Proper 6 – Year B

June 18, 2006

The Rev. Dorian McGlannan

 

For many of us, the parables contained in Jesus’ gospels are more familiar than any other part of scripture. In Jesus’ day, and to a certain extent in our own, the parables dealt with everyday life: lost coins, vineyards, gardening, unjust judges and wayward children. The parables were easy for Jesus’ audience because they were about things that actually happened in people’s lives. 

 

Many of us know the more famous parables: the prodigal son, the one lost sheep, the seed that fell on good ground. Well let me put it this way, we think we know the parables. The truth is that these seemingly simple stories are multi-faceted views into inner truth and reality. And quite simply, depending on what is going on in our own lives, the parables can be understood in radically different ways when we read them. Jesus’ parables don’t simply tell us a good story. They start out with ordinary people and places and then, they surprise us and startle us, turning our understanding of reality inside out. The parables sweep us off our feet as if we are in some sort of tornado and then, just like Dorothy, we end up in the Land of Oz.  

 

If we had to use one word to describe the purpose of parables, that word would be encouragement. What better way to provide encouragement than to tell us a parable about seeds. I have a friend in Seattle whom I have known since my first days in the Northwest in 1989. She is an incredible mom and her grown children are a delight. One time we were talking about parenting and she told me about taking her children to classical music concerts. “Oh they fussed and colored and acted as though they weren’t getting a thing out of it”, she told me. But then, sometimes years later, they would begin humming a tune from some concert they had attended several years prior. Following her inspiration, I too have had similar experiences with my children. From matters of faith to stories and music, seeds sprout up, sometimes years later. 

 

Seeds are amazing things. They often don’t sprout for years. The small bushes might get tangled up with some weeds for a while. But then the weeds are cleared and the bush grows to significant heights. Mustard seeds are tiny. Years ago, I used to make homemade mustard as Christmas gifts. The seeds are so small that they are impossible to handle one at a time. But when planted, they grow to be shrubs. Okay they don’t become towering trees. They don’t look like the cedars of Lebanon of which Ezekiel writes, but they are a heck of a lot bigger than the seed.

 

What are we to make of the Kingdom of God being called a shrub? There is a theory that the gospel of Mark contains a theme of concealment. This idea of concealment is there so that we might understand that Jesus’ message is often ambiguous and mysterious. What Jesus is telling us in the parables is not always obvious, nor is there generally one correct interpretation. 

 

What will help us right here and now at St. John’s is the idea of seeing the use of the shrubbery image as a means of encouraging our community. Perhaps we are the shrubs. Not only that, but we need to be appreciated as shrubs. It is a way of saying that small efforts are very important. It is a way of saying that; in fact, a lot of small effort ends up being a very significant effort.

 

The Ministry Team leaders, staff and I are in the process of putting together an Opportunities for Ministry booklet. The significant thing about this image of the shrub with regard to this booklet is that there are lots of opportunities to be shrubs! In other words, there will be lots of opportunities to do small pieces of work. We are being as specific as possible so that you will know the level of commitment needed to do each task. Okay, the church would probably not function if we did not have a number of cedar trees, people who do way more than their share. But the goal of this priest and of many of my colleagues is to spread the work out a bit. “Many hands make light work” and all that good stuff . . . Most of us can manage to contribute our time in one way or another. Some of what needs to be done can be done off site. Some of what needs to be done requires no specific skills except the ability to breath and a willing heart. But imagine what we could accomplish if each of us were willing to be a shrub. Some people can’t contribute and that is understandable and has to be accepted by the rest of the community. Some people’s health keeps them from contributing. Some people have lives that are unmanageable and until their situation changes, they really cannot contribute time and talent to the church. But bear in mind that we are a family, and just as we try to get everyone at home to contribute to the functioning of the family, so that model is true for the family of God.

 

Sometimes people don’t know what gifts they have. The good news is that everyone has some sort of spiritual gift. Each of us has been given a purpose for being in this world. If you really aren’t sure what kind of ministry is calling you, we will have a spiritual gifts class in the fall. We will also be providing training where training is needed. This is especially true in terms of work with youth and children. 

 

I know there are many eager hearts in this congregation, people who want to help ensure a vibrant future for our congregation. Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed gives us the encouragement to take that first step; it gives us the encouragement to start small. 

 

I need to shift gears at this point because I wanted to talk a bit about General Convention which is, as we speak, in session in Columbus, Ohio. 9,000 people from 110 dioceses have gathered for 10 days of lively legislation and liturgy. I’ve been watching the nightly news casts on the Convention website. I strongly encourage you to watch these, as they will give you a very good picture of what is happening. Yesterday former senator and priest John Danforth gave an address that talked about how the Episcopal Church is in a prime place for developing a ministry of reconciliation. This mustard seed that he planted talked about how we can model to the world healthy ways of living with differences. We are, for example, in a key position to model to the rest of the world how to live in harmony with people of other faiths. The Episcopal Church in particular and the Anglican Church in general are leaders in terms of interfaith dialogue. This whole concept of the ministry of reconciliation is fabulous because the truth is we will never agree on some of the issues which have plagued our tradition. What matters is how we live with each other, knowing that we do not agree. We are a family and in healthy families people accept the differences of opinion and love each other through those differences. 

 

I’ve prayed a lot about this particular General Convention because dealing with the last one in my former church was very challenging. What I have felt God saying to me is that it is not within my power to change anyone’s opinion about anything. What I can do is model the way we treat each other in the midst of differences. This is an opportunity for us to step off the platform and be present to each other. This is an opportunity for us to practice intentional and openhearted listening. This is an opportunity for developing a sense of humility. 

 

Senator Danforth spoke of his sorrow surrounding the break away Anglican groups that have sprouted up in various times in our history – groups that have been impassioned about “being right”, groups that have been so convinced they had “the truth” that they have felt compelled to separate themselves from the family. He spoke of one such group in his home state of Missouri, a group that meets in a mortuary. The 4^th grade Sunday School class is held in room B. Danforth ended up by telling his audience: “Don’t go to the mortuary before it is absolutely necessary!”  

 

Aside from the continued dialogue around old issues, there are lots of other things happening at Convention. One of the most exciting is the work being done by a young woman priest from the Diocese of Maine. Her name is Page Blair and she has designed a Eucharist called U2charist. It uses the music of the well-known Irish rock group U2. It was a huge hit at convention – they had planned for 400 hundred people, at 600 hundred they had to stop letting people in because of the fire codes. At least 100 people were turned away at the door. Though I have very sincere appreciation for traditional worship, I know this kind of innovation is essential if we are going to address the needs of the larger population.

 

Mustard seeds being planted in so many places. It is wonderful, it is exciting. This is why I love our tradition so much. I know God is calling us to be planters of seeds. I know God is calling us to use every opportunity possible to sow seeds of love and listening. When we sow seeds of love and listening, the harvest will be great.