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Monday, June 19, 2006
Patience -- God At Work
Psalm 20; Mark 4:26-34
It's called Ordinary Time, a so-so season between special church festivals. Ho hum? Not according to Jesus' little pair of parables about seeds and such. God's always up to something good, he says, even when it looks like nothing much is happening.
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I think Jesus would have made a tremendous Dad.
Yeah, I know... Dan Brown thinks he did do just that. But we don't have any record of it, so I'm pretty leery about jumping to conclusions.
What we do have are a lot of stories and sayings from Jesus' mouth, vivid word pictures any kid would love to hear and play around with. I mean, who needs Dr. Seuss, Good Night, Moon, or Harry Potter?
Jesus had a wonderful way of pointing out some familiar part of real life and saying, "That's what God is like. Imagine...." And, sure enough, if you let it, your imagination is off and running toward some new spiritual light.
For instance, he said God's way with the world was like a farmer planting a seed and letting it do its work growing up into a fruitful plant. When it's fully ripe, he reaps the harvest. And that's that.
Hmmm. What does that mean?
On the heels of that one, he said God's way with the world was like a tiny mustard seed growing into a huge bush (make that a tree) whose spreading branches form a welcome shelter to all kinds of birds, to say nothing of a feeding place. Mmm mmm, a little honey dijon, anyone?
So. What does that one mean?
Let's try this: From one lonely teacher in a remote Roman province, God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven grew and grew into a worldwide movement called the Christian Church. For 2,000 years its spreading branches have welcomed people of all complexions, accents, and cultures.
So, right here in Alameda, our congregation shares space with a church full of Korean immigrants -- two churches, two languages and lifestyles, serving one Lord and Savior.
So, my first detailed news of the tragic Indonesian earthquake came from Presbyterians living and working right there.
And, so, I read an e-mail last week inviting me to join in with West African Presbyterians gearing up for yet another campaign to treat and defeat the AIDS pandemic.
To say nothing of Christians all around the world wearing various brand names, or generic believers who love the one same God.
What about that other little story?
Let's try this: You can't make a plant grow. It does that on its own, at its own pace. You can't even see a plant grow. Except in stop-action photography: Look, a sprout, I mean a stalk, oops a bud, now a blossom! No, plants do their thing while nothing much seems to be happening.
Same with God's work in the world.
It's easy to get worked up about special days and seasons. Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and such. But most of the year is pretty ordinary. In fact, the church calendar term is "Ordinary Time." Just counting the days and weeks when nothing very special happens.
But, guess what... God's work is going on all the way through the most mundane times, too. I wonder if we're not called to help God most when it looks like nothing much is going on. Like, watering the plants, pulling up weeds, tending and pruning, and fending off critters who'd damage the crop if given half the chance.
No, I don't wonder at all. From Jesus' little stories, I'd say it's as clear as day.
Any day. And every day. That's the way it is in God's way with the world.
posted by Jack Buckley at
11:22 AM
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