Small Beginnings, Immeasurable Ends
Pentecost 3, Proper 5
Fr. Tim Nunez
Sunday, 6/16/24
May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
I want to begin this morning with a brief word about parables. Jesus used them a lot. The synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) record 30-40 of them, depending on how you count them. They are very effective for a couple of reasons.
Whether he’s using an example like a lost sheep or a story like the Good Samaritan, they are extremely accessible. The parable meets us where we are, with the whole constellation of what that means in terms of experience, education, age, spiritual maturity etc. We can share them with elementary kids, high schoolers, seniors, bankers and ranchers.
When we study them in a group Bible study or reading interpretations and commentaries, we gain from other’s perspectives. Different angles come into view. Likewise, when we come at them again and again over a lifetime, each time we are different. Our circumstances are different. New insights emerge every time.
Further, there are layers of meaning that take the truth deeper than we can only find with some digging. All of Jesus’ parables pertain to either the Kingdom of God and/or the ways we are called to embody and share the Kingdom of God in our attitudes and actions. And so, we shall dig into the multi-faceted and layered truth in these two parables.
Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like a growing seed that matures into a full head of grain for the harvest. Farmers and gardeners know that we plant, water, feed, weed and tend to plants, but only God gives growth. One lesson, then, is that we are to do our part. We are to pray, study, teach and share the Gospel by word and action.
The head of the grain, the grain itself, is also seeds, thereby each seed has the potential to multiply the Kingdom exponentially.
There are two deeper layers to add here. The first is to recognize that rhythm of “sleep and rise, night and day” is a clear reference to the creation. The seed is doing exactly what the planter is doing. As we nurture growth, we are growing.
Second, the sickle hearkens to the Day of the Lord. The sickle comes when the harvest comes. When it does, we want to be caught in the process of faithfully nurturing the Kingdom.
Dads, moms, single moms, grandparents, guardians and foster parents all have high and holy callings to the nurture of children as well. Only God gives the growth. That means do your part and trust your children’s growth to God.
Today being Father’s Day, all dads should know that there is a distinct correlation between a fathers’ leadership in worshipping with his family and teaching his children and their children’s spiritual health along with every other measure of health. God bless you in that holy ministry your families. We honor you and give thanks for you. We hope Krispy Kreme conveys that clearly.
And to all parents, if you’re not getting your kids to church consistently, to camps, vacation Bible school, youth group and so on, you’re not doing your part. Reflect on that and set your priorities accordingly.
With the mustard seed, Jesus uses a bit of hyperbole to make a point. Although the mustard seed is not literally the “smallest” seed and it doesn’t yield the greatest shrub or tree, it is very tiny compared to the large bush or tree it can become.
So the first lesson is don’t discount small beginnings. We can easily dismiss or discount a small task or chance encounter, but in truth everything has a small beginning. According to classic physics, the moment before the Big Bang our universe had a size of zero. Quantum gravity physics suggests a minimum possible size on 1.616x10-35 meters. (That means 1.616x10 divided by 10 35 times.)
That’s too hard to imagine. Our deepest relationships began with a momentary meeting. Each of us began as a fertilized human egg cell no bigger than the circumference of a single hair. Don’t discount small beginnings. The chance meeting, the fleeting moment, the timely word, the basic kindness can be the seed of the Kingdom.
Second, when the Kingdom does grow in us as individuals and as a community, it creates spaces where “the birds of the air” can nest. This is God’s ancient promise. We see it in our reading from Ezekiel. God will plant a sprig on a high mountain. It will grow and bear fruit and provide shelter winged creatures of every kind. Jesus is fulfilling it. Is Jessu the sprig? Is it his disciples and the church they will plant? Is it us? Is it you? I think, yes. It’s what God does. He gives life and growth.
In other words, as we grow in faithfully learning, growing and meeting our responsibilities as Christians, we spawn a Thrift Shop where people can get quality clothing and necessities very inexpensively.
With our other Lake Wales Churches, we created and sponsor and volunteer in a Care Center providing all manner of social services to people in need while also sharing the Gospel with them and developing Christian leaders in the process.
With our diocese we establish a camp where children and youth come to know and grow in Jesus. I went down to visit camp on Friday to see our campers and the two priests serving as chaplains. Last week they hosted a middle school boy who has terminal cancer. They’ve stopped treatment because it stopped working. He is unlikely to survive another year. He’s going to Camp Wingmann for 3 weeks this summer because it’s his favorite place to be. It’s his favorite place to be because he feels God’s love most clearly there. That’s the Kingdom of God alive in our world. That’s the presence of Jesus holding him. That’s the Holy Spirit moving in and through him.
Good Shepherd has been among a handful of churches who have led the restoration of Camp Wingmann physically and in sending our children and youth to its programs. Good Shepherd was one of the leading churches that answered God’s call to establish the Care Center. Our Thrift Shop is growing. You keep growing and planting and watching for God’s growth.
AMEN!