St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
Church of the
Incarnation, Jersey City NJ
June 14, 2015
Year B, Proper 6: The
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Mark 4:26-34
The Greatest of All
Shrubs
Like
most, if not all, of us, I’ve been trying to save a couple of bucks where I
can.
A
couple of weeks ago I realized that I had fallen into the expensive and
waist-expanding habit of going out for lunch pretty much every day. One day it
was a couple of slices from Prince of Pizza. Another day I’d walk to the VIP or
drive down to the Brownstone.
You
know how it goes.
I
got into this habit because, to be honest, sometimes it feels good to get off
the St. Paul’s campus, where I both live and work, after all.
And,
also to be honest, I got into this habit out of laziness. It’s nice to have
someone else prepare and serve me lunch!
But,
I realized that this doing a number on my wallet – and was probably not a
healthy choice.
So,
I decided to buy bread and cold cuts and make lunch for myself at home as much
as possible.
You’re
impressed, I know.
The
other day I prepared a roast beef sandwich on good bread and to top it off I
slathered some spicy brown mustard on my creation.
I
bit into that sandwich made by my own hands in the comfort of the dining room
table of the rectory – my own home – and it tasted so good.
Hungry,
yet?
Well,
I remembered that delicious mustard-slathered sandwich when I began to reflect
on today’s gospel passage from Mark.
One
thing we know for sure about Jesus is that he taught using parables, which are
short – sometimes very short – stories that contain multiple meanings.
Jesus
probably told the same parables over and over in different places, with
different people, probably changing some of the details to suit particular
audiences.
And,
he used images that the people around him would have experienced or at least
known about, though almost always with at least one twist, and some
exaggeration, and even some humor.
Today
we heard two parables, both about seeds.
And,
in both cases, Jesus teaches that God is responsible for the growth.
God
has given us the job to plant seeds - our job is to plant seeds – even
very small seeds – and God takes those small seeds and provides growth.
Two
thousand years later, even here in gritty Jersey City, we can all still
appreciate the image. We see it happening right here in our church garden.
Today
I’d like to focus on the second parable, the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
In
this parable, we hear Jesus using some exaggeration and humor.
His
listeners in the First Century would have known very well that mustard seeds,
though small, are not the smallest.
And,
the “greatest of all shrubs” – well, that’s kind of funny, isn’t it?
When
I think “great” I imagine the majestic redwoods of California, or the towering
trees of the Amazon rainforest, not a shrub standing just a few feet off the
ground.
I
bet the first hearers of the parable would have chuckled at that “greatest of
all shrubs” business.
Who
knew, this rabbi, this Jesus of Nazareth, he’s funny!
But
the first hearers of this parable would have known a few other things, too.
They
knew about mustard plants.
They
knew that birds did sometimes take shelter in these shrubs.
They
knew that mustard could be used as a medicine to heal.
And,
they knew that mustard was delicious, adding spice to bland food.
The
kingdom of God is like a little mustard seed that grows into a shrub, providing
shelter, healing, and spice.
And,
that’s who we’re supposed to be.
The
Church – our church – is meant to
offer people a taste of the kingdom of God right here on Duncan Avenue, right
here on Storms Avenue.
We
plant little seeds and God grows us into a shrub providing shelter, healing,
and spice.
Each
time we truly welcome the stranger – especially when it’s somebody different
than us, someone we might be inclined to distrust or dislike - each time we truly welcome a stranger with a smile, a handshake, with genuine
care and interest, we plant a seed.
Each
time we reach out to someone who’s struggling – to the person who is facing
illness or even death, the person who is reeling from a broken relationship,
who’s lost the love of their lives, the person who can’t pay the bills, the
person who’s homeless or addicted – each time we reach out to a person who’s
struggling, we plant a seed.
Each
time we live the faith that is within us – when we live joyfully knowing that
there is a God who knows each one of us intimately and loves us no matter what
we do or don’t do – each time we live joyfully knowing that God loves us enough
to come among us in and through Jesus of Nazareth – each time we live joyfully
knowing the Easter truth that love conquers death, that love wins - each time
we sing out our faith even if we can’t carry a tune – each time we live our
Christian life with zest – each time we live the faith that is in us - we plant
a seed.
Now,
the truth is we are never going to be a mega-church with thousands and
thousands of members – a grand cathedral that people will pay money to tour and
take pictures of our windows and statues - we’re never going to be a
magnificent redwood.
No,
that’s not us.
You
and I, we’re called to just plant our little seeds – and let God grow us into
the greatest of all shrubs – just big enough for the birds to take shelter in
our branches.
We
just have to let God grow us into delicious mustard – so we can provide
shelter, healing, and spice for all the people out there looking for home,
looking for health, and looking for joy.
With
God’s help, together, we can be the greatest of all shrubs.
And
that’s no joke.
Amen.
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