26 [Jesus] also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
When I was younger, I used to think of faith and the Kingdom of God as big, mysterious things...things largely alien to my life. I didn't have any trouble processing what Jesus said here. A tiny amount of uranium does this mysterious radiation thing that can create tons of power. The Kingdom of God is like that, right? So is faith.
The problem with this construct was that I couldn't figure out how to get that weird uranium stuff into my life. I wanted it, mind you. I wanted to be able to do great things...to create a faith explosion with just a little bit of God's special radioactive material. But it just wasn't happening. The vehicle was ready, but I never found the fuel.
As I've aged (somewhat) gracefully I've started to figure out that the reason I never found faith or the Kingdom in that way was misdirected vision. I was all ready with my uranium detector, looking for the slightest little bit that could move mountains. But uranium wasn't what I was supposed to be looking for.
Faith isn't some weird, alien thing, divorced from our lives and present only in minute particles held by particular people. Faith is ubiquitous, the Kingdom God's gift to us all. It's present all around us, powering our interactions with each other and the world. It's huge and it's everywhere. But you can only see it and grasp it in small amounts...or rather in small moments and gestures.
In church I used the example of snuggling with Derek in bed late at night a couple weeks ago. It was late and I didn't want to disturb Careen so I climbed into bed with my little boy...something I do occasionally. He was sound asleep, but then he rolled over and his arm brushed against me. He went from sound asleep to that 99% asleep phase...kind of awake-dreaming. He reach up and rubbed my side and got this dreamy smile on his little face, even though his eyes stayed closed. In his asleep, but dimly conscious, state he said, "Great! Great! This is just great!" Then he stroked my arm a couple times and went back to sleep, still smiling.
That moment touched me. You can't really fake anything when you're that far asleep. Whatever you're feeling inside--fear or anger or love--is going to come out. I was happy that my little boy's subconscious reaction to his dad was, "Great! It's great to see you!" If it had been different, I could not have changed it. There was no reasoning, no logical thought. It was what it was. Nor could I have bought that moment with any gift. I can always get a smile and a happy boy with presents, but not that smile...that soul-deep, mostly-asleep, totally innocent and open and unconscious one. That moment spoke of a good relationship between us.
I also realized that this precious moment was build on a lot of small occasions. A deep foundation of trust doesn't happen overnight. It can't be cajoled or enacted into being. I've worked every day to be a good dad, to be trustworthy and loving. I've not been perfect. Nor has Derek always been happy with me (and still isn't plenty of times). But dig down beneath all that and the foundation of our relationship is trust and love, shown through a thousand isolated moments. Without those little moments, we don't get the big "Great! Great!" one.
Back in the old days, when faith was like uranium, I would have looked for its power in big things like that half-asleep confession from my son. I certainly would have identified that as faith, but ironically enough I probably wouldn't have seen it. I would have thought that faithful parenting was about giving the right lecture or yelling at my kids at the right time or how glorious I made their birthday party...all striking, unusual moments. I wouldn't have paid enough attention to the small, simple things. But when Derek talked in his sleep, he wasn't processing lectures or discipline or big events. He was just touching his daddy...the same daddy he's known every day since he was born. The "uranium faith" moments are actually the least powerful among us. The everyday interaction, done well, has a far bigger effect.
This is what Jesus meant when he said, "The Kingdom of God is like a little seed you plant one day, and you have no idea how it grows, but it does and from it comes a great harvest." It's also what he meant when he said, "The Kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that, once grown, becomes a huge tree."
The smallest things, done consistently well, make a big difference. Often we skip over the "little" stuff--saying good morning to someone, asking about their day, offering to grab them coffee--to get to the "important" things like completing a task at work or getting our kids off to soccer practice or whatever it is. We don't realize that whether our children get to soccer on time or not doesn't matter as much as the process they go through in getting there. We don't realize that the "good morning" to our co-worker may be the single most significant thing we do all day!
Sometimes people try to engage in big-moment relationships. They'll spring for a fancy anniversary present once a year and then spend the other 364 days ignoring their spouse. They'll congratulate their kid for Straight A's but fail to support them in a hundred other ways. They'll get their friend a "BFF" necklace and then forget to actually be best friends. This doesn't work. Faith comes through the little stuff. The big things will take care of themselves. Without a hundred little moments to support and infuse them with meaning, they don't matter much.
To what (and whom) are you going to pay attention today? Got huge plans? That's fine. Just don't forget to smile at your spouse, spend some time listening to your children, really stop and ask a co-worker how they're doing and then listen to the response. Pay attention to that waitress in the restaurant, that checker behind the convenience store counter, that teenager you pass as you walk down the street. Take a couple extra moments and a little extra care to do the little things right. Sow the seeds of the Kingdom all around you. Your harvest will be far more bountiful when you do.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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