Sermon 14 June 2015

I wonder whether you have ever had the experience in life where someone comes to you and says something along the lines of,

“That meant so much to me,” “That changed the way I think,” or “That really helped me.” Sometimes we know exactly what we have done. A kind word or action to someone having a hard time can make all the difference. Sometimes, when this happens, it is as a result of something which we have done which is deliberately kind – taking a meal, calling on the phone, sending flowers. But then there are those times when people respond to things which we do as a part of everyday life, things we barely even think about doing – perhaps we cannot even really remember doing whatever it is that we are being thanked for.

The parables which we have this morning tell us something both about the work which we are called to as Christians and about the sort of existence we are supposed to have as we work in God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom is something which we talk about a lot, so let’s remind ourselves what we mean by that. God’s kingdom is wherever God is, as such it is not the sort of place which we can draw on a map, rather it is everywhere that God reigns. It is more about people than places, and more about listening and watching than talking and entertaining.

The man who goes out to sow the seed in this parable seems to do so in a haphazard fashion – he throws the seed and the verb in Greek has a sense of tossing away or throwing haphazardly. So he knows that he must sow, but he is does so randomly and he almost seems as if he is surprised when anything grows.

This is very different from our modern approach to growing things. We carefully manage our crops, especially in commercial food production. Everything is tested and tested again and science is employed to determine the best formulas for maximum yield.

We often try to do the same thing with growing the Kingdom of God. I read an interesting set of statistics the other day which showed what Churches which were growing actually did in terms of programming. There was the suggestion that if you put in place all these things your church would be likely to grow. But we all know from the farming world that even with the best science if there is no water, or if the sun does not shine or all sorts of other variables the crop yield is diminished or does not happen at all.

We can over analyze parables but let’s live into this one for a moment. The man has work to do which is scattering the seed. The man has work to do which is harvesting the crop but in between he has no control over the growth of the crop and neither does he understand how it happens. The actual growth then is about being rather than doing. He does not micromanage the crop, he simply waits in trust.

So growth is a partnership between the work to which we are called and the secret and hidden work of God in the Holy Spirit in the human heart. We must, of course, watch for signs of growth and be ready when fruit appears – but a word of caution – I am not sure the metaphor of wheat can be taken too far here – our Christian lives are not a matter of a single moment of harvest – we must, at some point, have a moment of decision, where we declare ourselves a person of Christ but we do not get to stop there and declare ourselves harvested and therefore passive.

Jesus then moves from the idea that the seeds will grow at all, even with in-expert sowing, to the idea of the growth of the mustard seed. This is a parable of growth and the potential for large growth from even the most humble of sources. From a tiny seed the bush which grows can be up to ten feet high – mustard plants are a common sight in Israel.

The message seems clear – that God can produce, for the Kingdom, extreme and unanticipated growth. But there is something else in the use of mustard – which is actually not the smallest seed around – and that is that mustard is a weed. There are smaller seeds Jesus could have chosen, seeds which bear beautiful flowers. But he chose mustard, which sprouted up all over the place but often was not wanted.

In England there is a plant which we call Cow Parsley – it grows all over the place. On verges, in ditches, in fields. If it take root in your garden you pull it up before it takes over. Many years ago my mother in law was talking about a plant which she called Queen Anne’s Lace and which she had deliberately planted in her garden. I was curious to see a plant with such a pretty name – I was disappointed to find it was the same plant which I would call Cow Parsley, a common or garden weed.

Weeds, of course, are only weeds when you do not want them. In this upside down world of the Kingdom of God that which has previously not been wanted, those who have previously been excluded are now welcome to grow in the garden. Perhaps this is why Jesus chose the mustard seed – our assumptions about what God plants and tends, about who God makes grow and blossom might need some serious re-examination in the light of Kingdom values.

So what is the message to us – well there seem to be several but let’s narrow it down to three.

Firstly we have work to do. The seed needs someone to sow it. We might not always understand how we sow or how to sow but we have to be prepared to try. Sometimes we deliberately tell the story of the kingdom. At other times people will experience the story of the Kingdom simply by being around us.

Secondly, no matter how hard we try we cannot force a seed to grow. All the theories and nagging in the world will not change that. Growth is in the hands of God because growth is a new creation which springs from the heart of the creation.

Thirdly we should not always assume we know what weeds look like. The kingdom is God’s garden and God’s version of beauty is not always the same as ours. We must be attentive to the voice of God in all that we do, especially when we are looking in unexpected places.

So how do we know when to work and when to wait on God? Perhaps the Celtic Christians can teach us a lesson here – the had a saying Laborare est Orare – to work is to pray. This seems easy at first hearing but think it through. What does it mean to turn every action to prayer, what does that require? It is not simply saying a prayer before we begin but learning to be so consumed by prayer, so consumed by our relationship with God, that all else flows from that and all our work speaks of that place of communion.

Heading in that direction has to be good enough for most of us, but as we become emeshed in the will and work of God we will learn when to work and when to wait, as Ecclesiates 3 says, there is a time for everything. As we walk more closely with God and see the world on God’s terms and in God’s eyes we will learn times and seasons and we will understand more and more our place in God’s ever creative work of planting and growing.