Coffee on the Porch with Jesus

As Christians we have a responsibility—to make noise for the kingdom of God. We have all heard the quote from Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Yet, the church in these days and dark times is often silent. As we search for significance as Christians, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the great amount of work that needs doing. We have the impression that “doing something” means doing something huge, yet scripture would lead us to believe that we should do good at every opportunity, regardless of the size of the act. Zechariah asks, “Who despises the day of small things?” The truth is that God can do a lot with a little. Remember the loaves and fishes? Gideon’s army? Zacchaeus? The mustard seed? Several years ago I lived on a peaceful country lane in Alabama. There also lived a flock (I suppose they are referred to as a flock) of guineas that made its way very loudly up the lane in single file at the same time each morning and returned at the same time each afternoon. It was miraculous! One could set the clock by those boisterous birds. In fact, it was their very volume that attracted my attention, for they could be heard squawking above a running air conditioner, television or radio, with the windows and doors closed tight. On one particular morning I looked out to find that my cat was separating one small guinea from the rest of the flock, smiling and licking his lips. The single small guinea looked like a goner, but the rest of the flock began to turn back and up into the yard, slowly surrounding and circling my cat and the little guinea. They didn’t peck or flap their wings; they just paraded around in a single-file circle making a lot of noise. None of those guineas would have been a match for my cat, but as a loud group they were so threatening that my cat backed up against a tree. The little guinea rejoined the flock and they headed back on their course. I think the church is a lot like those guineas. Our enemy comes “like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour,” but when we are part of a group that is making a lot of noise for the Kingdom of God, he has to back up. We may not be too intimidating alone, but in a group we are mighty. In fact, God by our side makes even just one of us the majority. That flock could have gone on, leaving the little guinea behind to suffer his fate, but they didn’t—they made noise. We need to make noise on behalf of one another and the kingdom every day. First Corinthians tells us that God has “chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise,” and we are exhorted in Galatians 6:10 to “do good to all people, especially the family of believers.” That may put us in the spotlight from time to time, but most often we’ll just be watching out for one another and trusting in our great, big brother who has already overcome the world.