I love this quote from Ruth...
" I see what you and your friends are doing, and what you'll leave behind and I compare it to my little spark, cradled in my hand, being kept alive by the breath of the few of us who bend close enough blow on it. And I wish..."
I think often when we think of acts of faith and God's Kingdom, we think they have to be grandiose or we have built nothing. And often it's that mindset that keeps us from lighting a spark, or hammering a nail into something that others might join us in building.
Ruth talks about the spark being kept alive by a few blowing on the ember cradled in her hand. I know we have started building something small in a local first nations reserve. There are times when it looks like it's taking form. We stand back and admire it...admiring our work. But before we can start patting each other on the back, it falls apart. We discover how fragile, and how much work it takes to build the Kingdom...and it's not "us" that builds it. There are times you wonder if it's worth it, if it is not just an exercise in futility.
But we see things even in the midst of the rubble that are eternal that are being held together by this Cosmic Christ that is in and of all things. Kids living in the midst of alcoholism, poverty, broken families...smiling, laughing and joy...discovering for the first time...Hope. We see broken families, distant, unresolved issues coming together over meals, or coffee...talking getting to know one another again.
Again this is small. It really is one of those mustard seed acts of faith. It is such a tiny fragile seed. It must be handled with humility, grace and love. The big thing is to act...that little wobbly insecure step of faith. Remarkably we find our selves standing in the midst of " He " who is faithful.
Ruth's story is like that, of discovering God who is already there in the midst of his fallen, broken creation. She and her band were looking for a place to practice. Through the grape vine she heard of a motel that might have a room they might be able to use. They talked to the manager able to use the room for nothing. It was run down, no washroom, leaky brown stuff coming out of the ceiling. But they soon began to meet the people that lived in the motel, folks that were living below the poverty line, marginalized, and in reality...most found themselves from only steps away from living on the street. But a relationship was emerging...they started praying for them, talked about alternatives.
They started having pot luck dinners once a week, serving between 25 and 40 people. Since then their Dinner team has grown from 3 contributors to 12, including people who live there and people who don't.
They have church on Sunday mornings, with brunch once a month, and Dinner on Wednesdays and it's awesome.
This is the Little spark that Ruth cradles in her hands, that she and a few friends bend low to breathe on to keep alive. And in this little group, The Spirit of God breathes. It might not seem like much, but if we have the eyes to see, we will see the Kingdom...we will see Jesus.
There are big and great things happening, but Jesus especially wanted to make us aware of the mustard seed. That this tiny seed if planted, and nurtured and loved, will grow into a great tree.
Maybe, in your pocket...is a mustard seed?
Recent Comments