Parable of the Growing Seed

When I was a young child my Aunt Mildred was in the habit of giving my cousin and me small gifts during special holidays. I remember when I was six years old at Easter time how my aunt gave me a bracelet made of pearls and gold. It was a charm bracelet with one of the Ten Commandments written on each of the charms. She gave me that bracelet because in Sunday School we were learning the Ten Commandments.

Later, that summer, just before Sunday school began my aunt took me aside and had another gift for me. I opened the package and inside was another bracelet. The bracelet was, again, made of pearls, but there was one charm on it which was like a bubble, clear, but which inside had a small, yellow seed.

My aunt sat down with me at that time and told me the parable of the mustard seed. And I remember when she had concluded telling me about the mustard seed she said, "Even your faith which is young and small like the mustard seed will someday grow and blossom. Take care of your faith and you will grow, like the mustard seed, into a beautiful plant for God. I have never forgotten what she told me. I still have the clear plastic charm with the mustard seed, but the pearl bracelet part is gone.

Reading the parable of the Mustard Seed for this Sunday reminds me of how young and tender our faith is as it grows and develops. It is a mystery how seeds that are planted in the ground grow until the fruit is ripe and the time comes to harvest. The Earth brings forth the mature fruit. So, it is also with the seed of our faith: As we grow and develop, God nourishes that small seed of faith within us.

In the parable of the Mustard seed notice that Jesus does not use the seed of the mighty oak tree, or the cedar tree, or the poplar tree, but he uses the smallest of seeds. This reminds us that the parable of the mustard seed and the mustard plant is not about an image of strength, but a sign of faith -- faith that God can use the smallest, the frailest, the weakest, the slowest, the fastest, or the strongest, to help spread the good news of Jesus Christ and the bringing in of the Kingdom of God.

God can use even the frailest person to tell the story of his love for us. The mustard seed parable brings encouragement and hope for us that we need not have to be the strongest, the most gifted, or the fastest person to share God's story.

Certainly, we see this very clearly in the story that we read this morning from the book of First Samuel. We're told that things weren't working out very well with King Saul; that God had become displeased with him. So, God told Samuel to go out and search for another king, telling him that the person for the job was one of the sons of Jesse, a man who lived in the little town of Bethlehem.

So, Samuel, much like the Wise Men in the Christmas story, acted on faith and headed down the road for Bethlehem to find the promised child. And when he got there he lined up seven of Jesse's sons before him. And he noticed that from the youngest one to the oldest they were tall, strong, and handsome. But, the Lord told Samuel that he shouldn't look at the outward appearances; for the Lord does not see as mortals see, but looks upon the heart.

The story goes on that as Samuel looked at Jesse's sons he didn't see any one of them that God would want as king. So, now, like in the story of Cinderella, Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons. And you can imagine how Samuel must have been feeling by this time: Here he had been sent on a mission of faith to find the person who would be the greatest man in Israel and he was having a difficult time.

But, Jesse then remembered that his youngest son, David, was out tending the sheep. So, Samuel asked Jesse to fetch the boy. So, Jesse had someone go get him. And when David arrived Samuel knew immediately that this was the one who God had chosen to be king.

Certainly, this story reminds us that it isn't always the biggest, or the oldest, or the strongest, or the most experienced that God's favor rests upon. Rather, God can use the youngest, the smallest, the slowest, even the weakest to do his work. Faith starts small. And God can even use that!

Of course, this is precisely why we need to constantly encourage one another in the faith. Indeed, one of the greatest things we can do is plant seeds of faith in others. And, of course, one of the worst things we can do is discourage that seed by criticizing one another in the faith.

For instance, a renowned headmaster of a famous English boarding school once believed that certain boys were born to fail. He wrote in the permanent record of one young man: "He is forgetful, careless, unpunctual, irregular in every way. He is unable to conquer his slovenliness. He will never make a success of himself in this school.

How would any of us like to have those words written in our permanent record so early in life, especially by one who was supposed to be so respected and knowledgeable? Fortunately, young Winston Churchill heard other voices and listened to them, instead.

How important it is for us to plant the mustard seeds of faith in the lives of others, especially our young people! And how can we encourage our young people? Well, to give an immediate example, we have in just a week our Interfaith Vacation Bible School which will begin on Monday, June 20 at St. John Lutheran Church. As a parent or a grandparent you may be instrumental in planting a seed of faith in your children if you send them over there! Or, as a volunteer or a teacher, or one who helps out in some way, you may be instrumental in get a seed of faith started in the youngsters of our town!

Then, of course, for our older youth we will be having U.M.Y.F. meetings during the summer months, plus adult Sunday School classes. These are opportunities for us to get the seeds of faith growing in our lives. Even studying the Bible on our own is an opportunity for this kind of thing to happen.

And, of course, as we plant these seeds, we never know how they will grow, or even if they will grow, or in what direction they may grow. But, planting those seeds is, in and of itself an act of faith on our part. It is taking a step into the unknown.

I am reminded of the movie starring Harrison Ford in the role of Indiana Jones, "The Quest for the Holy Grail." Towards the end of the movie, Indiana is seen making his way to the place where the Holy Grail is kept. And as he approaches that spot he has to follow some clues, some of them biblical, so that he may avoid booby traps and arrive safely. As Jones is walking along, he comes to a great chasm about 25 feet across and several hundred feet deep. And it looks as though there is no way to get across the chasm. Listening to his father's voice, Indiana knows that he has to get over to the other side. Just then, he remembers a verse from our Epistle lesson for today: "For we walk by faith, not by sight" which happens to be the clue for that location in his journey. Remembering these words, "For we walk by faith, not by sight," he steps out into the void and plants his foot firmly upon a bridge that had up to that point been invisible. And he crosses successfully to the other side.

Likewise, we must sometimes walk by faith, not by sight, listening to our Heavenly Father. And when we do, we have confidence that God walks with us. And our faith grows as we walk that course together.

Amen.