Sunday Service - 13 Sep 1942

I want to tell you a story which some of you may already know. There is a place called Sintra in Portugal and in the heart of the town there was a fountain. On a certain national day of rejoicing, the King of Portugal, John III, wished that the fountain should flow not with water, but with milk. So he ordered that everybody in Sintra should bring a jar of milk and pour it into the reservoir that supplied the fountain, so that when it was turned on, the fountain would flow with milk. On the great day when it was time, all the poor folk of the countryside came in to see this great sight and to drink at the fountain of milk. There was great expectation and the square was crowded. But when the fountain began to flow it was not milk that came out, but just water as usual. What happened was this. Somebody had said to himself, ‘If everybody else brings milk, it won’t matter if I bring water. Among so much milk a little water won’t be noticed. So he poured in a jarful of water into the reservoir and thought he was clever. Unfortunately, he was not the only one who had had this bright idea. It had occurred to everybody else as well, each thinking he did not matter; so the king’s plans were baffled, and crowds of poor folk were sorely disappointed. If not all, but only half the people had poured in water, the result would have been just as bad or even worse. For then the fountain would have flowed with milk and water which is a most unsatisfying mixture. It would have looked like milk, but would have given a very bad taste. No one likes milk and water. When we want to say that somebody is weak and ineffective we say, ‘He is a very milk and water sort of person.’ and everybody knows what that means. We may think of this story as a parable. It gives us a picture of what we are often tempted to do in many departments of our life. Let me give you a few illustrations: We all like cleanliness and clean surroundings. We want our houses and premises to be clean. We want the town we live in to be clean. If the streets in the city are filthy we find fault with the municipality for not seeing to the cleanliness of the city. If the railway carriages in which we travel are not clean we blame the Railway authorities. We have the tendency to put the blame on the general public or someone other than ourselves, while we ourselves are not careful to contribute our utmost, always and in every detail, to the cleanliness of the surroundings in which we live. We often say to ourselves, ‘It does not matter if we break the rule just once. It does not matter if I throw a little bit of rubbish just once and no one knows about it.’ Unfortunately, there are others who may think in the same manner and the result is you don’t get the standard of cleanliness you want. If you think, that all will bring their jars of milk, and therefore you can stealthily take your jar of water, you will be sorely disappointed at the end. Pure milk will not flow out of the fountain. It will be either milk and water, or water only. Take for instance a football team. In the course of a game imagine one player tending to slack and not exerting himself to the utmost. He is very keen on victory for the side but says to himself, ‘It does not matter if only one person slacks. I can slack a little without being noticed. Let the others do their best.’

We know what the result of this slackness will be. The team will probably lose. If a team is to win a match, all the players must do their very best, and nothing but their best, from beginning to end. Again, consider our united worship in church. To be able to worship God, there must be the atmosphere of worship. We sometimes leave the church disappointed because the atmosphere has not been conducive to worship. A devotional atmosphere must be created. But who is responsible for it? No doubt those who are leading the worship have a great responsibility in this matter, but the people in the pews too have to contribute their share. If all of us make an effort not to allow our minds to be distracted, and will lift up our hearts and minds to God, we will help to create a devotional atmosphere. Our bodily postures too are important. We emphasize the importance of kneeling for prayers, because such a posture helps us as well as others. If we do not join heartily in the singing or allow our minds to wander during prayers, we are not helping to create the devotional atmosphere. The congregation is expected to join in the prayers and say the responses and say ‘Amen’ at the end of each prayer, in an audible voice. If we say to ourselves, ‘Well it does not matter if I don’t join in the service, it does not matter if I remain silent; let others join in the responses’, it may be that others too may say the same thing. That is what often happens. We have to join heartily in the service not only that we may worship God, but also that others may worship. Each of us is responsible for creating the right atmosphere for worship. We must bring our own jars of milk. Otherwise we have to taste ordinary water or milk and water. From the fountain of our worship God wants the pure milk of devotion and praise to flow. Let us consider for a moment our community life as citizens of this country. God wants the pure milk of love and unselfishness and fellowship to flow from the fountain of our common life. We speak of the corruption and selfishness in the public life of our country. Are we pouring out our very best into the life of the country? As members of this parish, are we giving of our very best so that there might flow through the fountain of our common life the pure milk of kindness and love and unselfishness? Or are we saying to ourselves, ‘It does not matter what I do? Others will give everything. My share is so small, it does not matter what I give. It will not affect the common life. Let me do just as it pleases me. I will not make any sacrifice. I will not undergo any hardship or want. I need not be concerned about the needs of other people. During the war, for example, every family has to give its share towards the war effort. Men will be needed for the army to fight and give their lives. Can any parent say, ‘Let my sons stay at home. I can’t send them to the front. Let others go and fight.’ I don’t think anyone will be lacking in public spirit to say that. I am sure every family will be giving its share. Every father and mother will urge their sons to go and fight, not because of government compulsion but because of a sense of duty. No one will like to shirk his or her responsibility when the country is in danger. All must contribute to the common good, otherwise the country will lose. Why is the Christian witness of the Church so ineffective and feeble? In our lives we water down the commands of our Lord, and the world is not attracted by a milk and water community. It judges Christianity by Christians. If we want the Christian witness of the Church to be

effective we must give our whole obedience to God. God wants the fountain of Christian life to flow with milk and he wants us to bring our jar of milk to it. I hope we will always remember the story of the milk fountain and that it will always be a challenge in every department of our lives.