Third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 6)
Rev. Amy Welin:
Our family planted some seeds in mid-May, and suddenly there is a riot of zucchini, cilantro, and carrots, growing happily in containers on the back deck. I am not sure how they grew so quickly, nor how they survived the torrents of rain this week. The basil and the tomato seeds have not fared as well.
I am sure that Jesus could use this as the basis of a parable.
Jesus used parables to teach his followers. The parables are more than stories about sheep, birds, farmers and mustard seeds. They are symbolic and authoritative spiritual teachings. His stories use everyday objects and situations in order to illustrate the deep truths of life in relationship with God.
Today, we heard two stories Jesus tells his friends about the way in which the Kingdom of God grows quickly from even the tiniest bits of faith. Both stories are about planting and growth.
The farmer does not understand how the seed is transformed into a crop, and still he is able to reap the fruit of what he sowed. The seed contains everything it needs to bloom.
A tiny mustard seed is the size of a poppy seed. When the plant grows to maturity, it is surprisingly large: about nine feet tall. Jesus promises that God’s reign in the world will grow like a mustard seed.
Mustard is an invasive weed, which self-seeds and can grow aggressively, taking over cultivated fields. I wonder if the people who heard this parable the first time worried about the Kingdom of God taking over all their nicely cultivated lives. Or if those who heard this as they stood out in the hot Galilean sun hoped to find cool shelter as the Kingdom grew.
My own observation is that in order for seeds to grow into plants, they first must come apart. They have to die in order to have new life. I wonder what message is contained in these two parables for our understanding of what God is doing with us in Waterbury. What are we supposed to be sowing? What has to die in order for God to bring new life to us?
The interesting nature of parables is that there can be more than one way to interpret the story.
What do you think God’s invitation to us is when we hear parables? The most important decision we face is not what St John’s is going to do with our real estate. It is how we are going to choose to work with God to build up that irrepressible Kingdom.
If we were to tell the story about the Kingdom of God at St John’s in a parable, what would we include?
In the church, and especially in St John’s, I see the reign of God’s love growing in our commitment to openness and to genuine love of our neighbor. We are the only church I know of in Waterbury that actively welcomes/marries LGBT people.
I see the reign of God in the work of the RePurposing Task Group, which has labored to serve both the parish and the city of Waterbury in considering the disposition of the parish house.
I see the reign of God in the group of parishioners who discern the best ways to share funding with people and groups in need in this area.