Pastor Tom Johnson, June 14, 2015
How do you spell
mustard seed? Well I tried to figure that out. The truth is I couldn’t figure
it out no matter how much I googled it. I’m not talking about how to spell it
in English but in the language of creation. For us English
speakers it is eleven letters separated by a space. We have 26 letters to choose
from. I can spell it out in 5 seconds. I can type it out in less than 3
seconds. M-U-S-T-A-R-D [space] S-E-E-D To spell mustard
seed in the language of God’s creation, DNA, there are four letters to choose
from. If it is anything like the Norway spruce tree, to spell mustard seed would take 21 billion
letters. It would stretch
35,000 miles long. It would fill 7 million pages. 35,000 books would stake 14
stories high. If one would read mustard
seed—and take 24 hours a day to do so—it would take about 700 years. In a surprising
twist, the human genome can have a lot less information than a tree—up to seven
times shorter—taking a mere 50 years to type and a hundred years to read. All
that information—all those instructions on building life from the ground up are
in one stand of DNA. A strand of DNA is
about 3 meters high. But it is so thin that it can only be seen with an
electron microscope. Unraveled completely it would stretch to the moon. We
humans are so proud of microchips. We have nothing on God’s creation. And that
really is the point of all of this—to learn about God through his creation.
Jesus said, “With
what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It
is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of
all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the
greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the
air can make nests in its shade.” How can we begin
to understand the Kingdom of God? Jesus says, look at how God’s creations packs
in 21 billion letters into a little seed—not just into the seed but one cell of
that seed—a seed so small that it takes concentration to hold it between your
thumb and index finger—a cell so small it can be only seen through a
microscope. Jesus says, great things do come in small packages. All that
information—all the instructions—everything a tiny seed needs from the ground
up is contained in that little string of data. Even though it is one of the
tiniest seeds, it become one of the greatest shrubs. It will grow so large that
it can become a home for a family of birds.
The Kingdom of God
works the same way. Planting a mustard seed can teach us an important lesson
about God’s reign in and through his creation. Do not underestimate the
potential of little seeds of love and kindness. We pray “Thy Kingdom come” and
God’s Kingdom comes in small packages, Jesus says. Later in Mark
Jesus will say that “Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you
belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward” (Mark 9:41). With this
parable, Jesus is giving us an enormous gift. Jesus us something
to believe in—Someone to trust—confidence in God’s work in our lives—encouragement
to nurture God’s work through our
lives.
Do not underestimate
small acts of kindness sown into the lives of your neighbor, coworker, friend,
or family. That little note—that brief phone call—that text message of
encouragement may seem insignificant and little but it may be exactly what a
person needs to help them through the night to the promise of a new day. Think of all the
small seeds packed with the power of the kingdom of God: a word of forgiveness,
an affirmation of acceptance, a gesture of appreciation. Little words with
divine power: “The peace of the Lord.” “You are forgiven.” “You are part of
God’s family.” “God has given you gifts to share.” Jesus at one time
was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary. He began his journey as
the Word made flesh as a human embryo—a tiny seed of humanity growing in the
womb of his mother. And yet, he was, he is, and he will forever be the King of
kings and Lord of lords.
He spent his life
sowing little seeds of encouragement, healing, and forgiveness into the lives
of little people like you and me. And he said that to fully appreciate his work
and become great, we must become as little children (Mark 9,10). Jesus planted his
life into the soil of the earth. He gave himself up on the tree of the cross of
Calvary to defeat the power of evil, sin, and death. He sowed his body into the
tomb in the ground and three days later sprang to new life. Jesus is now the Tree
of Life where we can make our nests and find our eternal home. With a little
splash of water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
you and are adopted, spiritual cleansed, and made royal daughters and sons.
With a little bread and a little fruit of the vine we receive Christ’s Body and
Blood to forgive, assure, and strengthen us for our journey ahead. For you—for me—for
all the world, great and wonderful things indeed come in small packages.
No comments:
Post a Comment