In macro photography, you take extremely close-up images of
small subjects and present them as large as or larger than the original
subject. It is one of my favorite forms
of photography. I have done macro
photography of flowers and other kinds of plants, bugs, stones and other tiny
objects I’ve discovered along the way.
It is amazing what you see when you are hiking a path looking for macro
subjects. When you are looking, you
observe all kinds of things that, normally, you would just walk past without a
glance. The world of the very small is
vast, complex and fascinating.
In this week’s Gospel lesson, Jesus tells two parables about the
mystery of the Reign of God. One
highlights the mystery of growth, the other, the mystery of scale. Both, I think, imply that the Reign of God
can be easily missed or underestimated by the casual observer. And yet, if you look with the eyes of faith,
you can see God’s Reign all around you, and appreciate something of its true scope
and power. Both parables remind us that
God is always at work, sewing the seeds, and that God can grow even the
smallest acts of ministry into significance.
When God gets involved, the last become first, the least become great,
the foolish are made wise and the seemingly insignificant accomplish amazing
things. God’s Reign might seem too small
to see sometimes, but, it is there in all it’s wonderful complexity for those
who dare to look.
I have seen this to be true again and again in the course of my
ministry. I remember a man who, without
much notice or any accolades, quietly ministered to his neighbors and
friends, drove people to hospital
appointments, sat with the sick in hospital rooms, brought meals to people
going through rough times and on and on.
A ministry that has empowered hundreds of people in Guatemala started
with a seemingly insignificant suitcase of crafts carried by a woman with a
compassionate heart. A tiny
congregation partnered with a neighboring church to begin a ministry to seniors
that has impacted a whole community. The
list is endless! All of these tiny
mustard seeds of God’s Reign were cast on the fertile ground and become great
plants of hope and promise, love and grace.
God’s seeds of faith and faithfulness have been sown in you
through the power of the Spirit for Jesus’ sake. Sure, sometimes we need to get out the macro
lenses to see them. But they are
there. As those seeds are nurtured
within the community of faith -- through our reflection upon the Word of God,
as we gather together for worship and study, and as we sit quietly, our hearts
open in prayer -- they grow and bear the fruits of witness, service and action
in Jesus name.
Peace,
Bishop Mike
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