Sermon 01-31-2010

Mark 4:26-33                                                                           Isaiah 42:1-9

“The Kingdom of God is like…”

Do you know what a mustard seed looks like?

Please take a look at this (show a seed), “…if you will, one of the most efficient, self-contained structures in nature. It possesses – on its own – almost everything it needs to survive and grow. It has its own coat, its own embryo and its own food supply. It can even impregnate itself. That’s right; each one has the male and female components it needs to create a fertilized egg. The reproductive system is incredible, but it does need extra help to grow. After fertilization, it remains dormant until warm, moist conditions promote germination. Then, its coat softens and the metabolism rate in the cells increases. It drinks water and even starts “breathing,” while a simple digestion begins. The digested food travels to new areas of growth that emerge when cell division begins. And congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Seed, it’s a plant! And it’s alive!

(The Youth Bible, New Century Version, by Word Publisher, Dallas, Texas 75039. Used by permission, 1991, pg. 971)

Prayer

Jesus was a teacher!

“Teacher was a title of respect… applied to Jewish religious authorities. Another word used for Jesus was “rabbi,” not an official position, rather it indicated that Jesus’ status was as a leader of a group… and that his authoritative teachings were publicly recognized.”  (Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary, pg.524)

Jesus was regarded as a teacher by his disciples… he taught publicly in the open air, in synagogues, and in the temple. Like contemporary Jewish teachers he gathered disciples, though unlike them, he did not create a school of biblical interpretation, but sent his disciples to share his own proclamation.”       (Spivey and Smith, Anatomy of the N.T. pg. 206)

Jesus’ style of teaching included parables, sayings, and miracles. In the gospels, the message of Jesus centers upon the kingdom of God. “Now after John (the Baptist) was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near, change your hearts, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:14-15)

“Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God as both present and future. Jesus claims that the kingdom is inaugurated in his ministry. It is in the process of being realized, but it has not yet fully come, for its completion is still future. The kingdom involved both the action of God and the response of the people. The present hidden reality of the kingdom challenged the disciples to accept it now and thus enabled him joyfully to anticipate the future.

In other words: “Seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness enables one to find freedom and enjoyment in the present… the future belongs to God… Present blessings and obedience simple become expanded and enlarged in the future. Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom seeks to bring a response from the hearers, a response defined as doing the will of God.”   (Spivey & Smith, pg. 207-214)

Jesus spoke in parables to drive home a specific point by way of an analogy drawn from the everyday world. The parables are not stories told to illustrate general truths; they are sharp words with implied directives for concrete situations. In Jesus’ parables attention is focused not upon the particulars, but upon the total impact of the story.”  (Spivey & Smith, pg. 210)

Let’s take a look at “the parable of the seed growing secretly adds a new dimension to the optimism about God’s rule encouraged by the parables of the sower and the seed and the mustard seed. The farmer, once having planted the seed, contributes nothing to its growth (“The earth produces of itself”) and apparently does not understand how it matures. He simply waits for the moment of harvest, when he gathers the results. The cause for optimism is still there; the harvest surely comes. The role of the farmer is intriguing… The mystery of growth belongs to the earth and the seed, and not of the farmer. His activity neither hastens nor deters the time of the harvest.

The figure of the farmer represents a wholesome reminder that the consummation of God’s reign is not dependent on our best efforts, whether in social ministries or any church activity). We are freed from the burden of determining the harvest, of assuming that our successes or failures hasten or deter God’s plans. What a liberating thought! The fortunes of the kingdom do not rise or fall with programs that succeed or fail. The basis for optimism about the future rests in God, the giver of growth and the sole determiner of the time for harvest.”                                             (Brueggemann, Year B, pg.391)

“We see then that the kingdom of God is like that of a plant.

Nature’s growth is often imperceptible. If we see a plant every day we cannot see its growth taking place. (it’s like that saying: ‘a watched pot never boils’).

Nature’s growth is constant. Night and day, while we sleep, growth goes on. Different from us humans, we take one step forward; the next day we take two steps back. But the work of God (is ongoing just like the growing plant).

Nature’s growth is inevitable. There is nothing more powerful than growth. A tree can split concrete. A weed can push its green head through an asphalt path. Nothing can stop growth. It tells us that there is a consummation. There is a day when the harvest comes.

It calls to patience, hard for us creatures of the moment…

It calls to hope, (when) we are living to-day in an atmosphere of despair. (Hope?) If God is the God we believe him to be there is no room for pessimism. The day of the harvest also calls to preparedness.”   (Barclay, Mark, pg. 107-108)

The parable of the Mustard Seed provides… grounds for optimism. The contrast is established between “the smallest of all seeds on earth” and the greatest of all shrubs.”        (Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year B, pg.390)

“It offers a word of encouragement to those who puzzle about their investment in the Christian mission. The reign of God may seem like sheer weakness, no more than an insignificant mustard seed. But take heart. The tiny mustard seed ultimately produces a huge shrub, and God’s reign is like that. Don’t be deceived by its modest beginnings. Its final consummation will be great.”         (Brueggemann, Year A, pg.423) The parable tells us that not only growth happens but that the plant becomes a tree, “and the birds of the air make their nests in its shade.” Mark 4:33.

“I wonder how the birds feel about the tree?

I wonder where the birds were coming from?

I wonder if the birds were happy to find such a tree?

I wonder how many birds could live in this tree?

I wonder if the tree has a name?”      

                            (Steward & Berryman, Young Children and Worship, pg. 157-158)

“How is a seed’s reproductive system like faith’s growth process in you?

What benefits come from faith’s growth in you?

What benefits can came from many people growing in faith?”  (Youth Bible, pg.971)

“As we think about the linkages between growth and faith… The tiny seed contains in its very nature that which will cause it to grow into the impressive bush. As we are made new in Christ, (as a seed) we begin a process that is largely unseen.” (unknown and bigger than our imagination!              (Nan Duerling, The Word and You, vol.3, pg. 198)