The Mustard Seed that Changes Everything

Transcription

1 The Mustard Seed that Changes Everything Bob Setzer, Jr. Pastor Knollwood Baptist Church Winston Salem, NC October 21, 2018 Ezekiel 17:22-24; Mark 4:26-33 On the church lawn between the dining room and the parking lot, there is a magic tree. To the untrained eye, that tree may appear to be just a large, sprawling magnolia, but the children of the church know better. They know that tree is full of magic because it helps make them daring and purposeful and unafraid. For many children in our church, that tree is the first one they ever climb. That s because the magic magnolia has stout, strong branches. And beneath the green canopy that hides the tree s magic from prying eyes, the branches reach out low and wide, like grandma s welcoming arms. Most Sundays or Wednesday nights, before or after church, a child or two will climb that tree or hang from its branches. And always they are smiling because they are proud of themselves and feel safe and protected in their special tree. Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a tiny mustard seed that silently, slowly grows into a large sprawling bush. The bush puts forth large branches and all the birds of the air make nests in its leafy depths. Some mustard bushes in Palestine reach heights of twelve feet, tall enough that Matthew and Luke call Mark s, bush, a tree.

2 According to Jesus, this large, sprawling bush springs from the tiniest of seeds. Imagine a seed the size of the inky bead at the tip of a ball point pen. That s the size of a mustard seed. 20,000 of them weigh only an ounce. And yet from such a tiny, almost invisible beginning, grows a shrub tall and strong enough to provide a safe haven for birds. So it is with the kingdom, says Jesus. Something very small, when sown in soil of God s providence and grace, can grow into a beautiful, bountiful tree. On the wall of our fellowship hall is a photo of another tree. It is a mango tree in Uganda that looks a bit like our magnolia. Under that tree, my friend, Ugandan pastor Samuel Kiguli, started his church and school. In the photo, children take refuge from the punishing African sun in the shade of that tree as their teacher shares his lesson. From that simple beginning, Pastor Sam grew a church and school where many poor children are fed, educated, and given a chance at a full, productive life. Of this miracle of grace, pastor Sam writes, We started the school under that mango tree because that was the only option. In Africa, we use all the resources available to gain or achieve something. That is why the ladies makes necklaces out of papers and those necklaces are helping us (to fund) the ministry. That tree means a lot to me and the whole community. It teaches us how we can use everything available before us. It was a humble beginning but look where we are now! Granted, we live in a much more privileged place than those children gathered under a mango tree. But in its own way, Knollwood started small too. Just a couple of dozen people gathered on a wooded knoll on what was then the outskirts of Winston-Salem. But they believed God wanted a different kind of church for these parts, one where people could be honest with themselves and one another and most importantly, with God. A church; short on talk and long on action. A congregation of thoughtful believers; open to new insight from God s word and world. And a longing to know and live the way of Jesus that led them to welcome women

3 as leaders, Jews and Muslims as partners and fellow pilgrims, and LGTBQ folk and people of color as brothers and sisters in the family of God. With tiny seeds of faith and vision, those early Knollwoodians sowed the church we know today. And across the years, others have stepped forward to sow their seeds of discipleship. Now God has blessed us with the sprawling bush of a church we know today with many strong, low-hanging branches, offering refuge and welcome. The other night as I was leaving the office after a meeting, I came upon two sweaty young men in the parking lot, chatting by their cars. One was white and the other was black. Thanks for opening the gym to us, one of them said to me. It s really something to get to play in a place as nice and beautiful as this! Yeah, said the other, where else can you come and combine the Bible and basketball? We re really there for each other. We don t just talk about basketball. We talk about life. I couldn t help but smile at this flicker of a kingdom moment in the dead of night, where the racial divides of our splintered culture were softened, and maybe even momentarily erased, in a sanctified game of basketball. The Wellness and Community center is one of many low-hanging branches conveying God s welcome through this church s witness. Others include our children learning to sing the songs of the faith. That is not about their creating a performance for us, but a repository in them so that even in the hard times, they can always find their song. Other low-hanging branches include KBC members learning to eat, as Jesus did, reclining on the floor, before a table cloth laden with food prepared by loving Syrian friends. Or what about a KBC friend taking your mama to the hospital so you didn t have to leave your ailing daddy s side? In ways so small, they almost escape notice, God s people continue to sow seeds of love and faithfulness. And from those seeds, God keeps growing new branches of grace and welcome in that sprawling bush of the kingdom we call Knollwood Baptist Church.

4 Last Wednesday night, our stewardship committee led us in some sharing around the tables. They posed three questions, the first of which was, What do you like best about Knollwood? After each question was discussed, the results were put on butcher paper and posted on the walls. Here are some of the answers to the What I like best about Knollwood? question. Hospitality, inclusiveness, so much smarts, lots of teachers and programming, outreach to the community, not afraid of questions without answers, transparent governance, all the children and youth, crafted worship. And that s just a start! My favorite response to the question, What do you like best about Knollwood? was someone who wrote The Pastor. Though in fairness, I must admit that the person suggesting that answer... was me! Actually, my real favorite answer to What I like best about Knollwood? was the scribbled phrase, Jesus, a lot of Jesus! What is your answer to What I like best about Knollwood? Or if you imagine our church as a sprawling mustard bush or magnolia with strong, low-hanging branches, What is the branch that first welcomed you? Yes, by God s grace, from the tiniest of seeds, remarkable new expressions of life can grow. But here s the often missed truth at the heart of Jesus parable. No matter how powerful the seed, or how rich and fertile the soil, absolutely nothing will happen unless the seed is sown. That s why twice in three verses, Jesus emphasizes the sowing of the seed. And he begins this series of parables about seeds with the Parable of the Sower. Elsewhere, Jesus says that if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can command any mountain impeding God s work in the world, Move from here to there,' and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you. Well, our congregation isn t facing a towering mountain, but we have come upon a little foothill we need to climb, or with the help of some mustard seed faith, make disappear. And that foothill is flat giving to our church s ministry plan. Financial support of our church s ministry plan

5 helps makes possible all those things we love about Knollwood. And last year, we came up a little short of funds. But with your help, and the help of all those who believe in what God is doing through this congregation, we can end this year in the black and put ourselves on a firm financial footing for the year ahead. But that s going to require some mustard seed faith and giving, meaning something small and doable. But something that when done faithfully and regularly, will make a big difference. So here s what I am asking, and our church is asking, and maybe even God is asking, That everyone who can, increase their giving to the church by 1% of their income for So if your household takes in $35,000 a year, that would be an increase of $350 a year, or less than $30 per month. Or if your household takes in $100,000 a year; that would be an increase of $1,000 per year, or $83.00 per month, which is less than a lot of people spend on cable or on their daily dose of Starbucks. In other words, increasing our giving to the church by 1% of income is something most of us can do. But almost more important than the size of the gift is the regularity of the giving. So if you can t give 1% more, give ½% more, or some other percentage, but do it regularly, meaning weekly or monthly. Because even a small sum, given regularly, really adds up. This is the mustard seed principle in action. Earlier this year, my activity tracker buzzed me and lit up with the news that I had won the Japan badge. That meant I had walked 1,869 miles or the distance across Japan. Prior to that, had someone said, Why don t you walk 1,800 miles? I wouldn t have imagined I had the energy or time to do it. But by adopting the simple regimen of walking 10,000 steps per day, I accomplished this surprising feat.. What if next year at this time, you could celebrate the surprisingly hefty sum your mustard seed giving had created, all while supporting kingdom causes you really believe in, instead of carelessly frittering that money away?

6 And if you want to make your mustard seed commitment as easy and painless as possible, put it on auto pay, just like you do your electric bill. Pretty soon, you won t even miss it. But that mustard seed commitment, especially when multiplied a 100, or 200, or 300 fold by other Knollwood folk, would have incredible impact on our church s mission. In fact, one member of the stewardship committee calculated--based on the average income of the zip codes represented in our congregation--that if each KBC household made a mustard seed commitment to increase giving by 1% of income, that would generate about $360,000. That is three times what we need to put our financial house in order. So if everyone did what we re asking, our church would face the really fun challenge of figuring out what to do with the surplus. Which was the third of our Wednesday night questions: How to spend the surplus? because with KBC folk, you just never know. They may actually pull off a stunning, foot-stomping success of giving more than is needed. Recently I read an article about Tanya Berry, the power behind the throne of husband Wendell Berry s success as a poet and writer. For over half-a-century, Tanya has shaped and crafted the home that supports Wendell and herself in their counter-cultural witness to the power of simplicity and sustainability caring for the good earth. Often, young professionals drop by the Berry s farm, seeking answers. Many long for a sense of home that has eluded them in their career striving and corporate climbing. A lot of these folks "want safety, Tanya Berry explains. They want something to enfold them and make a safe place to be. What do we do? these seekers ask the Berrys. Where do we go? How we find a sense of place (in this harried world)? Tanya answers, "We always send them back to [poet and friend] Gary Snyder's saying: 'Go somewhere and stop'.

7 That s really what our stewardship appeal is about this year. Amid all the appeals clamoring for your time and attention, energy and money, Go somewhere and stop. And let that somewhere be Knollwood Baptist Church. Take time to sow some seed, trust the soil, put down roots, and wait for God to grow your life, and this church, into an even more vibrant, kingdom witness. So when you get your letter from the church this week, asking for your mustard seed commitment, see if you can commit to increasing your giving by 1% of your income. Then trust God to take your little bit and mine and ours and turn it into a hardy, thriving tree where all the birds of the air--and yes, our children too--can find welcome and refuge and rest. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * O holy Christ, you have challenged us to entrust the mustard seed of our faith and commitment to you. Because even a small act of faith, unleashes a great bounty of your grace. And not just for us, but for others who desperately need the safety, rest, and welcome your kingdom offers. In your name we ask this of our loving Abba, the giver of the seed and the soil and our very lives, Amen.