The God of Small Things

The simplicity of the mustard seed and the yeast parables seems a good fit for Southpoint’s unfolding sense of self. Over the years, I’ve heard Southpoint referred to as “an odd little church”. Like the hobbits that Jake referred to on Sunday, we’ve been a church that has traveled light and nimble, able to fly under the radar without being noticed. There is a gift in being small.

These parables, however, remind us that the kingdom comes and becomes something quite substantial, both in size (tree) and in substance (bread), through such small things as seeds, yeast, and hobbits. This is not just a coy reminder that it is okay to be small, nor an excuse to stay hidden. Rather, it is an invitation to refresh our imagination for the kind of spacious and substantial growth that might unfold in us and through us, as we continue to devote ourselves to small things.

This week, we will see Joy’s images of our four core images. There are small actions that these images invite us to take: coming to the well, feasting together at a table, planting and watering little seeds, and labouring together to repair and use nets. None of these actions are terribly dramatic. They are rather homely and ordinary. But you can see in the images that something really good and beautiful and whole is coming into being through these small things. And that something looks an awful lot like Kinship/Kingdom. I am so grateful to God for the way the Spirit incarnates the beauty of the kingdom in these accessible, ordinary, and holy ways. 

Where do you see the kingdom coming and becoming around you this week?

Warmly,
Anne

Rev. Anne Baxter Smith
Pastor, Church at Southpoint

Worship Calendar

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Blogs
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Sun Apr 7
(2) Opening to Love
Rev Anne Baxter Smith
John 21:1-19

Sun Apr 14
(3) Receiving Clarity
Rev Anne Baxter Smith
Acts 3:12-19
 
Sun Apr 21
Rev Scott Swanson
Acts 4:5-12

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

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