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Matthew 13:31-33 Starting Small 7 30 17

Romans 8:26-39
We understand the concept of little things like a mustard seed taking on
huge proportions. For me, one chocolate chip cookie often turns into three; for
some children, if one hissy-fit is successful to get a parent to say yes, it easily
escalates to full-on temper tantrums; for some corporations, one lie to evade
questions about pollutants in the atmosphere can expand to multi-level cover-
ups; and for the Church universal, one new idea may get under someones skin
and a heresy is born.
At issue today is our tendency to think that little things taking on huge
proportions are only negative: Overeating, whining children, corporate deception,
Christian crusades. We become afraid of the little things, feeling sure that
everything and everyone is running amok, running down the drain, or going to
Hades in a handbasket. It is this fear that Jesus was addressing when he told the
parable of the mustard seed. Using the image of mustard seeds and wild yeast1
for farmers in Jesus time was like suggesting to 21st century farmers to plant
kudzu for preventing soil erosion. These plants are aggressive, invasive, and a
hindrance to growing anything else. Jesus said, the reign of God is like a mustard
seed, to which the listeners probably said,OH NO! That stuff is awful we try to
get rid of that! Jesus wanted to change the image. He wanted to make an
association between something that grows out of control, and the glory of God.

1
Wild yeasts wild yeast are usually defined as: any yeast which is not deliberately used and under full control.
Wild yeast contamination can occur if the pitching/cropping yeast is in contact with air and anything added in the
fermenter is a potential source of contamination.

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Not everything that starts out small and grows to outlandish proportions is
bad! Not everything that takes over has to be negative. The reign of God can
start as small as a seed, and invade everything it touches positively.
Imagine a small thing like saying grace with children at the dinner table. Its
a little thing to do, and sometimes doesnt seem to make sense when kids are
really young, but that small seed grows in their hearts and minds. They become
children and youth and young adults and parents themselves who have been
infiltrated with the reign of God. They pause when presented with food and
whether there is a spoken prayer or not, there is an infusion of thankfulness-in-
the-moment that started small, years and years ago.
I think there is a hesitation to engage in spiritual practices, because there is
a fear of what it might start. What might happen if we choose to come to church
every Sunday for a month? What might start if you and I just sat at home for 5
minutes in the quiet, not reading or listening, just sitting, before heading out the
door? What are the possibilities for a change in perspective or action if we read
one Bible verse every night? Gods reign might take hold in ways we didnt
expect.
So we start small. We start with the basic promises that God has given to
us, like the message Paul wrote to the Romans. There is nothing that can
separate us from the love of God. It starts out as a message we hear at church,
or during a memorial service, and we are not aware that it has taken root until we
actually feel separated from love that is, when we have been abandoned by
someone we care about, or we feel bereft after a time of death, or we think God
is simply preoccupied with things more important than our individual and

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community life. When we have those experiences of loss, the already-planted
assurance that these will not separate us from Gods love grows even more.
Preaching teacher David Lose once offered a three part interpretation
about how the reign of God takes over when you make small spiritual changes:
First, be careful. People who have been infected by the gospel have done crazy,
counter-cultural things like sharing all they have with others, standing up for their
values in school or the workplace, looking out for the underprivileged, and sharing
their faith with the people around them. Second, be encouraged. Hang in there!
Gods new reality is closer than you think, already seeping into your life even
though you cant always feel it. Third, rest assured. No matter what life may look
like, Gods kingdom will prevail. Gods reign is coming, and before you know it
will transform everything.2
At the church retreat in June, we heard a song that was new to many of us.
Heather and Nydia Soto led us in a two-part reflection about the song, I Need
You To Survive, by Hezekiah Walker. At the end of our reflection time, we were
given two copies of the song, along with the assignment of giving one copy to
someone we have never met before. It was an entre to conversation about
needing each other in this world, and the power of making meaningful
connections.
I am bringing that idea home today. I have cards here for each of you. On one
side is a mustard seed. On the other side is a picture of a man standing in front of
a 15-foot mustard bush. We are going to take a few minutes to pass these out
and I would like you to talk to each other in groups of 2, 3, or 4 just for a bit.

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David Lose, Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol 2.

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Share with each other something small that you have done or would like to do, to
start growth in your spiritual life

We have started small, sharing just one thing. I encourage you to keep
your eyes open for the ways this one encounter is going to grown in and around
and through you in the days ahead.
Amen.

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Matthew 13:31-33

He put before them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like


a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the
smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of
shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and
make nests in its branches. He told them another parable: The
kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in
with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.

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