The God of Small Things
“For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zech. 4:10
GSES Baccalaureate May 26, 2010
Text: Zechariah 4:1-10 The Rev. Dr. Ross M. Wright
We are here today to honor Ellie Carter and Lindsey Fink. Ellie and Lindsey, this is your day. You have done it! The word, “baccalaureate,” comes from the Latin bacca, or “berry,” and laureates, which means, “crowned with laurel.” In the Olympic Games, the winners received a crown of laurel to show that they had won a race or some other athletic event. So, picture laurel wreaths on your heads. This baccalaureate service is a celebration of your victory: You have won the race! You have made it to the finish line!
Today, we also celebrate another successful year in the life of Good Shepherd Episcopal School. By this point, we’re all ready for a break. You’re ready for a break from homework assignments. Your teachers are ready for a break from lesson plans and grading papers. Your parents are ready for a break from helping you with projects. But before we break for the year, we pause to celebrate your accomplishments: Way to go, Lindsey and Ellie! Way to go, Good Shepherd Episcopal School!
Lindsey and Ellie, you have lived through an important chapter in the life of this school. When the history of GSES is written, 2009 – 2010 will be known as a red-letter date. Why? This year marks a new beginning for our school. I have not checked the records, but I’m guessing that this is the smallest graduating class in the school’s history. I don’t know how this has affected you two personally, but I’m sure it must have. My mother grew up on a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina and was educated in a one-room school house. She likes to brag that she graduated second in her class: she was the salutatorian of her class. What she doesn’t tell you is that there were three people in her graduating class.
I want to tell you a story about a chapter in the life of God’s people, the Jewish nation, because it shows how God is present in new beginnings and in small things. The year is 520 BC – so, five hundred years before Jesus was born. The place is Persia, modern day Iran. The nation of Israel had been forced from their land to live in this foreign land. Probably the closest analogy in American history is the Trail of Tears, when Native Americans like the Cherokee, the Creek, the Seminole, and the Choctaw nations were forced to leave their lands and walk to Indian reservations in present day Oklahoma (1831). Israel’s enemies had destroyed their homes and burned the Jerusalem temple – if you go to Jerusalem, you can still see the stones from the city wall, black and charred from the fire.
But in the year 520, everything changed. A new king, King Cyrus, began to rule the Persian Empire. Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem. That was the good news. The bad news is that when they arrived, they saw that their houses had been trashed and that the temple was in ruins. But this small community began to rebuild the city. First they rebuilt their houses. Then, they began to work on the temple. They had two leaders: a priest, named Joshua and a governor, named Zerubbabel. When the temple was finally completed, they had a big celebration service. When they saw the temple, some rejoiced, because it was a sign of the rebirth of the community. But others wept, because they remembered the old temple and how much bigger it was.
Then the prophet, Zechariah spoke. Listen to what the Lord is saying to us, he said. Don’t worry if the temple seems smaller than the old one. Don’t say: “This is so lame. This is weak.” Because I am present in the small things just as much as in the big, impressive things that people brag about. And because I am with you, this community will live again and grow:
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line [surveyor’s tools] in the hand of Zerubbabel (Zech. 4:10).
You see, the Lord had given the prophet Zechariah a vision of the community rebuilt and growing again. In this vision, he saw the new temple; and in the temple, a lamp stand and two olive trees. Most people believe that the two olive trees symbolize the leaders of the community: the priest, Joshua, and the governor, Zerubbabel. In other words, to rebuild a community, like a school, you need leadership. You need spiritual leadership from the clergy, and you need a smart, energetic Head of School, like Mr. Britton. But I like to think of those two trees as symbolizing Lindsey Fink and Ellie Carter. Lindsey and Ellie, you two are signs of the new life of this community. You are signs that the Lord is present with Good Shepherd Episcopal School. The Lord has not left us. You are the fruitful olive trees that prove that the school is alive, and with God’s presence in your lives, you will continue to bear fruit in your new schools.
This year, the class of 2010, marks the rebirth of our community. This is a time of the rebuilding for Good Shepherd Episcopal School. So do not despise “the day of small things.” Because the Lord is the God of small things.
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