The Rev. Kristin Krantz, St. James’ Mt. Airy, 6/14/2021, Pentecost 3/Prober 6B
1 Samuel 15:34 – 16:13, Psalm 20, 2 Corinthians 5:6-17, Mark 4:26-34
Gracious God, take our minds and think through them; take our hands and work through them;
take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien are some of my favorite books of all time. I’ve re-read them countless times and of course seen the movies multiple times as well – including the infamous Trilogy Tuesday, which was the opening night of the final installment of the trilogy, The Return of the King, on which I saw all three films back-to-back for 10 ½ hours of Middle Earth goodness. I can also proudly boast that I have over 70 LOTR action figures. They periodically make an appearance at Youth Group for a hands on lesson on church history – showing the formation of the church and how it has grown and segmented over the centuries.
But I digress! Except that the reason I’m telling you all this that I see a profound connection between these stories and the parable of the mustard seed.
Among my various LOTR treasures is a poster that shows the Hobbit Frodo Baggins holding the One Ring in the palm of his hand – and underneath it, it simply states, “Power Can Be Held in the Smallest Things.”
If you are familiar with LOTR you know that this is an allusion to both to the One Ring – a simple gold band that contains tremendous power – and also to Frodo – a member of the diminutive race known as Hobbits in Tolkien’s mythical Middle Earth.
Power can be held in the smallest of things.
This is the essence of the parable of the mustard seed as well, offering us an understanding of who we each are, and what it is we are called to do collectively.
You probably know that mustard seeds are very small. I have a jar of them in my office that I use for show and tell during Nursery School Chapels. They are a brownish mustard yellow color and slightly bigger than poppy seeds – so pretty small.
However these probably weren’t the mustard seeds Jesus was referring to. A few years ago a friend showed me a packed of mustard seeds someone brought back from the Holy Land for him. If you to pick up your bulletin and look at the period at the end of any sentence, that’s roughly the size of one of those mustard seeds. They were smaller than a poppy seed, and less substantial too – being more of a flake almost. If I didn’t know better I would have thought they were pepper.
So, what is it about this tiny mustard seed that made Jesus choose it for a parable? Well, if I have learned anything about Jesus over the years it’s that he liked to take the values of the world and turn them upside down.
He also knew his disciples and the others around him well enough to know that sometimes he had to practically bash them over the head with obvious symbolism to get them (and us!) to begin to understand the message he came to proclaim.
“With what can we compare the kingdom of God … ? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
The mustard seed symbolizes the power inherent in each individual – in each of us – to be caretakers.
Even this shrub, which comes from the smallest of seeds, provides care and is able to nurture the creation around it.
So it is with us. All of us have embedded within us the ability to care for one another and all of God’s creation. Each of us has something to offer, a branch to provide shade and comfort.
This isn’t big, showy work. It can look like bringing someone a meal, offering a listening ear, or simply being someone people know they can count on. It can look like planting trees or a garden, and buying local as often as we can.
This parable points us to the practice of building God’s kingdom from that tiny mustard seed within each of us.
God’s kingdom looks like each of us living into the power of caring for one another and God’s creation. When we do this, God’s love, justice, and compassion will reign over and against the kingdoms of this world.
For it is not the majestic cedars of Lebanon, or sturdy oaks, that Jesus pointed to when illustrating what the kingdom of God is like. No, he compared it to a small shrub. God’s kingdom does not replicate the kind of greatness that human nations attempt to build for themselves.
Jesus spoke out to the people of his time, and is still speaking to us, telling all who will hear that God’s kingdom is not of this world – that it is in fact at odds with this world. It is not a place that values fame, or material wealth, or power over others.
Instead, it is a place where small actions are significant, because it is only when we act in the power of love that true justice will be realized. Then compassion will be the foundation of all relationships and peace will be realized as the journey, not the destination.
Power can be held in the smallest of things. . . indeed in each of us.
And so it is my prayer that each of us will embrace the power of the mustard seed planted within us, to grow into the people God longs for us to be – caring for those in our lives and the world around us, and in so doing cultivating God’s kingdom here and now. Amen.