Cupbearers to a Thirsty World

As we close out our sub-theme for the month of August, "The Ambassadors Call," I invite you all to look forward, with me, to September’s sub-theme as we explore "Rebuilding the World with Christ." So, today, we consider what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus in a world that often feels profoundly thirsty, not just for physical sustenance, but for something far deeper, something that truly quenches the soul. It’s a thirst born of brokenness, a yearning for healing in a world that often feels shattered. As be enter into our Christ-becoming, our guiding principle should emphasize that disciples of Jesus carry the life giving water of Christ, not swords of judgment.

Last week, we spoke about the sacredness of the ministry of listening. How in a world loud with assumptions and distractions, listening becomes an act of resistance because it is an intentional spiritual practice and the heartbeat of true ambassadorship in Christ. We explored how a Godly non-anxious presence can build bridges where shouting only creates divides. We noted that a profound compassionate listening leads not to an immediate fix, but to a deeper understanding that paves the way for seeing all the possibilities for authentic care. This week we carry that thread forward, diving deeper into what it means to be an ambassador of Christ as we are called to be a cupbearer in a world crying out for something real, something life giving.*

Lament and Persuasive Love

Our journey begins with the story of Nehemiah. He held a position of profound intimacy and trust as the cupbearer to the king, a role demanding utmost loyalty and vulnerability. His daily task involved tasting the king's wine, a symbolic act of taking on potential danger for the sake of another. As he hears, from Jerusalem, that his people are in great trouble and disgrace, the city’s walls broken, its gates consumed by fire, Nehemiah’s heart and spirit becomes broken.

Nehemiah's immediate response is not strategic planning or political maneuvering. Instead, he sits down, weeps, mourns for days, fasts, and prays before the God of heaven. This is more than sadness for Nehemiah, it is a deep and agonizing lament for the brokenness he perceives. Lament is a crucial step in his call as it is an act of profound empathy, a spiritual connection with the pain of others. In a world that often demands quick fixes and immediate action, Nehemiah models a different path. He demonstrates a willingness to sit in the brokenness, to feel the pain, to grieve what is lost. Empathy and lament can activate the beginning of true prophetic strength, strength that is rooted in humility and dependence on God. His prayer is not a polite request but a raw outpouring of confession and plea, aligning himself with the very failures that led to Jerusalem's devastation. He doesn’t distance himself from the collective sorrow because he embraces it. He embodies the principle that we cannot effectively serve what we will not genuinely lament. 

Lamenting is the very heart of the cupbearer’s ministry. A cupbearer tastes the bitterness of the world’s suffering, internalizes its pain, and then, from that place of honest lament, turns to God. Nehemiah, though a servant of the Persian empire, shows us a glimpse of what it means to serve the powerful and the broken with profound compassion. His tears are not a sign of surrender, but a wellspring of divine courage, energized by a God whose love is persuasive rather than coercive. God doesn't force Nehemiah into action but through the active Spirit of God, within him, Nehemiah responds to the world's brokenness. This is co-creation in action influences Nehemiah's human anguish as he meets God's divine compassion to birth a new path forward. His response highlights how we become an ever becoming witness to the compassion driven existence that Jesus modeled.*

Living Water for the Rejected

From Nehemiah’s lament beside the broken walls, we move to a well in Samaria, a place steeped in division and prejudice. We encounter Jesus, the ultimate cupbearer, engaging in a radical act of inclusion with the story of the Samaritan woman drawing water. Jesus, who is the very embodiment of God's life giving grace, sees her, approaches her, and simply asks her for a drink. He doesn’t begin by preaching a sermon or condemning her past, no instant judgement here. He begins by acknowledging a shared human need, thirst. He then offers something infinitely more profound than physical water, freedom, forgiveness, and compassion through life giving water that touches the soul, spirit, and emotions for all of creation. He says, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

You see, Jesus shifts the conversation from cultural animosity to spiritual possibility. Jesus sees beyond her ethnicity, her gender, her social standing, her differences in religion, and her past. He sees the possibilities for her soul, thirsting for connection, acceptance, and meaning. This living water that Jesus offers is not a concept, it is his very presence, his Spirit, his truth. It quenches a thirst that no physical or worldly provision can satisfy. It's a water that springs up into eternal life and is the antidote to the dry, dusty landscapes of judgment, rejection, and isolation. Jesus doesn’t bring a sword of judgment to her, but an outstretched hand offering a source of abundant life. The gift is always present to be received, never forced or withheld.

Friends, this powerful encounter illustrates God’s persuasive love. Jesus doesn't coerce her to do anything, instead he extends an open invitation to relationship. He doesn’t condemn with hate but offers love. He doesn’t control her narrative through the patriarchy. Jesus enters into her narrative with a loving compassionate presence that breaks down the empire’s boundaries of prejudice. Jesus created a space for healing to begin, within all who identify with this Samaritan woman, by acknowledging that divine communal love is the only true quencher of thirst.*

Serving with an Ever-Becoming Witness

The stories of Nehemiah and Jesus, the cupbearer and the living water, converge on a crucial point for us as disciples today. The point is we are called to serve the world, not with dominance, but with humble service.

The empire, in all its forms, political, economic, social, and even religious, operates on principles of control, power, and hierarchy. Empire seeks to impose its will, to dominate, to accumulate, and to define worth based on external markers; the external markers are always the labels that “we” give to “those” people. We see this played out in the systems and attitudes that persist today, where the powerful often seek to maintain their power through exclusion and judgment.

Here is where the gospel of Jesus Christ presents an upside down kingdom, a dynamic, ever becoming reality. The kingdom of God is where greatness is found in humility, power in vulnerability, and leadership in service. Jesus, the cupbearer for the world, did not come to be served but to serve and, ultimately, gave his life for revealing truth in the message God gave him for the world. He washed feet, dined with outcasts, and consistently uplifted the marginalized. His persuasive presence lured humanity into a different way of being.

Consider the stark contrast between carrying a sword and carrying a cup of water. A sword is a weapon of active violence, it doesn’t symbolize peace but aggression. Swords bring judgment and divisions as the intent is to conquer under threat of death. The history of the church, sadly, is stained by moments when it has chosen the sword over the cup, attempting to impose its will through coercion, condemnation, and violence. This has caused immense pain, alienation, and distrust, especially among those who have been historically marginalized by the empire.

However, a cup, especially a cup of cold water, represents refreshment, sustenance, welcome, and life as it postures a gesture of hospitality. As cupbearers of Christ, our role is not to wield power over others, but to pour out God's love and grace. It is to offer what truly satisfies the deepest longings of the human heart. The longings of the heart is something the riches of empire can never fulfill.

Siblings of Christ, this means we need to actively participate in the rebuilding of what is shattered, just as Nehemiah helped start the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. For us, it's not just physical walls, it’s the walls of prejudice, the walls of economic inequality, the walls of spiritual despair, the walls of immoral bills signed into law by our governmental leaders. It means caring for the brokenhearted, providing advocacy and assistance to those without the means to help themselves. It means being a voice for the voiceless and a hand for the helpless. This cupbearing ministry is a profound act of co-creation with God, as we partner in bringing about healing and justice within our very community. We are not just carrying out a divine command, we are participating in the ongoing, emergent process of God's kingdom breaking into the present.

This posture of humble service requires trust and vulnerability. Like Nehemiah, we must trust God’s guidance when we step into uncomfortable or challenging situations. Like Jesus, we must be vulnerable enough to engage with those different from us, to cross social boundaries, and to offer ourselves in genuine connection that is rooted in the power of God's unconditional, persuasive love.

When we truly listen with compassion, we begin to understand the unique thirsts of those around us. We see the creation of God hurting, broken, and lacking a vision for a hopeful future. The disciple's heart is moved not to dominate but to care. It’s a call to humbly confess the inadequate ways the church has failed to follow through with helping our neighbors in distress, especially when that distress is caused by the empire. This lament, like Nehemiah’s, becomes a catalyst for authentic, gospel centered action that moves us toward an ever becoming witness to Christ’s compassion.*

Co-Creating a Quenched World

So, what does it mean for us to carry the life giving water of Christ? It’s a challenge to offer what truly quenches the soul, not what simply feeds the empire. The empire constantly demands our attention, our allegiance, and our energy. It offers superficial satisfactions like consumerism, endless distractions, and the pursuit of fleeting power or status. It often measures success by accumulation, control, and outward appearance. Sometimes, even our spiritual lives can unknowingly become entangled in these imperial measurements, focused on outward performance rather than inner transformation, on dogma rather than dynamic relationships.

The living water of Christ offers something fundamentally different. It offers peace that the world cannot give, joy that is independent of circumstances, a purpose that transcends personal gain, radical love that breaks down barriers, and a hope that anchors the soul in the midst of life's storms. This is the water that quenches the deep thirst for meaning, belonging, and redemption. It is the divine communal love and care that makes us whole.

To offer this living water means actively dismantling the very structures and mindsets that perpetuate spiritual and relational thirst. It means:

Practicing a prophetic presence. We must not shy away from naming the brokenness we see. Our lament isn't just sorrow it's a defiant act of recognizing what falls short of God's kingdom and a prayerful yearning for God’s persuasive love to transform realities.

Embodying radical hospitality. Like Jesus at the well, we are called to cross boundaries and invite everyone to the table of grace. This means actively welcoming and affirming all people, regardless of their background, identity, past actions, and creating spaces where all feel seen, heard, and valued. This is our co-creative work, building communities where divine communal love flows freely.

Prioritizing relationships over rigidity. The empire often values rigid rules and impersonal systems. God’s kingdom prioritizes relational connection, compassion, and the inherent worth of every individual. Our faith is not just a set of beliefs, it is a way of being in relationship with God, with ourselves, and with one another. It's about being an ever becoming witness to relational holiness.

Serving with humility and sacrifice. The ministry of cupbearing is costly. It requires putting the needs of others before our own, being willing to be vulnerable, and even making sacrifices. It means giving of our time, our resources, and our emotional energy to uplift and empower those who are struggling. It's a giving that asks for nothing in return while we remain rooted in the overflowing love of Christ within us. This humble service is how we truly co-create a more just and loving world.

This is the challenging call of the ambassador. It means resisting the temptation to impose our ideas or values with force, but rather to offer the transformative power of God’s love through genuine service. It means recognizing that the greatest impact we can have is not by winning arguments or asserting dominance, but by embodying the very grace we have received.

When people encounter us, do they taste the bitter waters of judgment, exclusion, or apathy? Or do they taste the refreshing, life giving water of Christ, offered with genuine love and compassion? Our lives as disciples should be a testament to this living water, freely flowing to a thirsty world. This is our calling, our sacred privilege, and our humble sacrifice of praise to be cupbearers of Christ, co-creating a world where every parched soul finds its thirst quenched with divine communal love and care. This is how we live the kingdom of God, as the Lord’s Prayer says, “on earth as it is in heaven”. Amen.