Rejoicing in the Small

Zechariah 4:6-10 ~ 

Then he responded to me by saying, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying: “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit!” says the Lord. “What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. He will bring out the capstone with shouts of “Grace, grace” to it.’”

Again the word of the Lord came to me saying: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this House. His hands will also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord has sent me to you. For who despises the day of small things? These seven—which are the eyes of Adonai that run back and forth throughout the whole earth—will rejoice when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.”

As believers, we are a culture obsessed with programs and big, seemingly successful ministries. When you are in a small church it's easy to start to feel as if your work is meaningless and invisible. What's the point of this if it doesn't turn into a big and booming ministry?

As I read this passage in Zechariah, I'm reminded again that God's value system is different than the world's. We rejoice in the large and mighty. God's Spirit often works in the small and unnoticed things in this world. We despise the small and yet, it's in those small activities and ministries that God does some of His best work.

Our church has about 48 people on a good day and it's easy to feel discouraged when we don't always see growth in numbers. I know I can start to look for the "why?" and start to get hyper-critical of everything. And yet, when I look at things through God's eyes, I start to wonder if my focus is on the wrong thing.

We had a women's luncheon yesterday and during our meal we were supposed to share some of our faith journey. The women at my table took turns sharing and as one of the women shared how her faith is growing more than it ever has  because of the ministry of our church, and how she feels welcomed, I realized that is beautiful in God's eyes. Will it ever be noticed by any big, popular ministries? No. But what does that matter? In God's eyes that is success.

I rocked and read to three children in the nursery yesterday (and yes, all three kept wanting to be on my lap at the same time). I sang to them and played down on the floor with them. Is our church's children's program big and booming? Not at all. But all three of those children had been or are in the foster care system and our church loves on all three of them. Having arms wrap around them in love may mean more to the Lord than having 30 children singing songs. The young lady helping me in there has some disability challenges and yet, she has found a place where she can use her gifts and at the same time, feel like she is welcomed and a part of our congregation. 

We have a small women's group that meets each Sunday morning before the service. There are about 7-8 of us that meet and study together. But more than that, we share our lives with each other. We laugh and cry and grow and pray together. That's a win in God's eyes!

Our congregation collects new bath and kitchen towels and put together towel baskets. Then we work with a local organization to deliver a basket to people in need. It's not a huge outreach and we chose towels because we felt that a church of our size could handle that. But over the past 4 years we've been doing it, we have delivered close to a hundred baskets and interacted and prayed for people who are at a vulnerable point in their lives. 

A young man with disabilities that we have helped in the past and had moved away came back to visit yesterday. It was beautiful to see people coming up and giving him a hug and making him feel welcomed. On Thursday mornings, my son and his care coordinator come to the church to cook together. I have offered the use of our church to her for some of her other clients as well. We want our building to be a place that is used to minister to those who are overlooked. 

Different people who in the past were timid about doing so, are stepping into various roles in the church and using their gifts to serve. Some are being stretched to step into leadership roles and are flourishing. Success!

The past couple of years, we have put up an Angel Tree in the back of the sanctuary and collect Christmas gifts for children in the local Foster Care agency. Last year, we collected items for backpacks for them at the beginning of the school year. This past June all the proceeds of our annual golf tournament raised money for this same agency. 

We are beginning to reach out to the refugees in our community by working with another church and organization. Once a month we meet at a local housing center and have an English cafe, offering food, conversation, crafts and games while giving the residents opportunity to practice their English-language skills. But more than that, we are helping displaced people feel welcome and at home. We are figuring out other ways to reach out to them outside of this once-a-month time. God's heart is for the nations so I would call that a win.

This past Saturday a group of women from our church met to stuff goody bags for our annual outreach on Halloween night. Our city designates trick-or-treating from 6-8 p.m. and for the past three years I've set up a tent on our church's front lawn and we pass out goody bags and provide hot cocoa to the children and parents who stop by. The majority of women who helped on Saturday were seniors, but they were doing their small part to help. 

I could go on about many other "small and seemingly insignficant" ways our church is making a difference. Are we a congregation of hundreds? No. But is our small congregation making a difference in the lives of people? I believe so. 

It may be small, but as the passage in Zechariah mentions, the Lord's eyes roam too and fro and He does not despise the small ways His people are working.