A Word from the Vine No. 538: Glory in the Fields

Welcome back to A Word from the Vine. I’m Pastor Loren Christensen, and today, I want to speak directly to the heart of the rural church.

You know, I’ve stood in pulpits where the pews are full… and I’ve stood in chapels where the echo of my own voice was louder than the “Amen.”

But I’ve learned something over the years:

You don’t have to be big to be faithful.

And you don’t have to be famous to be glorious.

In John 17, Jesus prays that His followers would see His glory. And not just any glory—the kind the Father gave Him before the world began.

Now, that’s not the kind of glory you find in headlines or hashtags.

It’s the kind you find in a church basement where a widow is making soup for a neighbor.

It’s in the hands of a farmer who fixes the church steps before anyone arrives.

It’s in the quiet faithfulness of a congregation that shows up, week after week, to worship, to pray, to love.

That’s glory in the fields.

And that’s why the League of Rural Churches exists—not to preserve the past, but to proclaim the Gospel in places the world forgets.

Because Jesus hasn’t forgotten.

He’s still walking gravel roads.

He’s still showing up in sanctuaries with cracked windows and creaky floors.

He’s still glorified in the small, the steady, the surrendered.

So if you’re part of a rural church—don’t you dare believe the lie that you don’t matter.

You are the light on the hill.

You are the vine still bearing fruit.

You are the answer to Jesus’ prayer.

Here’s today’s word from the vine:

If you want to see the glory of God, look for a little church that still believes Jesus is enough.

Let us pray.

Lord, thank You for the beauty of small places and faithful people. Thank You for the churches that keep showing up, even when no one notices. Remind us that Your glory isn’t measured in numbers, but in love. And may we be found faithful in the fields. Amen.

This has been A Word from the Vine. I’m Pastor Loren—stay rooted, and keep growing where God has planted you.