A Cup…in His Name

Many years ago I was approached by a compassionate ministry organization with the request that I create a new sculpture that could represent their work. My goal was to sculpt a piece that could tell their story but also represent the story of compassion that is present in every group who is stepping into that hard place.

The motivation for a design can come from many different places.

In the mid-1980s, a lot of us remember that the famine in Africa held our attention. Every night on the evening news we saw graphic examples of extreme human need. Speeches were given, money was raised and everyone sang “We Are The World.”

Eventually, the images faded and lost their edge,
the money was dispersed, and the song felt old.
For most of us, the memory is dull and the movies
in our mind have long been traded for new ones.

But everyday…somewhere in this world
one scene replays…
as if the author of human suffering
constantly rehearses his dark drama.

They’re always there…
these hands…
reaching

a scoop of rice…a bit of bread… a cup of water…so simple

“And whoever gives to one of these little ones
even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple,
truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Matthew 10:42