brings glory. joy and praise to God as we offer our very lives as acts of worship. There is no difference between the secular and sacred, it’s all sacred.

So even if your contribution is as ordinary as a simple cup of cold water to a thirsty stranger; this too is an act of love and service to Jesus.