A Thousand Little Things

Let’s ask this question: are ‘a thousand little things’ really enough? Aren’t we supposed to be radical Christians? Aren’t we supposed to have radical faith?

The word ‘radical’ is sort of a picture word. When I hear radical, I see people behaving in extreme and fanatical ways. The news anchor talks about radical extremists and religious zealots.

And radical Christians? I see people doing big, extreme, things for God. And there’s the pressure. Aren’t we all supposed to be like that?

Well, here’s something to think about: ‘extreme’ is only one definition of the word ‘radical’. For us, there’s a better definition. The better definition of ‘radical’ is ‘to the root’. It means complete. It means comprehensive.

The Bible talks about this kind of radical in places like John, chapter 15 and Romans 11. Through two, similar metaphors, we’re told that followers of Jesus are branches that have been cut from a wild olive tree and grafted into a garden tree. Or, in John 15, we’re attached to a vine. That vine is Jesus himself. When we’re grafted into Jesus, we’re given a new root. There’s our better definition of radical.

So, here’s another question: who’s done the radical thing? When we study these verses, we see that it’s not us after all! God has given us a new root. It’s God who’s done the radical work.

Our job is to hang on to the vine. To stay connected. To abide in Christ. When we do that, our prayers, our attitudes, our words, our actions, our generosity– all come from a different source and have new power to influence our church, our groups, our homes, our neighborhoods, and our workplaces.

So, yes; ‘a thousand little things’ really are enough. Coming from a new root, a thousand little things can change the world.

About 930 years Before Christ, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms: The Northern Kingdom, still called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, called Judah. Then, about 200 years later, the Northern Kingdom was taken captive by Assyria. And 135 years after that, the Southern Kingdom― Judah ―was taken captive by Babylon.

In those days, Jeremiah was a prophet― a man God spoke through to His people. And it's Judah― the captives in Babylon ―that Jeremiah writes to, recorded in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29:

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem, ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters to get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away. Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’

Through Jeremiah, God told Judah to live normal lives and to participate in normal activities while they were in captivity― and to seek the welfare of their captors. This sort of thing isn’t normal for people in exile. But this was God’s way.

In the New Testament, the apostle Peter tells us that― in a way ―Christians are exiles too (1 Peter 2:11-12).  We’re citizens of God’s Kingdom, living in this world system. The world’s not our homeland, but it is our home for now. And, like Judah, we should live with purpose― growing, not dwindling away, and seeking the welfare of our communities. This is part of what ‘a thousand little things’ is about.

In July 1974, some 2700 church leaders from 150 countries met in Lausanne, Switzerland to craft an agreement. These leaders were joining together to share the work of evangelism in places where Jesus wasn’t yet known. From this meeting came the Lausanne Covenant― a document that’s as relevant today as it was in 1974.

There are two statements in the opening paragraphs that speak to our Summer emphasis of ‘A Thousand Little Things’.

The first statement is this:

[God] has been calling out from the world a people for himself and sending them back into the world to be his servants and witnesses, for the extension of his kingdom, the building up of Christ’s body, and the glory of his name.

Here they’re saying that God is inviting people out of the world’s system to make HIM their ruler. Then God’s sending these same people back into the world’s system as his ambassadors― in order to invite more people in, to strengthen other Christians, and to show people what God is like. This is done through small, ordinary, everyday activities done God’s way.

The second statement is this:

We confess with shame that we have often denied our calling and failed in our mission, by becoming conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it.

Here they’re saying that we tend to miss the target in one of two ways. We either engage in the normal activities of life without even considering God. Or, we live God-honoring lives separated from people who need to see Him.

‘A thousand little things’ is about carrying God-like love and influence beyond our gatherings into our homes and neighborhoods and workplaces. The Church is to be an outpost of heaven. And even in the smallest of ways, we should live God-oriented lives in front of people who don’t know Him.

Around the year 300, Christians were being brutally persecuted by the Romans. Yet the Christian movement grew rapidly. One historian from that time explains why.

After years of war and famine, the people were worn down. And then came a plague― a disease that spread rapidly through the cities and killed thousands of people every day. People fled to rural areas, trying to escape the spread of the disease.

The people fled. Well, except for the Christians.

Because Christians had a tested story of faith, they stayed behind to care for their own families and they cared for their dying enemies who had been abandoned. Many Romans noticed and were moved to follow Jesus.

‘A thousand little things’ can change the course of history. This is especially true when we combine two practices:

First, the world needs to hear our story. Like in a courtroom, we act as witnesses. We give testimony to what WE ourselves have experienced― what God has done in our own lives. That’s Thing One.

And Thing Two is this: the world needs to see us care for the people they don’t. Every Person is made in God’s image. And Jesus laid down his life for every person. These two truths establish every person’s value.

Some might dehumanize, objectify, and label people to elevate their status and to preserve the status quo. But Christians cannot. We grasp the dignity God has given each of us, and we defend the God-given dignity of every other person.

Matthew 5:16 says “let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.”

Sharing our own stories of life with God, and re-humanizing every person, is a great evangelism strategy today― just like it was 1700 years ago.

When the light comes in, darkness flees at 186,000 miles per second. In Matthew 5, Jesus tells us we are the light of the world. There definitely are times for the quick and the dramatic. But this Summer we’re focusing on ‘a thousand little things’, those normal everyday things― done differently ―that change culture drip-by-drip.

Just before we’re told that we are the light of the world, Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth. What did he mean by that? Well, salt is a flavoring― so maybe we flavor culture. Salt preserves― maybe we preserve culture. Salt promotes healing― maybe our presence is healing to culture.

It could be that Jesus meant any of these. Or all of them.

In Luke’s version, Jesus even suggests that salt improves manure. I’ve been told that salt reacts with the ammonia in manure to make the nitrogen useful to plants. So maybe we’re here to make something good of the world’s messes.

One thing we can say for certain: salt has activity. It acts on the thing it’s in contact with. That activity isn’t showy or dramatic. It’s slow, patient, and persistent. Its effect is hidden. But its effect is real.

A few times each year I pack a piece of salmon in salt before I smoke it on the grill. Over a period of four hours the salt changes the texture of the fish. Nothing to see in the moment, but a noticeable change in the end.

So, what’s the effect of our presence in culture? Of our thousand little things? Of honoring of a person’s dignity? Of being kind? Of seeking to make peace? Of serving? Of praying? What are the effects? We don’t always know. The immediate effect of any one thing may be hidden, But we can trust that the cumulative effect is real.

Author and marketing mentor, Seth Godin, uses this phrase to help marketers think differently about how people group together: “People like us do things like this”. This same phrase has helped us think about who we are as Christians. ‘People like us’ is about our identity― who God says we are in Christ. And ‘do things like this’ is about our behavior― how we live as part of God’s kingdom.

Several years ago, on one of my trips to Central Asia, I met a twenty-something American woman working as a missionary with women who were blind. She took me to her community garden where she helped those women grow vegetables. There, people with special needs lived at the margins of society, mostly ignored. In that garden, I saw how the young missionary helped women feed themselves. But even more importantly, I saw how she gave the women attention and called them by name; gave them community and a purpose― something to look forward to. She prayed for them and with them.

You know what was even more amazing to me? This missionary was, herself, totally blind.

Now, if you’re like me, this doesn’t seem like the best example of ‘a thousand little things’. This seems like quite a big thing. That is, until I remember that missionaries mostly live normal lives, just in a different context.

What this young woman did in Asia, we can do here at home. Give people attention and connect them, make good choices and decisions― even when it means going against the flow. Work on behalf of people who live at the margins. Why? Because we are followers of Jesus and this is what we do.

Even in our weaknesses and limitations, we can all participate. Because little things, done differently, can make a big difference.

In a previous video, I talked about Seth Godin’s statement: “People like us do things like this”. We can also see that “People not like us might not do things like this”. These days, people disagree and fight about almost everything. And these days, the Church’s relationship with culture is changing fast. A lot of people no longer care very much what the Church thinks. So, what now?

There was another time like this. During the early years of the Church, when the New Testament was being written, followers of Jesus were a small minority. The vast majority of people either didn’t know Jesus or had rejected him. And their lifestyles showed it!

In those days, church leaders had three main concerns. One was that the churches stay distinctly committed to the Way of Jesus and not become like the world around them. A second concern was that Christians love and serve one another and love others― people ‘not like them’. And third, they grew the movement by inviting ‘people not like them’ to become ‘people like them’― to live a Jesus-centered life.

By showing The Majority what life with God looks like, by loving and serving one another― and their neighbors ―and their enemies; and by welcoming people in, the movement grew.

As we enter this new relationship with culture; as we watch current trends continue, ‘a thousand little things’ gives us a way forward― living our normal lives with a Jesus perspective, influencing culture everywhere we can, and offering help and hope to people caught in the swirl.

Meanwhile, to keep our sanity, we should assume― we should expect ―that people not like us will probably not do things like we do. Unless, of course, they too become ‘People like us’.

We pray: God’s kingdom come, God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? Lately, I’ve been listening to a song by Andrew Peterson called ‘Is He Worthy?’. One of the reasons I like the song so much is that it directs my imagination to Revelation chapter 5 and then chapters 21 and 22. Jesus is seated on the throne of heaven― so regal, majestic, and awesome that, in Philippians 2, we’re told every person’s automatic response will be to bow down and declare ‘Jesus is king!’

I fill my mind with that. And then maybe I glance at social media. Or have a look at the news. What a contrast! Beauty beyond description, followed by ugliness, anger, anxiety, and strife everywhere.

There’s a reason things are like this. Ephesians 6 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. There are spiritual forces that obscure the beauty of God’s kingdom. And so many people think this is all there is. That this is all there ever will be.

God has placed us here to be an outpost of heaven. We live under Christ’s authority now so we can be a picture to the world of what they can’t see on their own. Through ‘a thousand little things’, we show the world there’s another way.

Paul calls this a struggle. And it really does feel like we’re swimming upstream. But it’s motivating to me to know that acts conceived in love and mercy and truth― are also acts of spiritual warfare. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; Jesus has come so that people may have life, and may have it abundantly. We literally are engaged in a life-giving struggle that needs the Church’s distinct presence.

According to the CDC, the birth rate in America has dropped to a 32-year low. There can be a lot of reasons for this. Economics is always a big factor and we know that younger people aren’t doing as well financially as previous generations. Some reports show that young adults believe the world’s becoming a more dangerous and more unpleasant place. Everything seems broken. Everything makes everyone mad. There’s so much social pressure and anxiety. And, for some couples, this raises the question: “Do we really want to bring a child into this mess?”

The world’s beautiful but it’s also a mess. It’s been a mess since Adam. And even in our modern times, so many people around the world experience suffering on a massive scale: war, drought, famine, trafficking and abuse, corruption, displacement, disease, religious persecution, racism, and poverty. It’s bad.

Steven Garber, in his book Visions of Vocation asks this difficult question: “Can we know the world and still love it?”

The world was a mess when Jesus said: “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” And the world was a mess when Paul wrote “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Can we love the world, like that?

Back to Steven Garber’s book: He says:

There are flowers to be grown, songs to be sung, bread to be baked, justice to be done, mercy to be shown, beauty to be created, good stories to be told, houses to be built, technologies to be developed, fields to farm, and children to educate.

Yes, the world’s a mess. We know it is. Can we still love it?