LENT IV

March 14, 2021

“Not So Small, After All”      

The taste of spring we’ve been enjoying recently has been a wonderful antidote to our winter-weary spirits.  However, it is March, and we’re not unrealistic enough to think that spring has actually arrived. It’s humorous, and not that unusual, to speak of this month as displaying a number of distinctly human qualities,  March is toying with our hopes, going from  mild and sunny to chilly and gray.  March is fickle and indecisive, and can’t seem to make up its mind about bringing warmth or cold.  March is deceptive, tempting us with touches of green (mostly dandelions, but who cares?) and then dropping snow on the emerging tulips.  Oh, that March — such a tease!  But nonetheless there’s a feeling of anticipation, of very good things ahead.     

Let’s consider how Jesus used “small things” to illustrate a story or teach a lesson.  From an early age, I loved the story of people bringing children to Jesus for blessing, and how the disciples “spoke sternly” to them.  Youngsters would just get underfoot and disturb the adults, who were listening to Jesus.  But Jesus used the moment to teach an important lesson:       

But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.  Truly, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”  And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.   (Mark 10:14-16)     

I found it exceptionally satisfying to see those bossy grownups corrected, and Jesus then warmly greeting and paying attention to the children who had been brought to him.  This, he told those listening, is what the kingdom of God is like:  All are welcome and included, and we are to come as children, with no strength or status, because we bring nothing but the assurance of forgiveness and salvation through Christ our Lord.  I probably didn’t understand that, but I certainly knew without a doubt that Jesus included children right along with everyone else, and that was enough for me.     

Continue thinking small — and you’ll remember the “sparrow stories.”  In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells his listeners that although sparrows are sold two for a penny, not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight; therefore we need not be afraid, for our Father is watching over us.  In yet another lesson, the gift a poor widow brought to the temple would appear to be tiny and insignificant, as she had only two copper coins, worth a penny.  But Jesus teaches the disciples that“others gave out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had.”   (Mark 12:44)       

Nothing and no one is small or unimportant in God’s eyes, and whatever we have to offer is worthwhile.  As we walk along the path of our Lenten journey, let’s look for the new growth, feel the warmth of the sun, and raise our hearts in gratitude for the gifts showered upon us daily by our loving Father in heaven. 

Appreciating the little things,

Your friend in Christ,

Mary Rogers