It's a little town in rural the rural South, named for the guy who constructed the railroad depot back in the 1880's: Phil Campbell, Alabama. The town recently made news around the globe, for all the right reasons. Actually, it first made headlines for the wrong reasons. On April 27 a tornado flattened part of the town. The twister killed twenty-eight people. As a writer for the New York Times put it, "That's a lot of death to absorb, but even more so when a community had only 1,100 people to begin with."

And here is why the tiny town made news for all the right reasons. Men from around the world, and one lady - nineteen in all - volunteered to come for a couple of weeks to do what they could on behalf of Phil Campbell. In biblical language, they wanted to "offer a cup of cold water" to those in need. What did these men and women have in common - beside the desire to help? Each one had the same name: Phil Campbell. except for the one woman, Phyllis. "It's an odd privilege," said Phil Campbell, a pastor from Alaska. "Just because of the happenstance of my name, I have a chance to do some good." "My friend died," said 8-year-old Makayla Baker, as she handed a baseball to Phil Campbell of Glasgow, Scotland for him to sign. Phil Campbell of Nottingham, England read about the devastation and knew he had to come.

On hand to welcome the guests was Merrell Potter, the police chief who is also a Baptist preacher; this really is a small town, where one person presides over jail and preaches Jesus. That's a rather odd combination - but I kinda like it. At least in this sense: over the past thirty-three years on the Congregation Council, it would have been helpful at times to be packing heat!

Chief Potter said, "We don't know if there is any magic in the name, Phil Campbell, but we're hoping there is." Mayor Jerry Mays said the town appreciates the support of time and money from a group of people connected to it - and to one another - only by name.

Now it's a stretch, but not too big a stretch, to say that there is a group of people connected to this congregation - and to one another - only by name. Christian. The second Sunday of each month at Grace is name tag Sunday. Can you imagine if they have the same tradition at Chief Potter's Baptist Church. Picture the visitors on June 12: Nametag after nametag: Phil Campbell, Phil Campbell, Phil Campbell, Phil Campbell, and then finally a different name: Phyllis Campbell.

Each member and friend of Grace could fill out a nametag, if they chose to do so, not Phil Campbell - but Fully Christian. If the shoe fits, as they say, wear it. Fully Christian. Wear it proudly, in a humble sort of way. Of course, not everyone here this morning could wear such a nametag. Nicholas, for instance, is not Fully Christian. He is a child of God, but not yet Fully Christian. But in a matter of minutes he shall be. You see, this congregation is preparing to extend a warm welcome to Nicholas, as we offer a cup of cold water, as it were, from our baptismal font. We are going to promise to be there for Nicholas on into the future. We are going to promise to support his parents, Gene and Lidia, as well as his sponsors, Scott, Laura and Christina, as we help them keep the promises they make on behalf of Nicholas. At least, this is how it's supposed to work. It's an all-for-one and one-for-all type of thing!

To paraphrase the mayor of a devastated Alabama town, "We don't know if there is any magic in the name 'Jesus,' but we're hoping there is." My gosh, if a bunch of Phil Campbells can gather with warm hearts and cold water because of a common name, how much more can followers of Jesus do as they share the name, Fully Christian? How many ways can we pull ourselves together, put ourselves out there, and gang up for good?"

Our Gospel text this morning may not be the central message of God's story for us ... but it is close. It gets to the heart of how we are to be hospitable to one another ... and how we can thus introduce people to Jesus: "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.... And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." Jesus says, "a cup of cold water," and those who are Phil Campbells and those of us who try to be Fully Christian, we all take seriously the need to be hospitable. Warm hearts serve cold water ... cold water being another name for service and outreach on behalf of our neighbor!

One author (Leo Buscaglia) puts it like this: "The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no tickertape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, who will need our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, cold water - all of which have the potential to turn a life around." Everything counts. Every good deed counts. And this bonus: if we are emotionally healthy, doing good makes us feel good.

Maybe you think it's a waste of time to have driven all the way here on a warm Sunday morning only to listen to a rather shallow sermon on cold water - hospitality. Maybe you were hoping to hear something deeper ... kinda, you know, more theological. But this is how the Good News of Jesus Christ hits a simple guy like me. Cups of cold water.

Wherever you go in life ... and whatever you do, everything counts. There is no greater joy in this world, and the sooner you discover this the happier you will be, no greater joy than being nice. And being generous. And being hospitable. You live your life with that in mind, you might not keep up the Joneses - but you will keep in step with Jesus.

Jesus not only offered a cup of cold water, he shed five liters of blood on the wood of the cross. Jesus not only offered a cup of cold water, he offers himself once more in bread and wine - and to Nicholas in the cold waters of our font. The lifestyle of hospitality is a hallmark of those who are Fully Christian. You never know where you might end up as you offer hospitality: in far away Phil Campbell, Alabama or as near as our local Applebee's! In a world of random acts of kindness, everything counts.