“The Day of Small Things”

We are now one week into the basketball frenzy known as “March Madness.” Though the phrase is now inseparable from the NCAA Tournament, it was first coined in 1939 by an Illinois high school basketball official to describe the enthusiasm surrounding that state’s championship games each spring. Four decades later, when a CBS sportscaster used it to capture the chaos and drama of early-round upsets in the national tournament, the name stuck.

Americans may admire dominance, but we never tire of a good Cinderella story. Each spring, even if the traditional “blue blood” programs are favored to reach the Final Four, our hearts are captured by the smaller schools that manage to shatter brackets and defy expectations. Their surprising success is what makes the tournament compelling—especially for those who are not die-hard fans. Every so often, a David still rises to topple a Goliath.

There is a lesson here for people of faith. We discover strength not by asserting ourselves, but by leaning into divine grace—grace that accomplishes what we never could through sheer willpower. Rather than competing for prominence, we find peace and joy in cooperating for purposes greater than ourselves. As Jesus taught, we gain life when we are willing to lose it.

These truths come into sharper focus during this sacred season for both Christians and Jews. We cannot complete our faith journeys by relying on status, strength, or position. Faith simply does not accommodate such a posture. Instead, we are invited to empty ourselves in small acts of service—quiet obediences that advance God’s kingdom in ways we may never fully see. As the Psalmist reminds us, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22). What appears small, overlooked, or insignificant often becomes foundational in the hands of God. To the world, that may seem like a minor thing. To those who walk by faith, it is nothing less than the power of God at work.

And in the end, that power—quiet, steady, and often hidden—will be the only reality that truly endures.

“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the…eyes of the LORD that range

throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone…” (Zechariah