Scripture Reading Mark
4:26-34
The
Parable of the Growing Seed
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is
like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed
sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk,
then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it,
because the harvest has come.”
The
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God
is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all
seeds on earth.
Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all
garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them,
as much as they could understand.
He did not say anything to them without using a
parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained
everything.
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Amen.
When I was in Kindergarten, in the spring, we filled little
Styrofoam cups with soil. After we each
carefully filled our cups, we were given 2 sunflower seeds and we planted them
in our cups. Each cup had a child’s name
written on it. Our teacher, Mrs.
Daniels, collected our cups on a big plastic cafeteria tray and carefully
placed the tray on a table next to a sunny window.
Every day, we, the children, carefully peered into our cups. Every few days, one of the children watered
our seeds while being carefully supervised by Mrs. Daniels. We waited and
waited…
And, then, a miracle seemed to happen. Green appeared. And, little shoots began to unfurl in each
cup. Our seeds had sprouted.
Gradually, our little plants grew taller. And, then sprouted leaves. And, more
leaves. We carried our precious plants
home on our school buses, carefully cradling them in our little hands.
After I arrived home with my sunflower plant, I planted it next
to my front stoop. And, I checked the
plant’s growth….it grew taller than me!
After a few weeks, a sunflower appeared and opened up to the sun!
As a child, the growth of a little seed into a tall sunflower
pant seemed like a miracle. It still
seems like a miracle.
In the first century, people lived much closer to the earth than
we do. Most people lived in agricultural
setting. They grew their own food. They foraged for food that grew in the wild.
If they had sheep or goats or chickens, sometimes their homes were built above
their animal’s pens.
Jesus’s parables were based on real-life examples for the people
to whom he spoke. The crowds who
surrounded Jesus had witnessed men scattering seeds in gardens. Many of the people in the crowds were seed scatters
themselves. And, in the region of the
Middle East the people lived in, they were familiar with mustard plants and
mustard seeds – little seeds that grow into great big bushes that take over
your field. Jewish rabbis taught that
mustard could only be planted special plots surrounded by walls. If mustard was allowed to spread, it would
take over all the fields that surrounded the original plants. It was an invasive plant, but was grown for
its spicy seeds and leaves.
I love the parable of the growing seed. All Christians are called to be
gardeners…..gardeners for the Kingdom of God. We are called spread the word of
God like the gardener who scatters seed all over his field. The gardener in the parable doesn’t know how
the seed grows – he is not a trained botanist or biologist. All he knows it that the seeds grow.
Most of us are not trained evangelists. We haven’t majored in Christianity in college
and we haven’t taken intensives on preaching the gospel or spreading the word
of God. But, in my experience, people are suspicious of experts. I may be a tad
sensitive, but I have been to jovial parties where the mood completely changed
when it was mentioned that I am a minister. Apparently, I am an instant party
pooper. People expect me to invite them
to church and talk to them about converting to Christianity. People are
suspicious that I have an ulterior motive.
So, my friends, you are the people who are called to scatter the
seeds. You are the people Jesus was talking to when he gave the great commission. You are to “go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything (Jesus) have commanded you.”
Many of us are a tad intimidated to talk about our faith. But, as seed scatters, we don’t have to be
prepared to give a speech at the drop of the hat. Instead, we can be more
subtle. Wear your Trinity shirt at be
prepared to tell people a little about our church. Tell your book club about Ralien’s Sunday
morning hymn sing and how much fun it is to sing along with favorite hymns.
Stick a “Don’t Give Up” lawn sign in your yard to remind people we are not
alone and things are getting better. If someone mentions they are looking for a
church, tell them about our church. If someone mentions they are looking for a
choir or a Bible Study or a place to get a Hoagie, tell them about Trinity’s
choir and Lunch Bunch Bible Study and our hoagie sales. Be prepared to mention our church or mention
that you are a Christian as part of your random conversations with others. Be prepared to scatter seeds.
The mustard seed story is also about the spread of God’s words
and God’s teachings. Mustard seeds are little.
Yet, from one of those little seeds a great, bush will grow. And, the
bush will be productive and make lots more little mustard seeds. Those seeds
will spread through the air and through the water and plant more mustard
bushes. And, those bushes will take over the land unless a very proactive
gardener forces them to be contained.
God’s Holy Spirit can start out like a little seed in our
hearts. But, when we share our faith with others, the Holy Spirit is spread to
the next person and the next person and the next person. It is tenacious…it we
allow the Holy Spirit to spread, it will take over the world.
God’s creation is a marvelous miracle. Out of a tiny seed, a
forest will grow. With just a few kind words, and a subtle invitation, and a
few kind acts, the word of God will spread. It is our work to scatter the seeds
of the Christian faith.
May we do so with love. Amen.
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