Thursday, June 11, 2015

The Big World of the Very Small

“[The kingdom of God] is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth…”  --Jesus, in Mark 4:31

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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