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The Third Sunday after Pentecost                                       June 14, 2015


This Weekend's Readings (click each reading to view the passage)

Ezekiel 17:22-24Psalm 92:1-4, 12-152 Corinthians 5:6-17Mark 4:26-34
 
Pr. Steve's Sermon - When Size Isn't the Point
Pr. Steve's Sermon - When Size Isn't the Point


Children's Sermon - Seeds that Grow
Children's Sermon - Seeds that Grow





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Sermon Notes from Pastor Steve ... 

 

Over the past 40 years or so, there have been two competing theories about size. One is that "bigger is better." The other is that "small is beautiful". They really began as economic theories, but as economics is really about how we live and manage our lives, they pretty much can be applied to any area of life.

 

So we sometimes debate the pros and cons of each. Is bigger better? Or is small really the new big? And as with most things, the answer depends upon what we're talking about. Probably, if you're trying to get around in downtown DC, and you have a bike, you'll be able to get where you're going more quickly and easily than if you're driving a cement mixer! Small probably is beautiful.

 

On the other hand, if you're looking at your 401-K or your kid's college fund, there's probably no financial advisor that will tell you small is beautiful. In those cases, bigger really is better.

 

And because we so often ask the question of whether big or small is better, we can get hung up on size, as though size itself is qualitative, not just quantitative. That is, we can judge something to be good and virtuous simply because it's big or small.

 

And that can be a problem when size really isn't the main point. And I think that's a danger for us anytime we read parables where Jesus uses small things, as he does in today's Gospel reading when he talks about this tiny little mustard seed.

 

The mustard seed, says Jesus, was the one of the smallest seeds people in his time and place were familiar with. And yet, Jesus likens it to God's Word, or even the Kingdom of God. It can be small, even like a mustard seed.

 

Often, that's where we stop when we hear this parable. We think about how small the mustard seed is, and how small things, even just a word from God, can be beautiful. And of course, that's true.

 

But if that's where we stop, we can end up making a virtue out of size. That is, we can end up convincing ourselves that small is really what God wants, and how God acts, and even who God is. And that can be a problem, because that's really a misreading of what Jesus is saying.

 

You see, here's the thing about the seed. The seed may be small, but it has potential, and it grows. Eventually, says Jesus, it becomes a huge shrub which can't be missed, and can do big things. The point of the seed isn't size, but growth. And growth, rather than size, is what Jesus says the kingdom of God is all about.

 

So in fact, God's kingdom - God's work in us and around us - may start out small, but that's not what makes it special. God's work in us, around us, and through us, is intended to grow and to help us grow. And that's what Jesus is calling his disciples - all of us - to be open to.

 

But to do that, we may have to work a bit to get beyond the temptation to make a virtue out of size. More often than not, we can recognize the dangers of making a virtue out of "big." Sometimes, "big" can just be flashy and pompous and self-congratulatory.

 

But what about small? Sometimes we think about the smallness of the seed and we think that small, in and of itself, is what matters. But if growth is really what God is after, than even "small" can be a danger if small means that:

  • Small is what God really wants - "I can only give a little, or pray a little, or serve occasionally; but it's OK because I'm doing the little bit I can"; we even sometimes re-enforce this during stewardship times when we ask people to do "just a little bit" more; but what if the point is really growing from wherever you are, big or small? Small can be a great place to start, but Jesus doesn't want us to stop there...
  • Small is how God acts - and really, God does often act in small ways, both in the Bible and in our own lives; but God also acts in big ways, and does dramatic things that we shouldn't ignore; the point of recognizing God in small things and in small ways isn't to say that that's the only real way God acts; it's just to be reminded that God works in all kinds of ways, both big and small, and we should grow in our appreciation of the variety ...
  • Small is what God is - maybe this is the worst danger. If we convince ourselves that God only wants small things from us, and works only in small ways, than it's a logical conclusion that God is pretty small and should have a pretty small impact in our lives. But again, the point of the seed is that it grows and becomes great. And even if God is a small part of our lives right now, God is working each day to make his Word grow in us and around us and through us so that God's presence and strength end up being big things, not small things, in our lives ...

Jesus is really saying that the kingdom of God - God's work in us and around us and through us - is a living, active, growing activity. Jesus wants us to grow. And he wants us to be a part of God's living, growing activity in the world.

 

So wherever we are in our faith journey - whether the kingdom of God seems great or small, Jesus calls us to be open to growing each day of our lives. Jesus calls us to see the potential for growth God gives us, even if the potential may seem small. And most of all, Jesus calls us not to focus on big or small, but on the gift and potential that God gives each of us every day to grow more fully into the kingdom of God.

 

Amen.