Audio broadcast: Sunday 28 June

So, may I speak and may we all hear in the name of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

One of the many, many internet rabbit holes that I was going down when preparing the sermon involved children starting charity initiatives. You might think, huh? But hopefully  you will have an idea as we go along how I ended up getting there.

Anyway, I came across this story. This was happening after another devastating earthquake, not the one in Venezuela that we’re reading about in the news at the moment, but the one many, many years back in Haiti. There was a 12-year-old boy, in America I think, he was called Blair, who was seeing video footage in the news of a little boy crying in a pile of rubble. And that image, that just stayed with him. And he kept thinking about, what can I do to help? And Blair thought about how his own teddy bear is what comforts him the most when he is upset. So, Blair’s idea about how to help was, “Can’t we just all, not just me, but all the other kids in my school, send teddy bears to Haiti to comfort the children there?” And so he asked his teacher to allow him to make a big announcement on the PA system that they have in those American schools, and ask the other kids to donate bears. And after that a local TV and radio station got wind of the whole thing, and then via Facebook it was spread to a load of other schools, and eventually the charity ‘Blair’s Bears for Haiti’ gave 47,000 teddy bears both to that island nation and to non-profits operating elsewhere. And when Blair was interviewed about the whole thing, he said, “It doesn’t really matter how small or how old you are, if you think you can’t make a big difference in the world, well, you actually can.”

Now, I am personally a very, very cynical person. You know, whenever I read one of those feel-good stories on the internet, my first instinct is to poke some holes in it. So, you know, I’ll ask questions. I’ll say, you know, in the middle of a devastating natural disaster, do you think teddy bears is the most important thing these people needed? And I ask, and is it even true, or was it made up by AI? But then, you know, there’s always two ways in which we can react to a story.

We can test it and probe it and poke holes into it. We can do it with these stories. We can do it with the stories from the Bible. But we could also stop for a moment and ask ourselves, is there nevertheless a lesson for me in there? And I do think there is a lesson in this story about the teddy bears, because I think Blair makes a valid point about making a difference.

It is way too easy to just criticize and doubt other people’s initiatives while making excuses for ourselves. It is so easy to talk ourselves into believing that our own thoughts and actions and motivations don’t matter that much in the greater scheme of things. Is it really worth the effort? Who am I to make a difference anyway?

But is this actually true? Can we be complacent without consequences?

When we look around us or watch the news, it is blatantly obvious that sin and evil are real in our world. Sometimes we can clearly see people acting with evil intent. But sometimes bad things happen as unintended consequences of the actions of perfectly nice and decent people as a result of neglect or self-interest or ignorance. And then afterwards we ask ourselves, could this be prevented if only enough people had been prepared to do the right thing? And if we’re honest with ourselves, it is so easy to turn away, to do what everyone else is doing, to be sucked into acting in a way that doesn’t quite match our convictions without even being aware of it.

That is what I think Paul is talking about when, in the letter to the Romans, he refers to being slaves to sin versus being slaves to God. It’s not about whether we stick to all the rules all the time. It’s not about a few isolated actions. It’s about the mindset behind them. Who is in charge of our life? Who guides our decisions? Who determines our actions? Because our actions do not stand alone. They form part of a bigger purpose. But whose purpose do we serve? Are we getting lured in by propaganda or advertising into building up someone else’s personal power and financial gain? Or are we building the kingdom of God?

Are we maybe sometimes kidding ourselves into thinking that our lives serve God by default, because we have committed ourselves to Christ at some point in our life, and because we’re still going to church every Sunday? Or are we still asking God what he requires of us in this season of our life?

Our thoughts matter. Our words matter. Our actions matter. Saying that can sound almost like a threat. But looking at it from another angle, it is also a promise.

Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. It matters who we listen to. It matters who we side with. It matters whom we support. Because it can make a positive difference. It is so common to talk ourselves down: “Oh, I’m not really doing anything”, or “I don’t have any special talents”. But here Jesus says, “If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward”.

Every little bit helps, and therefore, every little bit matters. To those who speak out, it matters whether someone has their back. To those who are the first ones to do the right thing, it matters whether others join in. To those who figure out ways to help the most vulnerable, it matters whether they get the resources they need. For those who leave behind their comfort zones to start something new, it matters whether they are welcomed with open hearts. And how good is it to have that support when it is our turn to step up, when we sense that we need to be the first ones to speak up or take action.

“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me”, says Jesus. Our little actions stand in a larger context. Welcoming those who speak and act in Jesus’ name doesn’t seem like a huge thing, but it is significant. Because by doing this, we welcome Jesus himself, and thereby God himself. That opens the gate for God’s influence in our life. And who knows what great thing that might eventually turn into.

So, don’t let anyone tell you that what you think and say and do doesn’t matter. Be alert when you find yourself thinking, oh, don’t think this is quite right, but I’m sure it won’t matter. Do not let your gifts, your creativity, your perseverance, your enthusiasm, your love be misdirected. And don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not important enough to make a difference.

You know, I wouldn’t generally say listen to 12-year-olds on the internet, but I do say listen to Blair if he says, “If you think you can’t make a big difference in the world, well, you actually can”.

Your actions, however little, do matter. We are all insignificant, and yet it is us little ones who build the kingdom of God. Amen.