DREAM SMALL

          Like so many others across the land, our church is struggling to combat shrinkage,.  This reality finds us somewhat dispirited and discouraged.  Many have moved away.  A sizable number of faithful saints have passed away.  Some have become disenchanted for various reasons - - reasons that are often just excuses.  Many of our children have left the church.  And to make matters even worse, few new faces are coming our way.  Even though we know we shouldn't be anxious about tomorrow (Mt.6:34), we often find ourselves worried about the future of the church.  As a con-gregation, if we're not careful, we can easily fall prey to “the blame game”.  Panic attacks seldom bring positive and productive results.  

         Five centuries before Jesus was born (c. 538 BC), the Israelites returned from Babylonian exile to find Jerusalem in ruins and their beloved temple destroyed.  Those who returned quickly began to re-build (Ezra 3:1-3 & 5:16), but they got little farther than laying the foundation before the opposition set in.  Soon their building project came to a standstill.   Neighbors fought the project tooth and nail, finally succeeding in getting a restraining order to halt construction (Ezra 4); Enemies mocked; Supporters became discouraged; And failure seemed all but certain.  And then one day a man of God, the prophet Zechariah, began to speak words that pierced hearts and aroused renewed hope:  This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, not by (man's) might nor by (man's) power, but by My Spirit (Zech.4:6).  Zechariah's last words to Zerubbabel appear to be quite timely, both for his generation and our own:  For who has despised the day of small things? (Zech.4:10a).  Together, as we prayerfully contemplate what we can do to stem the tide, let's not forget that in God's eyes (and with God Almighty's help) SMALL THINGS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.  

                                                                                                                                          Terry Siverd / Cortland Church of Christ