Do you remember a story, perhaps your own, in which faith seemed too small and insignificant for the challenge at hand? The first time I planted a garden, which I hoped would be full of beans and peas, corn and okra (yes, okra), I held the seeds in my hand and wondered how things so small could potentially produce large plants and tasty vegetables. Back then, I remembered that my grandfather, an avid gardener, showed me seeds for mustard plants. I wasn’t very impressed, because I wasn’t a fan of mustard or other greens. But he told me that Jesus had said these were the smallest of all seeds, yet were capable producing big plants. He said that was a lesson for our faith.
In the years and the decades that have followed, like many of you, I have had several challenging crises of faith. During each crisis, faith seemed tiny, flimsy, or even nonexistent. But if the parables of Jesus about seed and soil teach us anything, they help us know that there is a rhythm to the ways God moves in the world and in our lives. Sometimes, faith really is like a seed, and if treated with care, it can grow into something capable of giving shelter and nourishment to our hopeful souls and beloved communities.
Sometimes, during the crises, I wished that God could be more explicit. I suspect Jesus’ disciples felt something similar, because Jesus taught in parables rather than directly answering questions. These parables function as metaphors, but “metaphor” is a linguistic word, and may not seem helpful to someone struggling. It was the poet Jan Richardson who helped me see parables, especially this one, in a more dynamic way. She says, developing the theme, that we could better conceive of the “emptiness” we experience during crises as “dreams of the branches the seed contains.”
The sermon Sunday at St. Mark’s flows from that understanding of the biblical passages. The sermon, “The Mustard Seed Parable: A Dream of What Can Happen,” arises from Joel 2: 23-29, which will be read by Kathy Scheid, and Mark 4: 26-34, which will be read by Jonathan Michaelsen. The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Lois Leong, will lead us musically. We’ll sing, pray and have a time for children.
If you are new to St. Mark’s, or you have been connected with our church for a long time, we look forward to seeing you in the sanctuary at 10:30. If you choose to join online, visit www.smumc.church and click on the Live Stream banner.