St Margaret's Church Prestwich

Here is Rev Helen’s sermon from 16 June 2024:

Jesus liked his metaphors didn’t he, we’ve have quite a few of them as we dig down into his teachings. You get the face-to-face ones like the camel and the eye of the needle, but even more so you hear some of Jesus parables. When he compares something to something else or a situation to the Kingdom of Heaven/Kingdom of God (depending which gospel you are reading at the time). We’ve just heard the parable of the Mustard seed which I’m sure is one you have heard before about the tiny mustard seed growing into a large tree.

So to make this story really make an impact you probably wonder, how small is a mustard seed? I can tell you first hand that they are tiny and I’ll tell you how I know. It was while I was at Theological College, myself and a few of friends were re-enacting a TV show called Taskmaster, now if you’ve never seen it the premise is there’s a group of comedians on it and someone sets them ridiculous and difficult tasks to do, they try and do them, things like doing obstacle course blindfolded on a mobility scooter, melt a large block of ice, make something it’s very funny. The task that was given was to create the longest treasure hunt you could, so she created a hunt to find a mustard seed. So off we went and having solved several clues including doing a 200 jigsaw where the pieces had been frozen in bowls of water, (so they had to be defrosted before they could be made) we finally found the last item, a bowl of frozen petite poa peas, there must have been at least two bags full in there and to realise that the mustard seed was inside one of them (I said at the time there’s a sermon in this). Now I’m up for a challenge and I don’t like to be defeated however there are limits and having already spent 30 minutes defrosting jigsaw pieces with a hairdryer I’d had enough however there were others who were more determined than me and they found that mustard seed in those peas (which we made into a very nice pea and ham soup afterwards so there was no waste). So take it from me mustard seeds, really are tiny.

But Jesus isn’t just thinking about the mustard seed he is also thinking about something that starts really small and grows into something much bigger like a mustard tree, such a tiny seed that can grow into something so big. It’s one of the amazing things about nature isn’t it, just so fascinating! When I think of stories like this certain biblical figure spring to mind and to me the person I think of is King David. Just think he was a small boy who Samuel anointed to be a king, did they think that someone so small could defeat a giant like goliath, could someone so small grow into such a great king (we’ll over look some of the inter family fighting and the Bathsheba incident for now) and he was a great king. The line he was so great that from it came Jesus, through Joseph, and he did some pretty amazing things as we know. Wonder if Mary and Joseph could comprehend that when they held their son for the first time.

What is important here with this parable, it says the Kingdom of God is like the a mustard seed, starts small and look how it grows, it serves the birds, produces more seed and it grows to a great potential but what is important about all of this? How does that tiny seed grow into such a big tree? Someone has to start this off, someone has to plant it and with nurture, care, water, pruning. Someone had to start all this and keep the encouragement going.

Look at David and who was helping and inspiring him, he had his father Jessie and his siblings, then his very close relationship with Saul’s son Johnathan and his experiences that made him into the much loved figure he still is. Jesus himself left his parents home and started his ministry when he was 30, 33 ish, he went out and started to preach to the people, heal the sick, be with those who society outcast and are seen as unacceptable, he challenged authority and massed followers. Influenced and encouraged by his surroundings, his parents, his siblings and so many others who made him the man he became, gave him the courage to do what he did, even going so far as when he was about my age to be brutally executed for telling people to love each other, love your enemies, be kind to those who hurt you, to forgive people. As it says in the epistle ‘The love of Christ urges us on because we are convinced that one has died for all…and he died for all’. The branches of his tree really would reach up all the way to heaven.

So I want you to think about this for a moment, who’s inspired you? Who’s pruned your branches over the years? All those people who have helped you grow from a tiny seed into a tree. Who’s made you, do they know? Have you ever told them how much they have inspired you and thanked them? Who have you inspired?

We all start small and grow, inspired by the stories from Jesus, by those we know and love who have encouraged us to live out to our full potential and be that tree. Sometimes there might be challenges, sometimes there might be problems, but there’s much joys and rejoicing. Remember Jesus is always with us, helping us grow, helping us develop and helping us to reach our full potential and influence others through this. Let him be your example and go out and tell others just how much he has inspired you and watch them grow from the smallest seed into a tree!