Title: “The Mustard Seed”
6/18/06 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr. B
Mark 4:26-34
Rev. Joy R. Haertig
The two brief parables we heard from the Gospel of Mark this morning are from Chapter 4; the whole chapter is a collection of Jesus' parables, it is an example of how Jesus taught God's wisdom through story. Our job is to open our hearts and minds to what the stories might be saying and to realize that a story can mean many things depending on the context in which it is told.
The story of the mustard seed is one of my favorites as it addresses the question, “with what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?”
The kingdom of God is not just about heaven - it is about God's vision of this world - this earth. Remember the words from the Lord's prayer: “They kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed, an incredibly small seed that can grow into something great, something unexpected.
The “growing” of the kingdom of God starts small. In fact we could have trouble seeing it at its beginnings. So it is with the planting of love and restorative justice, it starts small - it begins with small actions. As an another Jesus-parable in Chapter four tells us, some of the seeds will grow while others will fall on poor soil and never take root. Jesus is telling his disciples, start small and don't give up, keep sowing, for some will take and God's kingdom is and will grow in time. (Though we may not live long enough to see the results of our sowing - we sow for next generations.)
Some scientists say that the universe started as a very small thing, that it was there somewhere between 13 and 14 billion years ago, but of course it was really there before time, for time is a construct that has been developed by humankind. Scientists say it was about the size of a marble - in other words, it was small. In less than a trillion-trillionth of a second it changed and grew to a volume larger than all of the observable space in the universe.
As people of faith many of us believe that it was God that created that small seed of a universe and it was God's creative power that caused it to grow.
Perhaps it is built into the structure of the universe for amazing things to start small. Isn't it a miracle that we humans are formed from a small egg and an even smaller sperm?
Consider Jesus' use of the mustard seed itself in his parable. Perhaps my next thoughts reflect my partnership with a Naturopath Physician, but I discovered this week that when the small mustard seed is planted and grows the plant has unique HEALING properties! (The George Mateljan Foundation, www.whfoods.com)
This includes phytonutrients which inhibit the growth of gastrointestinal cancer cells. They are also high in selenium and magnesium which have some effect on reducing asthma and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, lowering blood pressure, and lessening the frequency of migraines. In addition, they are a good source of omego-3 fatty acids, iron, calcium, zinc, and manganese, magnesium, protein, niacin and dietary fiber! (Bring on the mustard!)
There are approximately 40 different varieties of mustard plants which can be traced to different parts of the world: white seeds to the eastern Mediterranean, brown to the foothills of the Himalayas, and the black - the most pungent - come from the Middle East. They are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back almost 5,000 years ago.
I find that background quite intriguing - It was no accident that Jesus used the mustard seed in his parable for as a healer, he no doubt would have known its healing properties and that is was a wonderful metaphor for great changes coming from small beginnings.
In the paper this week there was a sketch of Seattle and how it is being taken over by tall skyscrapers. Or consider the size of many of the houses that are being built these days - three-car garages, at least three bathrooms to go with the 5 bedrooms, a wine cellar and a study but no backyard.
It is hard to find signs of the kingdom of God in the midst of all that is so big. But if we could zoom into some of the smaller buildings and city streets; or into the basements of church buildings and temples we would find day shelters and job training, support for troubled teens and people organizing to build a home for Habitat. Ahhh, here are some mustard seeds that will help grow God's kingdom on earth!
If we were to go beyond Seattle into a parking lot at a church in Woodinville, we would find how the kingdom of God is being sowed by the small, careful and determined steps of a church community. We would also see how hard it is for God's love and restorative justice to find good soil in which to grow.
One of our sister-churches, Northshore United Church of Christ in Woodinville has tried to host what is called Tent City 4 in their church parking lot this spring and as of last night (Saturday), they were forced to leave. Northshore UCC has felt a deep sense of call from God that they are to plant seeds of mercy and hope for the residents of Tent City 4 and they have done so for the last 2 years in a variety of ways. This time they wanted them on their own property but the City did not like it.
My dad, Bob Haertig, was the founding pastor of Northshore and is now happily retired but very active as a member and pastor emeritus of the church. He and his wife Jean have been very involved in this seed-sowing and I have asked them to share some of their experience with us this morning.