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“From the Smallest Seed,” Rev. Jason-Paul Channels, 6/14/15

“From the Smallest Seed”

A sermon preached at

Heart of the Rockies Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Fort Collins, CO

by the Rev. Jason-Paul Channels

June 14, 2015

Mark 4: 26-34

Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how.

The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.”

He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it?

Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.”

With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.

The mustard seed gets a good bit of press in the Bible for something so small.  And I think that is due to its diminutive size.  Big things seem to get noticed and used and pointed out more often than small tings.  And I think the same is true in the church as well.

Sometimes I think as the modern church we design our ministry and our efforts in the church year on Big events and Big moments and Big encounters.  Weddings, Funerals, Baptisms, Mission Trips, Worship Services, Altar Calls and preaching Revivals.  We tend to think that since Jesus pulled off some big things like healing the sick, walking on water, calming the storms and raising the dead we need to at least have something to show for all our work…even it just might be turning water into beer.  We get focused on big impacts, big numbers, keeping up with the Joneses of First this and Central that.

But how often do these efforts produce what we hoped?  How often do they do more than just serve as entertainment or yet another thing people ignore on their busy calendars?  How often do they grow into even bigger responses we had hoped for in the people who came?

A standard youth ministry rally or event in the “pay-to-play” world of youth ministry programming will end with an emotional and highly charged call to respond…to make promises of purity or join these hundreds of other crying youth in coming forward to give your life to Christ, or not take drugs, or confess your sins, or promise to not hold hands with your soulmate until you are married.  The entirety of the event is building to this very movement, this one question, this end all and be all of the event.  I was talking with a pastor friend the other week about how do you reconcile the time and effort and resources for such an event when the goal is so focused on this one big moment?

It lead me to wonder about what we focus on and why in a new way.  What would it mean to be aware of the smallest things rather than the largest things?

I had to ask myself if there was a correlation between the two.   The bad joke about serial killers always being such a nice guy, quiet, great neighbor or when we talk about a few rotten apples spoiling a barrel, or not all people who are X are like such and such example.  The straw that broke the camel’s back. The spark that ignited the fire.

Since not all of our biggest impacts on the world come from from the biggest parts of us, what are the things in our lives that come from the smallest places?

Good things can indeed come from the smallest places.  The simplest acts, the smallest words, the little gestures and signs between people, small gifts or notes.  All you have to do is spend 5 minutes on FB to know that social media has highlighted the power of the small good deed to a viral  “jaw-dropping” event that rarely lives up to its tear-jerker hype, but still pushes the small thing ethos.

Bad things also often come from the smallest places.  Few racists are like Hitler.  Classism, sexism, slurs against people and abilities (mental health or developmental issues), show up in small jokes or non-thought-out slang or comments.

We are living in a world where the smallest thing is more and more often becoming the only thing.  Where entire political alliances are based on the answer to one question about one issue, value or worth is assigned by the measurement of one category. Language and descriptive terms like “thug” or “member of a motorcycle club” are used in media coverage and conversation to immediately communicate what side of an issue or event is being explored.

The smallest things.  And yet there are a whole host of the smallest things that go unnoticed or ignored in our world that have big impacts.  Pollution and environmental degradation, complicity in corrupt and oppressive systems of economics, race, politics and access to power.

Smallest things like making eye contact with the person asking you for money for food.

Smallest thing like asking a friend or neighbor to join you in an activity at church or in the community where they can interact with us a people of faith.  There is a weekend coming up in September when we will be inviting the congregation to think about something you like to do and invite others from the church and your circles of friends to join you in doing those very things.  Hiking, bike riding, visiting a museum or going to see the colors of the leaves. Stacy Poncelow is thinking about inviting folks to join her for a CSU tailgate.  Our daughter Erica is inviting folks to the church to watch a children’s movie with her.

The goal and the hope is that these encounters of the smallest things, things we are already doing in our lives that seem to have little to no relevance to anything else can actually be used to build community.  They can be used to offer folks an entry point into our community of faith whether they have been here for 5 years or don’t even know where the church building is.  Because it is these smallest things like an invitation from a friend that grow into the largest bushes.

Invitation like this combined with the smallest thing like sharing of our abundance with those who live in scarcity.  Smallest things like helping other to know and share in the love and hope and grace and promise and food and community and housing and clothing and security and healthy living options that we celebrate and give thanks for every day.

Smallest things like composting from our kitchen.

Smallest things like saying out loud every week that all are welcome at the table.

We can not heal or walk on water and if we are waiting for a pastor to do this in order to bring people into the church we will have to stock up on floaties.  It is the Church’s job to expose people to these smallest things of the faith and then nurture them in exploring what that means for their lives.  The Disciples and the Apostles were called to teach and to proclaim and to welcome and to share and to encourage.  Each of them a small thing on their own yet look at what they produced!

Jesus healed.  Jesus died and rose again.  But Jesus also listened.  Jesus sat down and ate with others.  Jesus included and welcomed.  Jesus loved.   All of these on their own are the smallest things.  Yet look what they produced!

Good Samaritan.  John 3:16.  The Great Commission.

Faith as small as a mustard seed.  When scattered on the ground bears much and grows to great size.   What is your smallest thing?