Musings on the Daily Lectionary

I am prone to associate God with the big and the grand, but in today's gospel reading, Jesus says that the kingdom, God's coming rule, is like a tiny mustard seed from which grows a large plant. Actually Jesus twice speaks of the kingdom as being like seeds, and I can't help wondering about the small things around us that are seeds of the kingdom, even if they look little like the kingdom in its final form.

I also wonder about all the opportunities that I have, that we all have, to scatter seed. Any time we do not stand by silently in the face of injustice, any time we act in ways that help others even though there is no personal benefit for ourselves, any time we return kindness when we have been hurt or wronged, any time we choose to love someone we would rather hate, another seed of the kingdom falls to the earth.

Such acts may seem far too small and insignificant to make any difference in the world, and on their own this is likely true. But when God waters and gives growth to these seeds...

You've probably seen the bumper sticker urging people to "Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty." I think Jesus would smile at this bumper sticker. Random and senseless speak to something without much seemingly practical purpose, and the tiny seeds of the kingdom can seem quite impractical, in no way a match for all that is broken, hurting, and oppressive in our world. But Jesus says the kingdom begins in just such impractical ways.

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