John 6:1-21

A box came in the mail the other day. It was a surprise free gift from the local power company. Or I should say two free gifts.

The power company sent every one of their customers a new "low flow" showerhead, designed to cut down on water usage, but still feel like a real shower. The second free gift was four of those new curly-q fluorescent light bulbs, the kind that last longer and use less electricity while putting out the same amount of light. This small act cost the power company a few thousand dollars. But according to their figuring, in the long run if everyone replaced their showerhead and a few light bulbs, the savings would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. It was a small act, but it was a start to a big savings.

Small is big. From architectural trends like "The Not So Big House," to backyard food sources ("Fresh Food from Small Spaces"), to down-size is the new up-grade. In fact, down-sizing has become a big business.

Not too long ago only a few hippie-holdout co-op markets offered a small selection of scruffy-looking "organic" fare for the few "fresh-niks" among us. Now just about every big super-market offers about as much space to certified "organic" produce as they do for the other options.

Did you know you can buy all sorts of other "organic" products - ketchup, frozen pizza, macaroni and cheese mixes? What started out looking like a small and stunted sideline has become a major force in the food industry.

God has an MO: Modus Operandi. God's MO is to start small. God loves starting small, and then from small beginnings grow something amazing. From cosmic dust to a Big Bang? The next time you consider taking a sip from a fresh, cold mountain stream, remember how much the divine delights in single-celled organisms. There are millions of them floating in one glass of water. Consider how there are more insects than any other class of critters and more beetles than any other kind of insect, each fitting neatly into its particular ecological niche.

Jesus carried on the family tradition. Jesus had a fascination with all things small and humble.

• Mustard seeds.
• Sparrows.
• Grains of wheat.
• Yeast.
• Pennies.
• Sprouting seeds.
• Hebrews.
• Children.

(from http://www.sermons.com)