“A Drop in the Bucket”

Luke 13:18-21
 

Let me start by giving you a quiz.

·        Which country has the largest population? (China – 1.3 Billion)

·        What is the world’s tallest mountain? (Mt. Everest – 29,035 ft)

·        What type of tree is the tallest? (Redwood – 367 ft)

·        Who is the world’s richest man? (Bill Gates - $50 billion)

So far, so good. Now let’s try the second half of the quiz.

·        Which country has the smallest population? (Vatican City – 920)

·        What is the world’s smallest mountain? (Mt. Wycheproof – 141 ft- Australia)

·        What type a tree is the shortest? (Dwarf Willow 2 inches when full grown)

·        Who is the world’s poorest man? (Jed Matthews owes $22.4 million and has no assets due to bad investments in an Internet company)

How did you do? Better on the first half of the quiz I bet. The point of the quiz is that we tend to recognize, respect and remember those things in life that are big, while we tend to give little thought to the small things.

In nearly every aspect of our lives we seem to believe “Bigger is Better.” We even believe it in spiritual matters. We think that more people, more money, bigger ministries and buildings, more programs, and greater talent will result in greater effectiveness in doing God’s work.

And many people tend to think the opposite about smaller things. They act as though God is not working or could not work through smaller churches and ministries, lesser talent, and fewer programs. They think if it isn’t big, God must not be in it.  But we know better – don’t we?

Unfortunately, some/maybe many of us also think it about ourselves. We feel like we aren’t big enough, rich enough, talented enough, or important enough for God to use us in any meaningful way.

But is bigger always better? Not when it comes to spiritual things. Jesus wanted to get this very point across to his followers. So he gave them two illustrations of how God works in His Kingdom, both found in this morning’s Gospel reading.

In his first example Jesus says that God’s working is like that of a mustard seed.

Now, the mustard seed is very, very small. As a matter of fact, the black mustard seed was the smallest seed ever sown by a first-century farmer in that part of the world.

But even though the mustard seed was small, it grew to be the largest of the herbs grown in that area -- typically 12 feet tall – 2 feet taller than a basketball goal.

In his second illustration Jesus likened God’s working to that of yeast working in bread.

As a boy, Jesus undoubtedly had watched his mother make their bread of the day and she would have used yeast to make it rise.

In the illustration it says that the yeast was mixed into a large amount of flour … our translation doesn’t point this out, but in the Greek that “large amount” consisted of about fifty pounds.  Even though the original ball of yeast was small, it would make a huge influence.

So what was the point of these examples? Jesus wasn’t teaching about horticulture or baking. He was revealing a Kingdom of God truth.

When it comes to spiritual things, God uses small things to do BIG stuff.

·        When God wanted to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt, He used a man rejected by his own people and who had spent most of his life leading sheep. (Moses)

·        When God wanted a King to represent His people, His choice wasn’t a big shot, but a shepherd boy. (David)

·        When Jesus wanted to feed 5,000 people, He used a small boy’s sack lunch to do it. (5 loaves and 2 fish)

·        And when God came to Earth as a human, He didn’t choose a rich and famous family to be a part of. He came as a baby born in a barn to a poor and seemingly unimportant family.

God uses small things to do BIG stuff.

Few of us have “big lives,” careers that make a huge visible impact in the public sphere. Our lives and our ministry seem to deal with such ordinary things that it is often difficult to grasp their lasting worth. But just like God can bring a significant tree out of an insignificant seed, He can do the same with you and me.

Let me illustrate this by giving you another quiz:

·        Name the last three Heisman trophy winners.

·        Name the last three winners of the Miss America contest.

·        Name the last three people who have won the Nobel Prize.

·        Name the Academy Award winners for best actor and actress for the last three years.

How did you do? The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These were no second-rate achievers. They were the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

·        List some of the earliest teachers who aided your journey through school.

·        Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

·        Name four people who have taught you something worthwhile.

·        Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

The lesson: The people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who do the little things with a big heart.

Mother Teresa once said, “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.”

Now let me ask you another question. What if we all did small things?

Let me give you an example of the power of small actions multiplied by many. The September cover story from the magazine Fast Company is about light bulbs – here is an excerpt from that article:

“Sitting humbly on shelves in stores everywhere is a product, priced at less than $3, that could change the world. … The product is the compact fluorescent light bulb, a quirky-looking twist of frosted glass. In the energy business, it is called a "CFL," or an "energy saver."

“… Compact fluorescents emit the same light as classic incandescents but use 75% or 80% less electricity. … What that means is that if every one of the 110 million American households bought just one CFL bulb, took it home, and screwed it in the place of an ordinary 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be enough to power all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island.

“In terms of oil not burned, or greenhouse gases not exhausted into the atmosphere, one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the roads.”

That story shows the power of small actions multiplied by many. But let me rephrase the question. The question isn’t just “What if we all did small things” but “What if we all did small things for God?”

One more example: This time about a small, poor, inner-city church that made a difference when huge disasters hit far parts of the world:

In the heart of Chicago’s West Side, thousands of inner-city families struggle daily to make ends meet — but that hasn’t kept many local Christians from joining forces to share the little they have with others in need.

It all began December 26, 2003, when an earthquake shattered Bam, Iran, destroying an estimated 80 percent of the city. “It happened on a Friday, so I knew that by Sunday my people would be asking how they could help,” says Rev. Marshall Hatch, pastor of New Mount Pilgrim Church in Chicago’s West Side.

Unknowingly, Hatch that day set the stage for what has become Chicago’s African American Christian Relief Network, an alliance of small-to-medium-sized inner-city churches dedicated to caring for those caught in natural disasters.

“Wechose to respond to the Iran earthquake because it’s a Muslim country,” Pastor Hatch explained, “and I really wanted our church to be challenged to recognize its responsibility and show the love of Christ to Muslims, as well as other Christians.”

Exactly a year later, on December 26, 2004, the world awoke to the news that a tsunami had devastated several Asian countries.

By this time, Hatch had invited two other local African American churches — Greater St. John Bible Church and New Landmark Missionary Baptist Church — to join his congregation in responding during disasters. Together these three middle-to-low income Christian groups reached deep into their pockets and raised $8,000.

Yet the biggest gift was still to come. Using their networks with other churches and pastors, these three founding churches grew the African American Christian Relief Network to 30 West Side churches.

When Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, the network went right to work, and raised more than $50,000 to help survivors.

“And we went there as well,” Pastor Hatch said. “We took relief supplies to the small town of Rayne, Louisiana, where evacuees were flocking after the hurricane. We took nurses and ministers so that we could have a ministry of presence among people in desperate circumstances.”

During their time in the hurricane-damaged area, the Chicago team worked alongside local church leaders, many who were exhausted from trying to address the overwhelming needs of those who were homeless and displaced.

Now the network stands ready to make a difference when the next disaster strikes.

“It’s really people and their hearts that are central,” Pastor Hatch says. “Our people saw on TV what everyone else saw. But as Christians, we’re going to show up. If the church is relevant, they’re going to want to know what they can do.”

Can you imagine the power of many people doing small things and then what God can do to multiply that influence? There is incredible life changing power when one person grabs a hold of the fact that one small action can make a difference. One life touches a life, touches a life, touches another life, touches another life.

Next Sunday we are going to have the opportunity to make a difference.  Maybe not a big difference at first, but a difference none-the-less.  And who knows where that ripple will lead. 

But if we do nothing, the only difference it will make is in the missed opportunities to show God’s love to the world.

Together we can do great things.  We have to start somewhere – even if it is only picking up trash. We are called to be the church  --outside these four walls.  Jesus only spent a fraction of his time worshipping in the synagogue, the rest of the time he was out changing lives … one drop at a time.

Our efforts may seem like a drop in the bucket ... but that’s precisely what we are: a single drop that when joined by others becomes a mighty river. 

God will use you if you let him.  Let’s be a church that starts the river flowing.

AMEN!