In the aftermath of May Nicholson’s death so many words of appreciation have been said about her gift for compassion and her ability to make an impression on an audience. My mind keeps going back to the beginning of Preshal. May often told the story of the kettle and the toaster in a room in a Linthouse church. From that beginning Preshal has grown with custom built premises and a nationwide reputation. It’s not hard to make a connection with Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God being like the mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds and yet it grows into a plant under which the birds can shelter. (Mark 4: 30-32).
I’ve often heard this used to justify the idea that ‘small is beautiful‘ and that we shouldn’t get too worked up about falling numbers in the Church. But the parable speaks of growth, an eventual impact way beyond the small beginning. It is inspiring to think of the beginning of Preshal but would we want to stay with the kettle and the toaster? It is a characteristic of the Kingdom that it grows.
Years ago a senior minister told me of a meeting he attended where it was stated that the essence of the Church is unity, to which he responded: ‘Rubbish! The essence of the Church is mission!‘ It is hard to disagree with this. I always think it is supreme evidence of God’s grace that despite the fractured state of the world-wide Church men and women still find Christ within different traditions. This would suggest that the priority of the Holy Spirit is leading men and women to faith in Christ rather than effecting organic union.
This impulse to share the Gospel and to see the Kingdom grow was strong in the apostle Paul even when he was in prison. You would think that being banged up was the single most disadvantage to a man who wanted to be ranging over the Roman Empire with his soul-saving message. But when he wrote to the Christians in Philippi he told them that his imprisonment had ‘really served to advance the gospel’. (Philippians 1: 12) Why? Well, the palace guard and everyone else in the prison had become aware of the reason for his captivity, that he was ‘in chains for Christ’. Even in prison the mission went forward. Paul was expecting to see the Kingdom grow.
When I was in Stevenston a minister friend of mine was in Crosshouse hospital receiving treatment for cancer. It was debilitating but it didn’t stop him wandering round the ward when he could chatting to other patients and seeking to encourage them. The impulse that drove Paul was in that man. The smallest seed can bring growth. The few words, the simple act of kindness can advance the Kingdom.
Before His return to the Father Jesus said to His disciples: ‘Go and make disciples of all nations . . . ‘ (Matthew 28: 19) That is the Big Story to which all our work, however small, contributes.
