“Now you are the body of Christ,
and each one of you is a part of it”
I Corinthians 12:27

When Bigger gets Smaller and Smaller gets Bigger
April 22, 2020 by Pastor Bob Bolt

Have you ever had something that felt big turn out to be something small?

My grandfather was a pastor at Highland CRC in the McBain area back in the 60s.  When I was a child, I loved going up with my parents and staying in their big white parsonage which was snuggled in the middle of a pine tree grove.  The house seemed so big that you could easily get lost in it!

A few years ago, my wife and I were in the McBain area.  We asked Google to give us directions to Highland Church. We found it! The church looked different with the additions put on, but the parsonage looked the same. ….well, almost the same … it looked smaller.

The church custodian kindly gave us a tour of the church. He also let us into the parsonage since it was now a youth building. All the rooms looked like they shrunk! This house didn’t seem nearly as big. So interesting that a child can see a structure as being so big but through adult eyes, the structure can seem so small.

Time can affect our vision.  I’ve noticed that sometimes small things can end up becoming such big things over time. I’ve been over to my parent’s condo over the past few weeks looking through old pictures.  I found my old baby book that my mom put together.  I opened up old scrapbooks of family vacations that we took back in the sixties and early seventies.  As I looked at these pictures I thought to myself “I didn’t have a care in the world back then (or at least those cares were so small)! But over the years concerns seem to get bigger…concerns over acceptance, over school, over jobs, finances, children, and health. What happened to just being a kid who trusted a father who would take care of him? Why is it that sometimes small things have to become so big?

How can our concerns shrink over time rather than become bigger?

The Psalm writer says to focus on how great our God is and praise Him for His greatness.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.” Psalm 145:3.

Concerns grow smaller as our concept of God grows greater!
As I grow older, I so desperately want my concept of God to grow bigger and bigger.

C.S. Lewis, in his book, Prince Caspian, was trying to urge us to see God’s greatness continue to grow in our minds.
In this book, Lucy hadn’t seen Aslan for a long time. When she grew older Aslan hadn’t become smaller but just the opposite. He had gotten bigger.

“Aslan”, said Lucy, “You’re bigger”
“That is because you are older, little one”, answered he.
“Not because you are?” she asked
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger”.

In all of Lewis’ Chronicle of Narnia books, Aslan represented Jesus.
So what’s growing bigger in your life?
Are your worries and concerns in life?

Shrink them down to size as the size of your God continues to grow!

Prayer
God, you are a great big God!  Your greatness no one can really fathom!  As my years increase, may the understanding of your greatness increase! As the number of experiences and days are added so may my recognition of your presence be added as well.   And as the depths of my understanding of you becomes more profound, may the depths of your love and mercy be profoundly perceived!
In your name, I pray, AMEN.