Lectionary 11B
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
Lakeland, FL
June 13, 2021
I Samuel 15:34-16:13
Psalm 20
2 Corinthians 5:6-17
Mark 4:26-36
Many years ago, Earl and I bought our first house and during the first winter we decided that the following spring we would plant our first garden. We were particularly excited because we had taken down a very large tree in the backyard that had an infestation on the branches. The stump remained. Earl decided to grind it out and we could use the grindings to till into the soil for the plantings. We were in for two big surprises. Memorial Day came and it was time to plant our starters of tomatoes, green peppers, some herbs, and eggplant and we planted seeds of leaf lettuce, zucchini, and radishes. Our backyard neighbor was Mr. Thode – he had a florists shop in town. He watched Earl carting wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of the stump grindings to work into the soil. Over the weeks we weeded, watered, took care of pests and waited and waited. We were tasting that first tomato before it even appeared!
After some time we saw the first green pepper – one of our oldest son’s favorites. It was just small then, of course, so we waited for it to grow and ripen. And waited. Then I spotted the first of the eggplant – green and small and we gathered recipes for the time they would be large and purple and ready to harvest. And we waited. Finally there a few tomatoes. But by this time we knew that something just wasn’t right. There wasn’t the full crop we expected and everything was just so small and tiny. Even the zucchini was affected. Kind of like miniatures of everything.
Here’s surprise number one. The tree we took down was a black walnut and there is a chemical in the black walnut that inhibits growth – it’s called juglone. All this time we thought Earl was doing something great for our garden and actually the opposite was true. My canning plans for the fall were gone.
But imagine our reaction to surprise number two. As we were taking up the garden in the fall before winter hit, Mr. Thode was out in his garden too. We were puzzling with him about what could have gone wrong before we had done any research. “Oh,” he said, “Black walnuts have a chemical in them that retards the growth of plants. It’s called juglone.” Surprise number two – Mr. Thode let us go on day after day tilling this into our first garden. Then he added, “I guess you learn a lot with your first garden, huh?” Surprise!
And in each of our scripture readings today we see God at work in surprising ways – some of them indiscernible to human eyes.
In the Old Testament reading, we heard the story of God selecting David to be the king of Israel. The prophet, Samuel set out on the journey God directed him to go to the land of Jesse of Bethlehem. When Samuel arrived at Jesse’s land he asked to see Jesse’s sons. Seven of them were brought to Samuel. Proudly, Jesse brought them from oldest to youngest before Samuel. The oldest was tall and strong and Samuel was sure that this one was to be king. But the Lord had a different idea. Then one after another Samuel met each of them. But none was to be king. Samuel asked Jesse, “are these ALL of your sons?” Jesse answered him, “No, there is still the youngest one who is out tending the sheep.” Jesse brought this youngest one, the one performing the task that was lowest on the totem pole. As soon as this one was in Samuel’s presence, Samuel was told by God to anoint him – this one would be the king. The runt of the litter would be king. Surprise! Surprise!
Then the parables in today’s Gospel reading. We’ve spoken about parables before – how we tend to try to figure them out like we do a fable with a tidy moral teaching. We all know the fable of the tortoise and the hare – the moral is slow and steady wins the race, right? But parables are not susceptible to that kind of tidiness. A parable can be enigmatic – as many of them are. It can confound us – as many of them do. It can seem to be one thing upon one hearing and then another thing at another time.
So, we have two parables in the Gospel reading and both of them have a surprise. In the first, seed is scattered by someone who then goes about his daily business, seemingly ignoring the seed night and day upon night and day. And then the day comes when the earth produces – first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain. Surprise! No weeding, no watering, no tending. The seed grows as the seed will. The earth produces as the earth will.
And in the second parable we have an ordinary old little mustard seed. And from this very small seed comes a shrub that is the greatest of all shrubs. Now, I don’t know about you but when I think of “shrub” I don’t think of great and large and birds nesting in it. Surprise! That is what the Kingdom of God is.
With what can we compare the kingdom of God? Is it like a small boy who grows to become the greatest king of Israel? Is it like a tiny mustard seed that grows into a shelter for the myriad birds of the air? Is it like an infant lying in a manger that becomes the savior of all human kind?
Yes, it is like all these and more. Because the kingdom of God grows wherever love for God and for our fellows is planted. And without our even knowing or seeing how, it grows a church that worships together, and prays together, and studies together, and shares meals and sings songs together – a church that turns its love outward and actively welcomes all who come through our doors – whatever their age, the color of their skin, the contents of their wallet, no matter whom they love, how they speak and whatever their abilities or disabilities – a church that serves the people right here in downtown Nashville and indeed throughout the world.
The kingdom of God is not a location – it is a way of being in relationship with the king and with each other. And it is happening now.
It happens whenever we share a meal together, or worship together, or sing a song together. It happens whenever we baptize a child or share in Communion. It happens whenever we forgive each other.
And God willing, as we look back after times of worship, and a multitude of pot-lucks, and thousands of prayers, and a very many songs (even those sung off key), and quite a lot of love and forgiveness, we will see that God's kingdom has blossomed and flourished here, too. And we'll be able to look back to the time when we planted the seeds we are planting here at First today.
The kingdom of God is as if someone scatters the seed and then goes about their normal day in day out business. God does all the hard work. We till the soil, water the plants and watch. Because there will be a surprise as God makes all things new.
May it be so.
Amen.
