The Miracle of Small Beginnings

Happy Monday to our CFC family;

The other day I pulled up beside a pickup truck with a company logo on the door that read “Two Trees Construction.” As I sat at the lights beside that truck, I found myself wondering why they chose that name for their company. What meaning did “Two Trees” have that inspired them to make this their brand?

As I thought about it, my imagination wandered to a possible moment years ago. Perhaps two young men were hired to plant a couple of trees in someone’s yard, and from there a company was born!  Maybe they were trying to make some extra summer money, and one job turned into an idea, and that idea eventually became a business. Perhaps there was a moment when a brother and sister were helping their dad with some yard work and thought, “Hey, maybe we could turn this into a lucrative business.”

Or here’s a cool thought!  They started their company in an obscure, out-of-the-way location where the only landmark to guide their first customers to their building was to look for the “two big trees” that no one could miss!

I suppose I will never know the real story, and don’t worry I’m not going to waste any time trying to finding out, but the thought stayed with me and it got me thinking. Small beginnings often lead to the greatest adventures. Whether it is a business, a building project, or ones education, career or faith, everything starts with that first step, that first class, or even something as simple as two trees.

Scripture reminds us not to overlook these moments. As it says in Zechariah 4:10; “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

God has always been in the business of starting new things. Even in this season that we’re in, after a long winter, suddenly we begin to see the beauty of new life in spring. What once seemed lifeless for so many months begins to come back to life with the first opening bud or the first blade of grass.

The resurrection of Jesus was like that! When we celebrated the resurrection this past weekend, it is important to aways remember how it began. It did not start with crowds, influence, or institutions. It began with a small, discouraged group of followers in Jerusalem who thought everything was over. Their hopes had been buried along with Christ.

But something happened. At the moment Jesus rose to life, what began as a small spark in the hearts of a few weary disciples quickly became a fire, in fact a wildfire that steadily spread everywhere,  touching lives and communities across the world. The message of the risen Christ could not be contained.

We see this clearly throughout the book of Acts, as I mentioned in my message yesterday. Every sermon, every proclamation in that book points to this central truth. Jesus is alive.

Acts 2:32  states, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.”

Acts 4:33 says, “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”

Acts 17:3 explains, “Explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. ‘This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,’ he said.”

The Apostle Paul makes it unmistakably clear in 1 Corinthians 15:14 when he writes; “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

The resurrection is not just a part of what we believe. It is the very core of it.

What started in Jerusalem did not stay there.  Today, we live in a world that was hugely impacted by that resurrection message. So many things we often take for granted such as schools; hospitals; care homes, and even counselling ministries trace their roots back to the hope that burst forth on that resurrection morning.

In many ways, it is like “Two Trees Construction.” Because like I said, I do not know how the name began, but it is clear they are doing much more than planting trees today!

The same is true of the Church.  What began with a small group of followers has grown into a global movement that continues to bring hope, healing, and transformation in the name of Jesus. A movement that traces its roots back to that moment when the tomb was found empty and the risen Jesus was revealed.

Let us never despise small beginnings. What God starts, even in the smallest way, can grow into something far greater than we could ever imagine.

Question:  How does the resurrection of Jesus inspire you to take the first step in something new?

Have a great week and we’ll see you Sunday!

Pastor Dan