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St. James Weekly Epistle
| June 13, 2012 |
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 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ
He also 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." (Mark 4: 29:33)I walked out into my front yard this past Sunday afternoon to observe an abundant number of blossoms on my Rose of Sharon bush. It was odd because there was nothing but buds on the bush just the day before. It's a beautiful plant and was one of the main selling points when I first saw the house last September. I've hardly done anything to make the plant become as beautiful as it is. I'm sure that the previous landlord took very good care of it as well as with the rest of the property. I believe that God has been at work in my garden in more than one way as well.
I think that this miraculous but steady growth of life is one of the points that Jesus is striving to make in his Parable of the Mustard Seed. The life that God offers to us is laden with potential to become beautiful and plentiful. Sowers who are gifted or novice gardeners alike possess the necessary skills and blessings to participate in God's life-giving process, spiritually as well as in recreational activities like gardening. Some plants take more care than others. A St. James parishioners who is a very talented gardener informed me that rose plants can be a real pain in the _____, ... neck. Some people love to plant and care for roses, despite the costs and risks. Some don't. Part of learning what you love about gardening and life itself is discerning what plants and flowers bring you joy and are worth offering extraordinary but not unnecessarily heavy burdens. He and I along with most everyone who reads this epistle also knows that weeds just love to thrive in garden spaces. Such hindrances are inherent to all gardening and spiritual undertakings. Every time I go out to my yard it seems that there's at least 5 new little creepy, uninvited sprigs in the flower beds.
 This reality is a second, somewhat hidden aspect of Jesus' mustard seed parable. Mustard plants, then and now, are "wild." They grow with reckless abandon and can overwhelm other plants in their area. Protective Jewish gardeners of Jesus' death prohibited mustard plants from taking root because they would rapidly spread and overwhelm the previously planted vegetables. Order is desirable. Disarray is intolerable. Ancient Rabbinical law of diverse kinds ruled that gardeners could not mix certain plants in the same garden. (Struckmeyer, 2007). Yet, here's Jesus telling his disciples to view God's reign as an unclean, smelly, short-stalked, and rapidly spreading weed in their midst. Mustard and Rose of Sharon plants are not to be confused with one another. Yet they are both beholden and beloved by God.
The beauty of parables like this one are that their readily apparent and somewhat hidden meanings invite us to gain a new understanding of longstanding truths. Parables use day-to-day experiences as a vehicle for learning new things about God, one's community, and one's own faith. How is the Church, our parish, your life, like a garden? Do you enjoy having Jesus spread some mustard around? Are you/we willing to let the weeds grow up with the daisies? Is our Christian faith settled, tidy, perhaps too much so for our own security and the church's growth and transformation? How is God's reign coming into being in our midst in unexpected and sometimes uninvited ways? Who are the gardeners of this unruly but miraculous process? So much to learn, so many seeds to plant, so much room within God's reign and our gardens to grow and flourish, in our "ordinary time."
Blessings Along The Way, Jim+ |
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St. James - World Choir Games Friendship Concert
St. James is one of 50 locations around Cincinnati that will be hosting a concert during the World Choir Games. We are hosting one choir from Indonesia and two choirs from the United States.
July 11th 7:00 - 9:30 PM Your church Get Involved! Contact Jane Mattes for more information and to volunteer. |
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 This Week @ St. James
| Upcoming Events
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 More on Mustard Seeds
Tom Yaccino offers this very thoughtful reflection on the Parable of the Mustard Seed. There's plentiful seeds  of meaningful videos and digital resources on the Work of the People website as well Dave Perry's Visual Theology "blog."
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Contacts
St. James Episcopal Church Jim Strader, priest, pastor, and rector
513-661-1154 |
Our Vision
St. James Episcopal Church is called to be a center of worship and common life
where Christ's love is visible and experienced in order to seek and serve Jesus in others.
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N or M Dinner 
