[Jesus said to the twelve:] 40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever 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, 42 and 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.”

Matthew 10:40-42

What is a cold cup of water worth?

This is an essential question in a world where UNICEF reports that 1 in 4 people worldwide do not have access to daily clean drinking water. Water is a precious and essential natural resource, and it has become even more of an issue here in the United States, as we witness the expansion of A.I. Data Centers. An average Data Center uses 5 million gallons of water a day, which does not go back into the water system. There are many unknowns regarding the impacts on the water quantity and quality to surrounding communities. 

This month in my home city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Charlie Berens and the Great Lakes Neighbors United will be presenting an event to help educate people on Data Centers, and to urge people to organize on behalf of communities and the environment. Charlie Berens is known for his Wisconsin humor, dropping many Midwest ‘opes’ and ‘don’t cha knows’ and ‘keep ‘er moving’ sayings. Simultaneously you can see his deep love and care for his home state and community through his activism. I am interested to see the impact this event makes and the discussions it generates.

This harkens back to our call to care for Creation and its gifts to us (to which we often refer as ‘natural resources).  Among the most essential of these gifts is water.  Our call to be creatures who are stewards of Creation invites us to ask the question, For what are we as Christians known?

 In our lectionary gospel passage, Jesus reminded his disciples of the value of doing something on behalf of the neighbor, even something as seemingly small as providing a cup of cold water to a little one. Water is essential, and even one cup of water can make a life-giving difference to someone who needs it. 

In Matthew 10:40-42, Jesus is sending the apostles out to share the gospel. In doing so, he sends them as his ambassadors. They will represent Jesus, and Jesus represents God. Therefore, the acts of sharing the gospel, teaching, healing, and acts of service are done in the divine name, including sharing water and food with little ones.  In response, anyone who welcomes these ambassadors welcomes God. 

Giving water to a thirsty ‘little one’ foreshadows one of the most important teachings of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel, the very last formal teaching in the gospel before his death and resurrection. It is the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). “And so to the sheep, he (the king) said: ‘When I was a stranger and you welcomed me, when I was thirsty, you gave me a drink when I was hungry. You fed me when I was naked. You clothed me. And when I was in prison, you visited me. What you did until the least of my people. You did unto me.’” Here Jesus implies that whenever we do acts of love, kindness, and service to anyone, especially ‘the least’ – the most vulnerable, the oppressed, the hard up, those cast out by society - we are doing these actions to Jesus himself. This is our call as disciples. We are called to outwardly love and serve our neighbor and care for this earth that God has given us as a home. 

Preserving water is a way we can love our neighbors and this earth. 

Right now, as people of faith, we need to ask the hard questions about A.I. Data Centers so that we can make ethical decisions not only for our future, but for future generations to come. Ethics asks us to deliberate on whether something is right or wrong based on whether the outcomes of the decision will lead toward a fair and just society that promotes the well-being of all. 

Could this gospel passage that lifts up the essentialness of water lead our congregations to discuss the importance of preserving our water sources?  Could it encourage us to educate ourselves on the effects of Data Centers? Might it even compel us to take action, to organize, and to vote with water as a top priority?

Might it lead us to ask, ‘What is a cold cup of water worth?’ 

If our Christian faith compels us to protect water sources and advocate for clean water for all, we wouldn’t be the first. Native American tribes have long been fierce water protectors of American rivers, lakes, and water sources, fueled by their spirituality and connection to the land. When oil pipelines have threatened tribal lands, tribal leaders and communities organized to protect the earth from the devastating risks.  Although that powerful resistance has not always stopped big oil companies from running their pipelines through protected lands, it has raised awareness and brought greater measures of protection. We can take our cues from these past movements and apply them to our current dilemmas regarding the future of data centers, big tech, and the lack of government protection of natural resources. We can join with others, who are already engaged in this work as partners towards a more just future.

What is our water worth? What is the cup of cold water we can give our neighbor now?

Let us come together and ask. 

If we do so, the reward certainly will not be lost.