This week I traveled to Arizona to be a “sometime” participant at a conference called Leading Edge. I was more of a lurker or observer because I attended with the generic title of “spouse.” I say this without a complaining tone – I wanted to be a lurker!
For one, it was held in Arizona, a state I’ve never visited; it was beautiful! Secondly, it was a room full of people who came by invitation to fully explore our United Methodist connection and responsibility to one another. Clergy were invited to gather to reflect on who we are these days, what gifts we bring in best practices, and how we not only “may share” these gifts but are called to lift one another up.
At the first session, over breakfast, we were reminded of the tiny mustard seed.
“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” [Matthew 13:31-32]
As you know, this seed is teeny tiny. It’s so small that it’s hard to measure. It weighs only 0.000004409 lbs. In a world where size matters, this little seed is, well, insignificant. We’ve all used this example in preaching or shared this passage, even in conversation. This is a small seed with a big impact because it grows so large, even to the size of a tree. That’s awesome that such a small seed will surely become a significant tree!
But what about while it’s still a seed? What about when it’s just a sprout? What about the time it takes to get to tree size?
Numbers have long measured our churches. With these measurements, clergy have “judged” themselves and others. Numbers don’t lie: we know things are good when offerings are up, and bottoms are in the pews. Bigger is better, and better is bigger. At least, that’s what we were told and what we sometimes believed despite ourselves.
We believe we can change those numbers. We find ourselves in spaces where we get so anxious about results that we forego the process. We believe that if only we DO more, if we sacrifice more time, if we offer more creative solutions – and soon we forget our why, our call, heck, we might forget about God altogether. We are doing it all and becoming functional atheists in the process.
Let’s turn back again to the mustard seed. How many seeds did it take to make a massive tree? I think the answer is just one. Yeah, it’s only one. The one seed produces a large tree when nurtured with sunlight and water. The one seed grows over time when it leans into becoming the one God intended for it to be. Not more significant, not smaller; not more, not less. The smallest of seeds, connected to the land and offerings of nature, becomes the largest of trees.
Over the past years, we are finding ourselves in places that are not expected or normal in terms of numbers. We are bouncing back in many cases, but not as quickly as we would like. Our finances are not in line with our needs. We continue to feel the need to work harder as clergy because we believe that will bring “better” results and more fruitful ministry.
While getting to a good place is important, let’s do it well. Mostly, let’s do it “with”… With God … With one another …. with the resources we already have. I was reminded of a story about Mount St. Helens. You may know that the top of the mountain was blown off by a violent eruption in 1980. It was replaced with a new mile-wide crater. All life was devastated by this eruption, which burned, buried, and killed with hot, thick ashes and lava. As the area was assessed, the news was not good. Everyone assumed it would take several human lifetimes to see life there again.
How wrong we were! In just forty years, life is everywhere: beautiful grasses and flowers accompany little creatures and cool flowing water. We did not know that life was hidden, unharmed, under large rocks, inside tree logs, or within the entrance of a protected burrow. Life was hiding from destruction in réfugia; new life emerged from these places. They found what they needed after the worst had passed and began repopulating the mountain with beauty and new life.
What is blooming in your places and spaces? Despite all that has happened, what do you see? We never know what is coming or when, but we do have a constant in our lives. The love and resources of an abundant God. How can people of faith become a people of réfugia? God is our refuge: what seeds are bursting forth right where we are? Can we trust in the life that exists in these small seed-packages? What renewal and reconstruction exist in these tiny seeds? Divine aid is at work beyond our ability to comprehend or see. I am re-invigorated by getting a glimpse of the seeds sprouting around us. WE are some of our most amazing resources. Our connection is fueled by cooperation, by relationships that nurture one another. Our communication of best practices gives us wealth beyond measure. Seeds are sown when we nurture what we have and share and sow seeds. I hope you see and sense the sprouts. I pray we will be excited by our growth, small though it may be. May we all trust in God, the creator and nurturer of seed. May we all trust in God, who is our refuge.
