17 June 2012 at Saint Mark Church in Norman, OK
Ezekiel 17: 22-24 + Psalm 92 + 2 Corinthians 5: 6-10 + Mark 4: 26-34
To a church feeling threatened, insecure, uncertain, and disappointed that Christ had not come again exactly as they expected, Mark recalls these words of Jesus about a mustard seed. It is a story that both captures and illutrates the wonderful yet hidden mystery of little things. I wonder if Jesus was not even thinking of himself when he spoke of that little seed. He must have felt overwhelmed by the immensity of the suffering and the problems he encountered. I suspect that now and then when he withdrew from the crowds, as he so often does in Mark’s Gospel it wasn’t to wonder if he could really make a difference, if what he did was really going to matter, really fulfill God’s will and open this world to the wonder of God’s Kingdom. What else can this parable be except a reminder to us still that little things do matter?
In a world accustomed to and usually impressed by big displays of strength and power, little things do not seem to matter much. Yet, for all our might and all the roaring of guns and bombs, we don’t seem to be making much peace, and no matter how much money we throw at dictators and oppressive regeims people are still hungry, homeless, and out of work.
As I was thinking through all of this with this parable in my heart, I remembered the violent and long civil war in Mozambique that was finally resolved by a little community that meets in the heart of Rome every week to pray and talk about things that matter. It is called the Communio Sainte Egidio. Hardly anyone in this country knows about this group of Catholic Lay People, but the people of Mozambique know the story of how this little group with no guns and for that matter without any great amount of money managed to bring an end to senseless bloodshed that had gone on for almost two generations. That is a big tree from a little seed.
I think of a little Armenian lady who hardly stood 5 feet tall who ended up with the Nobel Peace prize and on the cover of Time Magazine. The whole world knows who she is, and a community of sisters continues her remarkable legacy in nearly every country where there are abandoned sick and poor. It’s a big tree from that little seed.
We can look back in history and point to people like Francis Bernadone who lived in a town called Assisi. What a big tree from that little seed. Here in Oklahoma we have some big trees from little seeds like Kate Barnard, and Stanley Rother who couldn’t make it through the first seminary he tried. There is a big tree in Guatemala because of that simple tiny seed of a life.
I believe this Gospel first invited the community of Mark to take a second look at themselves in light of the one who was their messiah.
I believe this Gospel now invites us, another community of Mark, to take another look at ourselves in light of the one is our Lord and our Savior.
His life was short. When compared to Ceasar at the time, it didn’t mean much; but his life was the mustard seed, and from it has grown this great tree of a church whose branches shelter, comfort, and protect those who in need.
This image of the tiny seed that becomes the great tree makes our puny excuses for doing nothing, for keeping quiet, for thinking we can’t make any difference a little lame. We never know how much good can come from the most simple little gesture of kindness and love. I think of my own life as I stand here week after week with you. As a child I could never could have imagined being here. I never dreamed that I could do anything that might make a difference for anyone. That one little verse: “…he knows not how.” says so much in such a simple way. We never know what will happen or how our lives may unfold and what good can come from them. Neither did Jesus. He simply trusted that God could and would do something with what Jesus had to give.
If we are going to be church, if we are going to gather at the foot of that big tree hanging the wall, we will have to trust that if we scatter some seeds on the ground they will sprout and grow, and there will be harvest. But there will only be a harvest if those seeds are sown. We also do well to remember that when we hang onto the seeds thinking they are too little or they might run out there will be nothing to harvest when harvest time comes.
Too little is no excuse. There is nothing too little, not even a mustard seed. We are not too little, and the gifts we have are not too little. The Kingdom of God will come from the mustard seed of our lives and our simple good works or it won’t come at all.