Little Things
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Little Things
May 15, 2001
by Rev. William “Buck” Day
Let’s pray again.
Lord your grace is enough, your grace is plenty, Lord God, and I thank you for that. I thank you for that—that you know, you know what our needs are here, Lord, and you know what is going to happen. So we just commit our future into your hands again and thank you for the faithfulness of these men and women who love you, who love this church and who want to be faithful to you in all of their lives. So Lord, help us to chart away as we go forward. We ask that even as we look now to your word and talk about small things. So Lord I ask that you would speak to us as we go through your Scripture this day. We ask it in your name. Amen.
I want to get going with a quiz for you today. I want to start, if you want to take notes you certainly can. Which country has the largest population in the world? “China,” right, pretty good. Good start. The world’s tallest mountain in the world is? “Everest,” yes, Mt. Everest, yes. What type of tree is the tallest? “Sequoia Redwood,” O.K. Redwood, yes. This one might be a little tougher, who is the world’s riches man, or person? “Carlos Slim Helu,” yes, it was Warren Buffet, the year before I think it was Bill Gates, but you are right. It is now Carlos Slim Helu. He is a Mexican telecom magnet and so he is now the richest human.
O.K. Let’s turn the tables. You have done very well, so far, give yourself and A, and now a little harder. What country has the smallest population in the world? Right, “The Vatican,” that is correct. What is the world’s smallest mountain? (laughter) My sources say Mt. Greylock. O.K. you can Google that and check me on that. What type of tree is the shortest? “Bonsai,” maybe. This says a dwarf willow, 5 centimeters tall. (laughter) O.K. And this one is open to, I think…I’ll just put it out there, the poorest person in the world? Exactly. Exactly. It can go all over the place, but what I have for my latest was a gentleman by the name of Jed Matthews. He owes $22.4 million dollars. That was all the assets he had that he lost before the last economic decline.
Alright, so how did you do? Better in the first half than the second half? Yes, O.K. I think that is the point. The point is that we are really good at knowing and remembering the big things in life. The things that we recognize, the things that we respect are those big things, aren’t they? We tend to not give as much thought to the little things in our lives. We seem to believe that bigger is better; that is why I think Texas came up with that statement that “everything is bigger in Texas.” That is part of that idea of bigger is better. I think we even apply that in spiritual matters as well. We tend to think that more money, more people, bigger ministries, more programs, greater talent, all of that stuff then equates to greater effectiveness of God’s work.
And we think the opposite about smaller things, don’t we? We think that God could not work, or would not work through smaller ministries, through smaller programs, through fewer lesser talent. We think that if it isn’t big then God must not be in it. And we think that not only about churches and ministries, we also think that about us, too. We also think about us the same way. We feel that if we are not good enough, if we are not spiritual enough, if we are not talented enough, if we are not important enough, God could never use me, little ole me? God could never use me in a meaningful way. Is bigger always better? No, it is not. Not when it comes to spiritual things, for sure. I think that is the point that Jesus wanted to get across to his followers in our Scripture today. He illustrates two ways of thinking about how the kingdom of God works, how its economy is wrapped up, and that is what we want to look at today in our Scripture. Our Scripture is from Luke 13, verses 18 through 21, and it says this. Jesus is talking:
He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’
And again he said, ‘To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’
Jesus is using these examples and he starts with a mustard seed. A mustard seed is a very, very, very small seed. In Jesus’ day the seed that they were probably using was the smallest—it was call called a black mustard seed—it was the smallest that they knew probably was used in the first century in that part of the world. So because of its very small size, it was used almost proverbially for anything that was small or insignificant. “You’re a mustard seed. You are nothing.” That is what they would say. “You are a mustard seed.” So Jesus used that as an example because he knows what happens when you plant a mustard seed—it becomes this bush that is over 12 feet tall, is big obviously and bushy enough for birds to be able to live in and make their nests in, out of what is the tiniest of seeds.
In our second illustration Jesus says that God’s working is like yeast, yeast that is mixed into this large amount of flour until it is worked through the dough. What I think is important to understand about this is the measurement that Jesus uses for the amount of flour that gets used. In the Greek it becomes more specific and for us in our kind of conversion what Jesus is basically saying is that just a little bit of yeast mixed into fifty pounds of flour, which is more than enough to feed a hundred people. He is using that extraordinarily, saying we are not just talking about the bread you need for a day, this huge amount of bread can be made from just this little bit of yeast. He is showing that just a little bit can have a huge influence.
So what is the point that he is making? What is he trying to convey to his followers? He is revealing some truth about the kingdom of God here. He is saying that God uses small things to do big stuff. God uses small things to do big stuff. Say that with me. “God uses small things to do big stuff.” We see that demonstrated over and over throughout the pages of history. That is kind of God’s modus operandi. He uses small things to do “big stuff,” right? When God wanted to start a new nation that he could call his own, did he go to the rich and the famous family of the day? No! He went to a nomadic man and woman who were well past child bearing age. That is who he started with. When God wanted to lead his people out of slavery Egypt, he used a man who was rejected by his own people and spent the majority of his life leading sheep. When God wanted a king for his people, he didn’t go after the big shot; he went after the shepherd boy, didn’t he?
When Jesus watched people give their offering at the temple, he wasn’t impressed by those who gave a lot but rather by the woman who gave the penny. When God came to earth, he didn’t choose a rich and famous family, did he? He chose to come as a baby born to a poor, seemingly insignificant family. You see, God does big stuff through small things. What might seem too small or insignificant to you or me or to the world, God says that is exactly what I want. That is what I am going to use to accomplish my purpose. So you might feel insignificant. You might feel like a mustard seed. If you are feeling that way, God wants to tell you that is perfect. That is perfect, because this is what he says about you in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 27-29:
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.”
Because you see, God uses small things to do “big stuff.”
When we think about this word “ministry”, we look at where it comes from, if we look at its Greek roots, the word “ministry” actually means dust or dirt, or grit actually. I think that is a statement that says ministry is dirty. It is hard work. You have to kind of roll up your sleeves and get down and get dirty. Do the things that may seem unimportant in our world. It might be things like being present with a hurting friend. It might mean walking Nine Mile Creek and cleaning up trash that gets left behind by others. It might be making bandages out of strips of cloth, where you tear them and roll them up and they get sent half-way around the world to AIDS patients for their relief. It might be inviting others to join you as you serve in some way. That is what ministry is. That is rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty. When we look at the word “ministry” from its Latin roots—it comes from the word, kind of small things—it is where we get the word “miniscule;” it is the same root. That to me says that ministry is involved in little things. Little things like a kind word or a touch when someone needs it. It is helping when it is not expected. It is coming alongside somebody and saying “What can I do for you? What can I do for you?” You see, big is not always what it is cracked up to be.
Think about this, can you name the last five actors who have won the Best Actor award at the Academy Awards? We can’t do it, can we, unless you are really a movie buff, or you are back there Googleing it. I saw you, Royce. But, ask yourself, who is a teacher that made a difference in your life? Or a friend that helped you during a hard time? Those stand out, don’t they? For me, Mrs. Forkey was my third grade teacher. She was the one that said, “Buck, you could play basketball at U.C.L.A.” She encouraged me. Mr. Bouchier was my fourth grade teacher. He was the one who taught me how to stand up and take it when kids would belittle me because I was always the tallest and skinniest kid in the class. Or Dave Mirko. Dave Mirko is the reason I am here today. He is the one that originally sent me to Minnesota, and I never returned. Those people stand out in our lives and every one of us have those, don’t we? We have those people in our lives. Those people don’t go away. People who do little things can have big impacts in the lives of those around them. Even Mother Teresa knew that. She said “We can do no great things, we can only do little things with great love.” Small things done for God can have big impact.
There was a fundraising dinner at a school for handicapped children. The father of one of the students stood up to give a speech and it will never be forgotten by everyone who attended. After extolling the expertise of the staff and thanking them, he offered the rest of the people there a question. He said, “When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done to perfection, yet my son Shea cannot learn as other children learn. He cannot understand as other children understand. Where is the natural order of things in my son? At that point the whole audience was stilled by his question. He continued, he said, “I believe that when a child like Shea who is physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, the opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself and it comes by the way other people treat this child.” And then he told a story.
He tells of a day when he and Shea were walking through the park and Shea saw some boys from school that he knew and they were playing baseball. He turned to his dad and said, “Dad, can I play with them?” And, of course, at that point his dad knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shea on his team; but he also realized that if they allowed him to play, it would give him that much needed sense of belonging and confidence that he would need to be with other people despite his handicaps. So his father took the step and he walked up to one of the boys on the field and asked if Shea could play. The boy kind of looked around, kind of like—help!—looking for a little assistance from his team. He eventually turned to him and said, “You know what? We are losing by 6 runs, it is the 8th inning and I guess he can be on our team. We can let him play and maybe he can get to bat in the 9th.” So at that point Shea struggled over to the team bench and you could see him grinning from ear to ear as he put on the team shirt. In addition you could see the father with a tear running down his eye and the warmth in his heart. The rest of the boys on the team picked up on that, they understood the joy that the man was experiencing at the son’s acceptance.
Well it was the bottom of the 8th and Shea’s team had scored three runs. So now they were down by 3, going in the top of the 9th, and they put Shea out in right field. Shea, even though there were no hits that came his way, he obviously was ecstatic as he stood out on the filed with this broad grin on his face just being part of the action. So they come to the bottom of the 9th and Shea’s team scores again and now there are two outs and of course the bases are loaded. And guess who is supposed to be up next? Shea. Shea is next up with a potential winning run on base. Do they let Shea bat? Do they give away a chance to win? And surprisingly they gave Shea the bat and let him go up to the plate. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible for Shea, for Shea didn’t even know how to hold the bat let alone thinking about hitting a ball.
So as Shea stepped up to the plate the pitcher on the other team recognized that the team had put winning aside for the purpose of allowing this moment in Shea’s life to go forward. So the pitcher took a couple steps forward and threw the ball to Shea and Shea clumsily swung, and he missed, of course. So the pitcher understood and moved a couple steps closer and threw it softly underhand again to him. Shay somehow hit it. He hit it real soft and it rolled right back to the pitcher. At this point all it took was for the pitcher to throw it to 1st and the game would be over. But the pitcher knew better. Instead, what he did is he took the ball and he threw it well over the 1st baseman’s head so that no one was going to catch it. At that point the stands and the boys on the team said, “Run Shea! Run to first!” Well at that point, Shea had never run that far in his whole life; but he made it all the way to 1st. As he scampered down the baseline you could see just the wide eyes as he was excited. He couldn’t believe what was happening. And by the time he got to 1st, everyone was yelling, “Run to second! Run to second!” So he begins to turn and run toward 2nd base and he is about half way to 2nd and the right fielder finally has the ball.
The right fielder on the other team was also the smallest guy on his team and this was his chance to be the hero. Yet, he understood what the pitcher was doing. So he took the ball and he threw it towards 3rd base as far as he could throw it, well over the 3rd baseman’s reach. So everyone at this point is going, “Run Shea, run!” “Go to third. Go to third!” Shea rounds 2nd; he heads toward 3rd base—he’s not sure where 3rd base is; so the short stop has to come over and point him towards 3rd base. He is running and everyone is going “All the way, Shea! All the way! All the way!” He gets to 3rd, he rounds to home and he finally gets to home. He steps on home plate. Shea has hit the winning homerun for the team. Everyone is cheering at the grand slam. The father said at this point of the speech, as tears are rolling down his face. He said, “The boys from both teams helped to bring a piece of true love and humanity into the world that day. And the reality is that Shea didn’t make it into another summer. He died that winter. But he never forgot being the hero. He never forgot the joy that was on his dad’s face and how he was welcomed home as the conquering hero by his mom.”
You see, God can use little things in our lives to make a big difference. Yeah! A big difference! And you can do that too. You can make a big difference by doing little things. Every time we step out of our box, every time we step out of our comfort zone we step beyond the walls of Faith and make a difference for Christ. Do something. We are showing the reality of Jesus Christ to the world. And that is what Jesus wants us to do. That is what he wants us to be about. And truth be told that is really the goal of what Community Days of Service is about from my perspective for Faith Church. That is what CaringWorks! is about for Faith Church. It is not about going out and helping people by doing nice things in the community. Do we need to do those? Yes! Are they good for the community? Yes! But that is not why we do them. We do them to show the love of Christ to the world. That needs to be our motivation. That needs to be our understanding as we step out over this next weekend. To know that doing a little thing can make a big difference for Jesus. We can destroy a stereotype of someone who believes that everyone in the Church are hypocrites and they are all about themselves. That is our opportunity that is coming next weekend. That is our opportunity to do and be a part of moving this church forward in our action steps. When we get done here, I want you to go out and look at those action steps and where can you plug in. It is just a little thing but it can make a big difference. That is what it is about.
That is what Jesus is calling us to. That is what we need to be about as a church as we go forward—is to take the love of Christ to this world, to show them that we care about them tremendously, just as God does, and to do those little things because they make a big difference.
Let’s pray.
Mighty and holy God, thank you. Thank you that you are ever faithful and Lord you have given each one of us gifts and abilities and talents that are to be used for your kingdom. Sometimes Lord we don’t even think of them as being used for you; but Lord I ask that you would open our eyes to do that, so that we could see how you could use what may seem insignificant, small, to us; but in your hands God you can do BIG things through it. So Lord I pray for that. I ask that and I ask that you would be with us as we look at these action steps that are before us and as we look to engage our community on your behalf next weekend. Lord be with us, we ask it in your name. Amen.