July 2, 2006

Pentecost 4

One day, God was looking down at the earth, and asked an angel next to Him: “What in the world is going on down there on the planet?  What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle, and stuff I started eons ago?  I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan.  Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with abandon.  The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds.  I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now.  But, all I see are these green rectangles.”

ANGEL: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord.  The Suburbanites.  They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD:  Grass?  But, it's so boring.  It's not colorful.  It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms.  It's sensitive to temperatures.  Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ANGEL:  Apparently so, Lord.  They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green.  They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.  GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast.  That must make the Suburbanites happy. ANGEL:  Apparently not, Lord.  As soon as it grows a little, they cut it – sometimes twice a week!   GOD: They cut it?  Do they then bail it like hay?  ANGEL: Not exactly, Lord.  Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.  GOD: They bag it?  Why?  Is it a cash crop?  Do they sell it?

ANGEL:  No, Sir, just the opposite.  They pay to throw it away.  GOD:  Now, let me get this straight:  They fertilize grass so it will grow.  And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?  ANGEL:  Yes, Sir.   GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat.  That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.  ANGEL:  You aren't going to believe this, Lord.  When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD:  What nonsense!  At least they kept some of the trees.  That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so Myself.  The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer.  In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes.  It's a natural cycle of life.  ANGEL: You better sit down, Lord.  The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle.  As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD:  No...  What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose? ANGEL:  After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.  GOD:  And where do they get this mulch?  ANGEL:  They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.  GOD:  Enough!  I don't want to think about this anymore.  St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts.  What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber," Lord.  It's a story about.... GOD:  Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story!

Now, there is nothing wrong with having green lawns.  But when it comes to growing things, we often want to do it our own way, don’t we?  We think that we have to mess around with God’s plan.  His way isn’t good enough for us.  We think that we have a better way.  But that must sound pretty silly to God, don’t you think?  Because God is Good at Growing Things!

He is good at growing grass and flowers.  He is also good at growing his kingdom.  Many of the people in Jesus’ day, his disciples included, thought that the kingdom of God would be a visible kingdom.  Jesus had to remind them again and again that God’s kingdom is not an earthly kingdom.  He told them many parables which explained that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom.  God’s kingdom is within us.  God’s kingdom is his rule of grace in the hearts of people.  And He establishes that rule through his powerful Word.

In our text, Jesus tells us two parables about the kingdom of God.  The first one, about the man sowing seed, teaches us that it is God alone, through his Word, who changes our human hearts and strengthens our faith in Him.  The second one, the one about the mustard seed, tells us that the growth of God’s kingdom is remarkable!  It starts tiny, but becomes huge!  So these two parables emphasize the power of God’s Word alone to achieve that remarkable growth – in the heart of the individual and in the whole world.

So God is good at growing things.  He set down the perfect system to do it.  And his powerful Word is the only thing that can do what it can.  But don’t we often doubt the power of his Word?  Don’t we often question His way?  Don’t we often think we have a better way to do it?  “Do you catch yourself saying things like: “If my parents had given me a better example when I was young, being a Christian wouldn’t be so hard for me.”  Or “If my spouse were more cooperative, it would be easier for me to grow in my faith.”  Or “I am tired of looking into his Word for answers… I wish God would just give me a miraculous sign from heaven!”

But friends, God’s Gospel message can work and does work in spite of the circumstances!  God is Good at Growing Things!  Look at the first parable. (Read 26-29).  The seed is the Word of God.  Here’s what the parable teaches us:  Just as a seed has some mysterious and wonderful power to grow and produce a harvest, so God’s Word has a mysterious and wonderful power to grow in people’s hearts and produce a harvest for the Lord.  The person who sows the seed has nothing to do with the power which gives growth.  In the same way, the person who plants the seed of God’s Word has nothing to do with the power which gives growth.  We can hinder its growth by planting carelessly.  But we cannot cause it to grow.

Our job is planting.  God, in his own way and time, provides the growth.  We don’t always see the progress in our Christian life that we would want to see.  Maybe we see progress in others more easily than we see it in ourselves.  But if we apply God’s Word the growth will come.  Friends, God’s Word is enough!  The Gospel is enough!  Go back and hear about how much God loves you.  Go back and read about the love of Christ for you – how He gave his life for you – how He was perfect for you – how you are going to heaven because of Him.  And now what He wants you to do for Him.  That message will change your heart.  And then it will cause your faith and life to grow.  Don’t look for better ways to do it.  God is good at growing things.

The same thing is true in the church as a whole.  When God grows things, they grow big!  Look at the parable of the mustard seed: (Read 30-32).  The mustard plant in Israel grows to 10 or 15 feet, dwarfing all its neighbours in the garden and giving the birds a chance to rest on its branches.  All this from the tiniest seed!  That mustard seed represents the Word of God - Christ Jesus.  God’s Kingdom had small beginnings but grew to great proportions.  Amazing growth!

Do we sometimes doubt the power of God’s Word in growing things?  Have you ever caught yourself wanting to do it your own way instead?  Have you ever caught yourself asking questions like this?  “If only our congregation were larger and had our own facilities to worship in, then maybe more people would visit us and join our ministry!”  Or “If only we could change our stance on a few issues like close communion maybe we would grow larger.”  Or “If only I could speak more fluently, maybe I could persuade my neighbour to come to church!”

Well, friends, remember this:  Jesus didn’t have a church building to preach in either!  Jesus never changed his message to suit the interests of others.  And of all people, Moses and Paul both admitted they were neither fluent nor very good at speaking.  But look at what God did through them!  God is Good at Growing Things!  The power to save is in the Word!  At times, we foolishly wish that there were more we could do to make God’s kingdom grow, as if using the Word alone were a limitation.  It is not a limitation!  It is the means which God ordained and which Jesus used and still uses to establish and grow his kingdom!  These parables open our eyes to the unlimited potential of using God’s Word.

Who would’ve believed that a child born in Bethlehem’s stable would someday rule such a vast kingdom?  Who would’ve guessed that a handful of disciples preaching a simple message of salvation through Christ would spread a religion to followers on every continent and in every century?  And who knows what God will accomplish through the seeds we plant today?  God is good at growing things with his Word!  Who knows what God could do with his Word that we plan to start sharing in Milton this fall!  Does anyone doubt that God’s Word could make a difference there?  Who knows what God can do with his Word in the hearts of you and me right here as Cross of Life begins our house group Bible studies in the coming weeks!  Since His Word is going to be spread and sown more and more, He will make our hearts grow!
 
He is good at growing things!  That is a promise! Let this truth give us encouragement to plant the seeds of the Gospel without being discouraged by its apparent lack of success.  The growth He gives us will make us, and those whom we have shared it with, ready for the harvest – ready for God to come and take us to heaven.  Because it also shares the forgiveness we need.

Like the mustard seed, the Kingdom of God might seem to be small and weak at first.  But the day will come when the results of the kingdom’s silent, steady growth will be impressive.  In the meantime, don’t be surprised if the seeds you plant look ineffective.  Don’t be surprised if the witness you have to offer gets laughed at on account of looking so puny. 

Remember the story of Jack and the Beanstalk?  Jack’s mother scorns the tiny beans he brings home from the market.  They could never live off of those!  So in anger, she hurls them out the window.  Those beans were a non-starter, a mistake, a dead-end nutritionally and in every other sense.  Except that, of course, they ended up sprouting into a beanstalk that went, in a way, clear up to heaven!  And so, the kingdom of God, that faith in Jesus growing in your hearts, planted there once as a tiny seed, is going to take you right up to heaven to be with the God who loves you!  Let’s trust his plan!  God is Good at Growing Things!  Amen.

 

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