It has become a Christian motto: “Attempt great things for God.” Some people are even surprised that this saying isn’t found in the Bible! As disciples of Christ, we’ve been encouraged to aim high: go on a mission trip, give away your fortune, or become a street evangelist.
Wanting to rise above the comfortable and predictable is far better than making an idol of our personal comfort and ease. But we don’t have to be notable or do notable things. In the pursuit of meaningful service for Christ, oftentimes the little things are the big things. I’d like to illustrate that with a reflection on pastoral ministry.
The Departing Minister
My wife and I have had the burden of saying farewell to three congregations over the past twenty years. After a period of ministry in one city or another, God led our path somewhere new. The many joys of the bond between a pastor and a congregation are replaced by the sharp pains of parting: tears, hugs, sadness—but also words of mutual love and appreciation. Reflecting on these farewells, it strikes me that for many people, it’s the little things that stand out:
“Thanks for checking in on me.”
“Thanks for always remembering my birthday.”
“I liked how you took me out for coffee.”
“Thanks for baptizing our boys.”
“You preached for us, week after week.”
“Thanks for listening.”
It doesn’t sound like much. It’s texting someone to see how they’re doing since their knee operation. It’s showing up during a family crisis, praying together, and reading a Psalm. It’s spending an hour with a young person to hear about their life. It’s putting in the work on your sermon and then preaching it on Sunday. It’s asking the right question on a pastoral visit.
There is nothing too exciting or extraordinary about such things. In my estimation, most of these things aren’t that hard to do—not that I did them flawlessly, of course, or always cheerfully, but I did them consistently. Even so, don’t I want to be remembered for more?
An Ordinary Ministry
A pastor would probably like to be appreciated for impressive works where his skill is really on display: “Thank you for your brilliant sermon on the Prodigal Son—I’ll remember that message for the rest of my life.” Or, “It was your talk on evangelism that inspired me to become a missionary.” It’s humbling, but it turns out that it’s not these kinds of works that have the greatest impact.
You could call it “the ministry of small things.” The pastor’s apparently insignificant acts of care and relatively minor moments of service—these are what God loves to use in order to bless and help His church.
- You open Scripture and read a brief passage with someone to counsel them through a dilemma: it seems like a small thing, but it’s not.
- You spend time with an elderly sister as she pours out her sorrows, mostly just listening to her and offering a few words to encourage: it seems like a small thing, but it’s not.
- You pray with a young couple, bringing their worries before the throne of God: it seems like a small thing, but it’s not.
- You reach out to a lonely brother to assure him that you’re praying for him: it seems like a small thing, but it’s not.
- For this is what endures: the faithful ministering of Christ’s love and Christ’s Word to Christ’s people.
Faithful in a Very Little
The “ministry of small things” is consistent with how the Bible teaches us to think about God’s kingdom. In His parable of the yeast, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven starts with something as modest as a dash of leaven. Yeast is practically invisible, and you don’t see it working, yet as it slowly permeates the dough, it has a formidable impact (Matt. 13:22). Our little works, patiently and consistently done, can bring about something big.
Even Jesus Himself didn’t look like much (Isa. 53:2). His gospel doesn’t sound like much (1 Cor. 1:18), nor are most of His people remarkable by worldly standards (1 Cor. 1:26). Yet God has transformed world history through the person and work of His Son, and even through the words and deeds of His church.
This Scriptural pattern gives a different outlook. We learn that God calls us to faithfulness in whatever labours He has assigned, whether apparently significant or seemingly small. In fact, it’s our diligence in the small things that speaks to our readiness to take on something more; Jesus said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10). And God will use our little faithfulness for His great glory.
Serving the Lord Christ
So what should we learn from this? There are implications here for each of us, whether pastors or not.
Let me start with pastors who have a ministry among the Lord’s people. Sometimes their ministry is marked by profound joy, and other times this work knows stress, frustration, and sadness. You don’t know what to say in this visit, the next step isn’t at all clear, and you feel utterly inadequate. But instead of feeling the pressure to say it perfectly or trying to meet a person’s deepest needs, be sure that God can use something little, someone weak. You might only drop in for a half-hour visit, but you can be confident that God will use this. If you have read the word of Christ and shared the love of Christ, something good can happen.
It’s applicable to others too. You might not have a “ministry” in the normal use of the term, but you do have a task from the Lord. He has put you where you are—at school, in your church, in your home, in your neighbourhood and workplace—for the purpose of worshipping and serving. Your calling is to love God with your whole heart and to love other people sincerely. So show up. Work well. Take the time to listen to someone and to love someone. Be sure that God is working.
The regular rounds of life aren’t very exciting. Most of our days are filled with the mundane: another tedious work meeting, more laundry to fold, four more hours volunteering, and another two dozen children to teach about Confederation. It’s a lot of little things, but this is what God has put in front of us today. By doing it with all our heart, we show that it’s the Lord Christ we are serving.
It’s an act of faith, believing He can use our time, love, and service for a purpose that is bigger than us—believing, and then going out and doing. Through our ministry of small things, God can do something great.
