Advent Devotions

Dear Faith Family:

 

Most of our belongings are moved into our new home.  There is still much to do at our home of the last 13 years but the big stuff is at our new home if it has not found its rightful place there.  We thank you for your prayers and look forward to celebrating the remaining days of Advent in anticipation of the newness of the Christ-child.

 

Our new address is 1701 Campus Drive, Apartment 3430, Clive, IA 50325.  Our new land-line phone number is 221-4506. 

 

See you in church tomorrow. 

 

Pastor Ken

 

December 12, 2009

The Big and the Small

Excerpt from Amos 9: 8-15

For lo, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes with a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the ground.

Reflection by Donna Schaper

If you have ever had a pebble in your shoe, you know what harassment is. You have to stop, take off your shoe, potentially your sock as well, and get that pebble out. It is in your way. It may be small but it is still significant. God appears not to be harassed by the small. God appears not to know how not to pay attention to the little things or the little ones.

This is good news for the small and bad news for the bigs. My kids always called us parents "the bigs." We can go if the bigs say yes. We can get the ice cream if the bigs say yes. I always wondered how much they hated us for our power. Children are both protected and annoyed by what adults do to them. Never ignore a child who is telling you "I am a BIG girl." She may be defensive but she means it.

So what is it about God and Israel? It was small and God protected it. Does God preferentially care for the small and the powerless? The children? The ones who have to be shaken with a sieve to even be seen?

I think yes. I think the evidence from widow's mite to shaken sieve is abundant. If you are small God is likely to be with you. If you are big, whoops. Israel as a nation surely must understand now that its smallness has become so big, or at least so pivotal. The rich surely understand, now that they fear the poor and gate themselves when not sitting in the walled protection of first class.

No pebble shall fall to the ground. But what about the boulders? Who can care for them? I mean us. Is God large enough to shake and save both big and small?

Prayer

O God, whether we are big or small, boulder or pebble, enlighten us and show us how much you care. Help us to turn towards the small, especially as we get big. And keep the Bigs from being too large to fail. And protect the pebbles. Amen.