Pastor Harry’s Thoughts for June

"The Ministry of ordinary things” 

Around here, summer is often found in ordinary places: on front porches, around kitch en tables, beside gardens, across yards, and in those warm evening conversations that do not seem important at first but sometimes become exactly where grace shows up. I have been thinking lately about how often God uses ordinary things. Many times, when we think about God moving in our lives, our minds go to the dramatic moments: doors opening, prayers answered in unmistakable ways, problems suddenly resolved, or direc tion becoming so clear that we cannot miss it. There are certainly times when the Lord moves with that kind of power and clarity, but Scripture also shows us that some of His deepest work begins with things that seem plain, common, and easily overlooked. Moses carried a staff. David picked up five smooth stones and a sling. A widow offered a little oil and meal. A young boy had five loaves and two fish. Jesus put mud on a blind man’s eyes, rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, washed feet with a basin and towel, and broke bread around a table. Even the greatest act of redemption the world has ever known unfolded on a wooden cross outside the city, while many passed by without understanding what God was doing.

That tells me something about the heart and ways of God. What appears unimpressive to us may be exactly what He chooses to use. The world may overlook it, the crowd may never applaud it, and nobody may stop long enough to recognize its value, but God sees possibilities where we often see limitations. He can take what looks small, common, and ordinary, place His hand upon it, and fill it with purpose far beyond what we imagined. In Exodus 4:2, when God called Moses, He asked him a simple question: “What is that in thine hand?” Moses held a rod, the common tool of a shepherd, something familiar from years of ordinary use. Yet when he surrendered that staff to God, it became con nected to extraordinary obedience.

That question still matters: what is in your hand?

Your “staff” may look like a telephone, a kitchen table, the ability to listen, a gift for cooking, years of hard-earned wisdom, a testimony of God’s faithfulness, or simply the compassion to notice someone who feels forgotten. Whatever God has placed within your reach, do not dismiss it because it seems ordinary. Zechariah 4:10 asks, “For who hath despised the day of small things?” That is a question worth carrying with us, because many of us are tempted to undervalue what does not look impressive. We can overlook the quiet things, the small things, the hidden things, and the daily acts of faithfulness simply because they do not seem large enough to matter. But God has never needed something to look large in order for it to be significant.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:42, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.” A cup of cold water is not complicated. It is not expensive. It requires no title, degree, platform, or microphone. Almost anyone could offer it, and yet Jesus said heaven notices it. That ought to encourage every one of us, because serving God is not limited to what happens in front of people. Some of the most meaningful min istry in the kingdom of God happens in places where there is no spotlight at all. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:27, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to con found the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” God delights in using what others might overlook. He works through ordinary people, ordinary places, ordinary gifts, ordinary conversations, and ordinary acts of obedience; and when those things are surrendered to Him, they become more than ordinary. That is something we need to remember, especially in a small town like Bath. We may not be the biggest place on the map, but small places have always mattered to God. Bethlehem was small. Nazareth was overlooked. Galilee was not where people expected the Messiah’s ministry to shine. Yet God did eternal work in places the world would have easily passed by.

Micah 5:2 says, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thou sands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me.” That phrase, “though thou be little,” says more than we may realize. Little did not mean useless, forgotten or God was absent. It simply meant God was about to show that His power does not depend on size, status, or human importance. That is good news for us. Bath does not have to be fa mous in order to be fruitful. Our church does not have to be large in order to be faithful. Your name does not have to be known by everybody in order for your life to make a difference. Availability matters more than visibility, and a surrendered heart can be used by God right where it is.

Summer brings a lot of ordinary moments. People sit on porches a little more. Families gather around tables. Gardens begin to produce. Children are out of school. Neighbors talk across yards. Someone may stop by. Someone may need help. Someone may need encouragement. Someone may need a reminder that they are not alone. Right there, in the middle of ordinary life, God gives us opportunities to become instruments of grace. Ga latians 6:10 says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, espe cially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Paul does not tie doing good to per fect circumstances, special qualifications, or moments large enough to be noticed. He simply points us to opportunity. When God places a chance in front of us to do good, we should not talk ourselves out of it because it seems too small to matter.

That is where the ordinary opportunities of life become sacred moments. A simple note can remind a discouraged person that someone thought of them. A phone call can carry comfort into a lonely room. A prayer spoken in the moment can strengthen someone who might have otherwise gone home still carrying the weight alone. Practical help can be come mercy with hands and feet. Encouragement can breathe life into a tired soul. Show ing up can say more than words ever could. Kindness can soften a hard day. Forgiveness can break the hold of bitterness. Listening can become a ministry when someone needs to be heard more than corrected. Even a cup of cold water, given in the name of Christ, can become an act heaven remembers.

None of those things may seem large at the time, but heaven has never measured faithful ness by the size of the act. God sees the love behind it, and sometimes the very thing that looks small to us becomes the very thing He uses to strengthen somebody else. In John 6, when Jesus fed the multitude, the disciples were looking at the size of the problem. Thousands of people were hungry, and they did not have enough. Andrew found a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish, but even Andrew seemed unsure about it. He said in John 6:9, “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?”

That question still sounds familiar. What difference can one prayer make when the pain is so great? What can one kind word do in a world that feels so harsh? How much can one visit mean to someone who is lonely? What can one small church in one small town really accomplish? How much does one act of obedience matter when the need around us seems so much larger than what we have to offer? But that boy’s lunch, placed in the hands of Jesus, became more than enough. That is the part we need to remember. It is not the size of what we have that matters most; it is whose hands we place it in. A little in my hands may stay little, but a little in the hands of Jesus can feed a multitude.

This month, instead of waiting for some large opportunity to serve God, we can begin by asking Him to open our eyes to what is already in front of us. Who needs encourage ment? Who needs patience? Who needs a visit, a phone call, a prayer, or a reminder that they have not been forgotten? What has God already placed in our hands that He wants to use? The truth is, many of the most meaningful things we do for the Lord will never be written down in history books, announced from a platform, or applauded by a crowd. But Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love.” God sees the things others miss. He sees the prayers nobody hears, the visits nobody talks about, the sacrifices nobody applauds, and the love shown in quiet ways. He sees the cup of cold water.

One day, we may be surprised to discover that some of the most important things we ever did for the Lord were not the things we thought were impressive, but the ordinary acts of faithfulness we simply offered because we loved Him. So, as we move through June, let us not overlook the ministry of ordinary things.

Let us be faithful in small conversations, present in ordinary moments, kind when kindness is needed, and willing to serve without needing attention. Let us use what is in our hand, remembering that Bath may be small, our church may be small, and our individual acts of service may seem small, but nothing surrendered to God is ever wasted. Because when ordinary things are placed in the hands of an extraordinary God, they become instruments of grace.

Thoughts to Ponder

 What ordinary thing has God already placed in my hand?

Who around me may need a simple act of kindness this month?

 Am I overlooking small opportunities because I am waiting for something bigger?

Prayer

Lord, open our eyes to the opportunities You place in front of us every day. Help us not to overlook ordinary moments or undervalue small acts of faithfulness. Use our words, our prayers, our homes, our tables, our time, and our kindness for Your glory. Teach us to be faithful with what is in our hands and remind us that nothing surrendered to You is ever wasted. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Harry & Jennifer