Water is the Beatitude of 2006

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

Jon & Dawn Barnes – South Africa

As we all take communion today around the world, let us remember that water is a precious commodity and is a vital part of the very meal we share together. And part of sharing a meal with our family is sharing our lives…your brothers and sisters in South Africa need your prayers, your step of faith and your long suffering as we work towards providing everyone with clean and safe water.

Jon & Dawn Barnes – South Africa

*Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “It is not some religious act which makes a Christian what he or she is, but participation in the suffering of God in the life of the world.”

*Richard Rohr is quoted, “I, like many of you, am only a disciple of the poor man from Nazareth. He has made me content with mystery. He has made me less afraid of chaos. He has told me that control is not my task. He, like the cosmos itself, is about two things: diversity and communion.”

*And the singer, Bono, in his address at the National Prayer Conference 2006 said, “These goals – clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty – these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country (USA) supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a globalised world.”

As I reflect on World Communion Sunday and the theme of water I would like to tell you about water here in South Africa. Access to clean, fresh water is a rarity in this country. A majority of the houses/shacks/rondovels do not have access to running water inside. That means…there is no water in a sink to wash your face or brush your teeth, there is no water for washing clothes, there is no water to flush your toilet, and there is no water for your lawn or to wash your car. Sometimes there are communal taps in the villages/neighbourhoods/townships that one could go to collect water but the majority of water comes from a local river or other body of water carried long distances by a woman with a bucket on top of her head. To obtain and use water here requires hard labor and is not as simple as opening your tap inside your house.

We are called to “participate in the suffering of God in the life of the world” and commune with our fellow brothers and sisters who do not have access to water, much less clean water. We are urged by Christ to help those who are in need. I stop sometimes in my daily life here as a missionary in South Africa and ask God, “Why?….Why?” “Why, God, is life so difficult for some?” Why can’t we make the world a more equal place?” And I do not have the answer to why children are dying from diseases they contract from unclean water; why women are forced to walk miles to get a five gallon bucket of water for the day; or why the world is so uneven…why it seems the rich only get richer and the poor get poorer.

And I am reminded that Christ “has made me content with mystery. He has made me less afraid of chaos. He has told me that control is not my task. He, like the cosmos itself, is about two things: diversity and communion.” I am reminded that it is not my job to ask why, but rather to be about Christ’s calling of being present, of being among God’s people…in suffering, in rejoicing and in communion. And as we take a look at what we can do as a church, as the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ, I turn to the words of the U2 Singer, Bono, and agree with him that today in our globalized world, providing water is the Beatitude of 2006 and of the future. We must work together towards “diversity and communion” as individuals, as church, and as the body of Christ.

Revs. Dawn and Jon Barnes

Jonathan and Dawn Barnes are missionaries with the Kei Regional Council of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, South Africa. Jonathan serves in pastoral ministries among the churches in the region. Dawn serves in pastoral ministries and social work.