Category Archives: forgiveness

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Irrepressible love

Love is central to the being of God, so it is little wonder that Love infuses Jesus’ post-resurrection, post-crucifixion appearances, and also his post-ascension appearances. This message unpacks the details of Jesus’ infinite and irresistible love for his people in John 21, and also his demanding and liberating love for those who are not his people in Acts 9. Watch the 24-minute video message or read my notes below that.

Let us consider John chapter 21

  • v3. The disciples go fishing. So ordinary – living life, even in the absence of their Lord.
  • v5. Jesus appears on the seashore and asks if they have caught no fish. He is concerned for them, for their well-being, for their everyday life.
  • v6. He tells them to cast their nets to the other side of the boat and the catch a massive haul! Jesus acts on behalf of the disciples, with their ordinary, everyday needs. Like he did at the wedding in Cana (Jn 2), where he rescued a couple’s wedding by making water into wine. He is concerned for our everyday lives.
  • v9. Next thing, he’s cooking food for them! This is the Son of God, raised from the dead! This is the one we read out in Rev 5, “Many angels, ten thousand times ten thousand, encircling the throne, saying in a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” This is the one cooking breakfast for them!
  • v9. Jesus provides the fish for the meal. They bring their catch only after he has already caught and cooked fish for them. He cares, he’s thoughtful.
  • v12. Jesus invites them, “Come and have breakfast.” So ordinary, so thoughtful. He breaks bread and fish, like he did when he fed the 5000 in Jn 6.
  • v12. This meal reminds us of the Last supper just a week or so previously in Jn 13. From supper to breakfast; from night to dawn; from death to life. This is a transformative meal – more than just brekky.
  • v15-17. Three times Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter protests, “Of course I love you!” Here Jesus gives Peter a chance to undo the three denials on Good Friday. In so doing, Jesus resets Peter’s standing – his slate is wiped clean. This is grace.
  • v15-17. Each time, Jesus says, “Feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep.” This is good shepherding. This is what we want in our new bishop. We remember Jesus in Jn 10, “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. I lay down my life for my sheep.” This is good shepherding.
  • v19. Finally, Jesus says, “Follow me!” His example is the one we are called to follow – his example, his footwashing in Jn 13. “Now that I, your Lord, have washed your feet, you should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example.” An example of humility, of care, of love.

Let us also consider Acts 9

  • v1. “Saul is breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples”. He is a bad, bad man, full of perverse religious self-righteousness.
  • v4-5. On the road, Saul encounters the risen Jesus, who says, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
  • Here Jesus demonstrates his “option for the poor”. He identifies with those whom Saul is persecuting – ‘you are persecuting me’, he says, because he is one with those who are persecuted.
  • Like then, still today, Jesus stands with those who suffer. He is always to be found in the midst of conflict and suffering. He stands in Gaza, he stands in Ukraine, he stands in the DRC, in Ethiopia, in Myanmar. He stands today even among minority groups in the USA who are being persecuted by their new government.
  • v6. But despite all of Saul’s repugnant hatred and self-righteousness, Jesus calls and uses Saul, who becomes Paul.
  • God’s choices are radical and loving.
  • He can transform anything and anyone. Nothing we do can block God’s purposes.
  • Jesus’ love and intentions are irrepressible.
  • Best we just surrender to him, because we cannot overcome God’s love.

To wrap up, let’s read Psalm 30

I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Image by Kate Cosgrove, https://www.brethren.org/messenger/bible-study/breakfast-on-the-beach/

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Encountering the risen Christ

Watch the video below of this 42-minute message. Yes, much longer than usual! I’m sorry about that, but it is – I think – worth the time, as a close reading of John 20:19-29 sheds to much light on Jesus’ character, his relationship with the disciples and his work as the Son of God. My notes are available below the video

Verses 19, 26    Both times Jesus “stood right in the middle of them”

Christ is the centre – not the priest, Bible, APB – only the person Christ

Christ-centred church

1, 19, 26               Easter Sunday morning – Jesus appears to Mary

Easter Sunday evening – Jesus appears in the upper room

Following Sunday (today) – Jesus appears again, to Thomas

19, 21, 26             Peace be with you – Shalom alechem x3

Easter Sunday – Christ made peace between us and God

Forgiveness of sins – done, paid for, wiped clean, forgotten, cast the deep

Everything is good. It’s all okay

Easter is the Great Forgiveness!

20           He showed them his hands and side

Emphasis on bodily resurrection, reconnected to his people

Not just some spiritual, esoteric thing

He is fully embodied, albeit with some unusual capacities

20           He could have come back healed, but doesn’t. Why?

His identification with us, solidarity with our pain & suffering

He remains the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 (4-5):

He took up our pain and bore our suffering. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

20           The disciples were overjoyed – full of joy

Joy (chara) & grace/gift (charis) – joy is a gift of God – because Jesus is back

21           “As the father has sent me, I am sending you”

We are to continue God’s work. We are sent, just as Christ was sent

Jn 3:16/7 “God so loved the world that he gave [sent] his one and only Son … For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save it”

Every Christian is sent – not just clergy or evangelists

22           He breathed on them, “Receive the Holy Spirit”

Hebrew for spirit & breath are both? Ruach

Gen 1:2: Spirit of God hovering

22           Gen 2:7: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”

To receive Jesus’ breath & Holy Spirit is to be made a new living being

22           To receive Jesus’ breath & Holy Spirit is a grace/gift (charis)

As the Spirit/breath was active in the creation of earth and humanity

2 Cor 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come.”

22           Holy Spirit poured out on Pentecost: Easter Season is from Easter Sunday to Pentecost

23           Forgive anyone’s sin

The gift of HS is not so much miraculous signs, etc.

Instead the central commission – sending – is to forgive

And to warn that to not repent = no forgiveness

The Great Forgiveness!

24           Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

Where was he? He should have been in church! We should be in church!

27           Touch, see

V20. Jesus showed them his hands and side.

Thomas wants what the others got – to see. But also to touch

Our Eucharist is a see and touch moment

– receive the body of Christ broken for you (not receive this bread)

– receive the blood of Christ (not receive this wine)

Not clear if Thomas did actually touch: “Thomas answered and said…”

Perhaps seeing and the invitation to touch was enough for him

27           Stop doubting and believe. Be a believer!!

Accept the small and periodic signs of God and believe into him

28           My Lord and my God!

Hebrew: Yahweh & Elohim – names for God

Greek: Kyrie & Theos – names for God

The only place in the Gospels where Jesus is referred to as God – A profound statement of faith – perhaps the most

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The Great Forgiveness

This Easter Sunday message centres on the idea that a most important fruit of the Easter story is that God’s forgiveness is extended and stretched to its limit, thereby including every sin imaginable. It is all already paid and cleared, cast into the deep. The return of Christ to humanity, after we so brutally murdered him, is the evidence of God’s extreme and great forgiveness. There could be no greater crime or violence against God. That God returns his son to us on Easter morning is a sign of God’s radical forgiveness. This great act of forgiveness for the murder of Christ is like a great whirlwind that catches up not only this sin, but all of our other sins also. They are all caught up in the one extra-ordinary and unprecedented act of forgiveness, and done with. And so, when we sin – as we will – we can know for sure that we can come to God, to sincerely ask his forgiveness, and to be sure that he will forgive and indeed has already, long ago done so.

(We love the screams and laughs of the children throughout this sermon. Jesus welcome children around him, while he was teaching. Certainly, they would have been as noisy as these ones were. Many were here to be baptised. Others were just full of beans!)

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Christ Almighty Transfigured

Watch the video recording of today’s 16-minute message here at YouTube.

We focus a lot on Jesus’ love, generosity, healing, and forgiveness – and so we should. But emphasising these gentle qualities of Jesus can sometimes lead us to diminish him – gentle Jesus, meek and mild. The transfiguration, in Luke 9, reminds the disciples and us that Jesus is the Son of God, a divine being, creator of all that is, and our God. It is a sober reminder that we are accountable to God, who is both demanding of holiness and generous with forgiveness. We must live in that space between these two qualities of Jesus Christ.

Mid-12th Century icon of the transfiguration, at Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, Egypt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_of_Jesus#/media/File:Transfiguration_of_Christ_Icon_Sinai_12th_century.jpg

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Love abnormally

Watch the video recording of last Sunday’s 18-minute message (23 February 2025) here at YouTube.

Jesus calls us to love our enemies, and goes on to give crazy examples of this, that almost no-one would follow. We are reminded that God loved us even while we were his enemies, and that he even died for us. That takes loving to a whole new level of abnormality. Not easy! Let’s be abnormal! Let’s love abnormally.

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When child abuse comes to the church

Watch the video of the sermon below. Or read the text summary that follows.

This message is best watched – it has quite a lot of content. But if you prefer, here are my notes that guided the sermon:

When child abuse comes to the church

  • WhatsApp message from a parishioner on Friday: “Adrian. What’s happening in our Anglican Church?”
  • Church as sanctuary and moral authority
  • But when child abuse comes to the church…
  • Catholic, Hillsong, Conservative Baptists, etc
  • And now Anglican Communion
  • Personal for me:
    • I was sexually exploited by a leader in teens
    • Church could not take a clear stand
    • Silenced, shamed, theology
    • Now I’m a Rector – responsible to safeguard a parish

Context of today’s message

  • Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin, resigned on Tue
  • Archbishop of CofE and of the Anglican communion
  • Our Archbishop, Thabo Makgoba, has been called by some to resign
  • He responded on Wed & Friday, more this week
  • All in a time of splintering around sexuality & gender
  • John Smyth – evangelical lay person
  • Physical beating of children in UK, Zim & SA from 1970s
  • Lived in SA from 2005? to 2018, attended ACSA
  • Physical and sexual abuse rampant churches
  • Children, women, young men
  • This has both theological and pastoral implications

Theologies that may enable abuse in the church

  • Adult authority over children
  • Proverbs 13:24, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them”
  • Theologies of salvation
  • God’s requirement of blood for forgiveness
  • Glorification of Jesus violent death – blood blood
  • Predominance of masculine values
  • power, control, hierarchy, authority, sexism
  • Leaders answer to God only, not men
  • Free to do as they please – little oversight
  • Theologies of forgiveness
  • RC confession, absolution, wiped clean, as if
  • Seal of the confessional
  • Conspiracy – cover-up each other
  • Theologies of sanctification
  • Belief in capacity for personal reform
  • Second chances
  • Belief in the basic goodness of everyone (despite Paul’s even our best like dirty rags)

Pastoral implications: What should we do?

  • Pastoral implications 1: Open eyes
  • Church easy pickings
  • Adults: clever, deceptive, duplicit, psychop
  • Children: model, ignorance, curiosity, empathy
  • Victims: threatened, coerced, made complicit > shame & fear>silence
  • Perps: hard to believe they’d do that
  • Fear: false accusations can destroy one
  • Pastoral implications 2: Theological stance
  • Theology of love is central
  • God’s love for every person – better or worse
  • God’s image of a united humanity under Christ
  • Church should be a sanctuary, safe community
  • A place for redemption, healing, transformation
  • ACSA Code of Pastoral Standards
  • Safe & Inclusive Church: Disclosure by all leaders
  • Separate, independent – they investigate
  • Google: Safe Church Guide
  • Need to be more diligent about this – Jan annually
  • Pastoral implications 3: Actions
  • We are all broken and fall short of God’s glory
  • We are all capable of harming self and others
  • There is potential for redemption & forgiveness
  • Potential for transformation & wholeness
  • But we are all on a journey
  • Talk with your children about safety, touching
  • Listen to your children when they raise issues
  • Don’t be naïve (mini-perps)
  • Keep your eyes and ears open
  • Listen to your intuition (Holy Spirit’s whisper)
  • Intervene if immediate & safe
  • Speak to me, wardens, councillors
  • If me, speak to wardens or archdeacon or bishop
  • Contact Safe Church – email, form
  • Pastoral implications 4: Prayer
  • Let us pray for the church, leaders & children
  • Pray for wholeness and holiness for us all
  • Pray for victims – healing and restoration
  • Pray for perpetrators – HS conscience and empathy
  • Pray for leaders – standards, conviction
  • Pray for safeguarding members – discernment

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Be grateful, be kind

Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 16-minute message. Or watch the video here on Facebook (the message starts 27 minutes into the recording). Or read the text summary below.

Our readings today urge us to be mindful – to think about what we think about, and about what we feel, say and do. We are invited to not simply react instinctively, but to consider how we react. Our thoughts and reactions impact ourselves and others, whether we are mindful or thoughtless, whether we are grateful or thankless, whether we are kind or harmful. We are urged to be grateful and kind.

In John 6:41-51, the people who had just had the blessing of being part of the Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 (men, plus women and children) with fish and bread. You’d think they’d be grateful, but no, they were not. And then Jesus counsels them to not settle for bread that goes stale and moldy, but rather to seek after the Bread from heaven, that never spoils, but endures to eternal life (6:27). He even shares with them that God has sent him as the true bread from heaven and that he gives life to the world.

Still, they grumble and mutter. They remember him growing up in his family and cannot imagine that he could be the bread from heaven. “How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven?'” Thankless they are! And Jesus chastises them: “Stop grumbling among yourselves!” One senses Jesus’ growing frustration, not only with how earth-bound they are (bread is more valuable to them than God the Son), but also with their unwillingness to see him for who he is.

And so he repeats “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.” And, “I am the bread of life.” And, “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.” And, “But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.” How much clearer can he be! You can hear his exasperation with these ungrateful and close-minded people. And so he repeats, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” And in case they still don’t get it (which they don’t!), he concludes, “This bread is my flesh! I will give it for the life of the world!”

And how do they respond? They “began to argue sharply among themselves.” Eish, the frustration of Jesus that we should be so mindless and so thankless. Here he is, offering us eternal life, right in our midst, and all we do is grumble, moan and argue.

Jesus calls us to a spirit of gratitude – to be grateful that the bread from heaven has come down into our midst, and to cast aside regular bread and instead feast on this heavenly bread that leads us to eternal life.

Paul, in the closing verses of Ephesians 4, similarly calls the Ephesians (whom he profoundly blessed in Ephesians 1 – you can catch my sermon on that here) to be kind to one another. Having been blessed with God’s greatest and most enduring and satisfying gifts (much as Jesus does in John 6), Paul calls us to be kind and considerate to each other. He calls us to set aside falsehood, anger, theft, laziness, unwholesome talk, grieving the Holy Spirit, bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice. It’s quite a list!

And instead, Paul calls us to speak truthfully, not to let the sun go down without resolving our anger, to work, to do something useful, to share with those in need, to speak helpful words, to build other up according to their needs, to be kind, to be compassionate, to forgive others, to live a life of love, to follow God’s example.

Paul calls us to be kind – to be considerate, thoughtful, sensitive and helpful to other people, in just the same way that Jesus is with us – since Jesus loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

This message – be grateful, be kind – may seem twee and insincere and lefty. But it is core to Jesus’ message, and therefore core to the message of apostles, like Paul, and therefore core to my message as a pastor today, and should therefore be core to how you live your own life.

Of course, we fail. Some of you will have experience me being ungrateful and unkind. I and we can do better. Thankfully, though, we have a God who knows that we fail, and who has already been kind, loving and forgiving of us. We simply come back to him, say we’re sorry, ask for forgiveness, and pray for strength and grace to do better: to be grateful and to be kind. Amen.

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St Stephen

Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 20-minute message. Or watch the video here on Facebook (the message starts 25 minutes into the recording). Or read the text summary below.

Today we celebrate St Stephen, after whom our church is named. It is our church’s patronal festival, our birthday.

Stephen was a young man, appointed a deacon in the early church. He appears only in Acts 6 and 7, but in those few pages, he makes a remarkable impression and impact. He is the first Christian martyr – stoned to death because he challenged the Jew people’s lack of faith in Jesus Christ.

While we walk primarily in the footsteps of Jesus Christ – he is God incarnate, our teacher and our Lord and saviour – we give heed also to the example of Stephen, and seek to continue his legacy in our parish community today.

Our readings centre on Acts, omitting Stephen’s long, but very impressive and persuasive sermon. This are supported by a reading from 2 Chronicles, where Zechariah (an earlier Zechariah – not the father of John the Baptist) is stoned to death for speaking God’s Word. Psalm 31, which includes the words that both Jesus and Stephen speak as they died. And John 6, which is the ordinary reading for today, from Jesus’ long sermon on the Bread of Life. I have tabulated these three people, because there are significant and meaningful similarities between them, that speak to all Christians, and especially those who are members of a church named after St Stephen:

TopicZechariahJesusStephen
Reading2 Chronicles 24:17-22John 6:24-35Acts 6:8-10 & 7:54-60
Holy SpiritSpirit of God came on himBaptised by John and the Holy Spirit descended on himFull of Holy Spirit, faith, grace and power
Care for the poor–Fed 5000 men (plus women and children) with bread and fishOversaw the daily distribution of food
Challenges with the peopleThey were chasing after other GodsThey just wanted food and miraclesWanted quiet conformity with the past
Challenging the peopleWhy do you disobey the Lord’s commands?Do not work for food that spoilsYou stiff necked people! Your hearts are uncircumcised! You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?
Consequences for God’s messengersStoned to deathCrucifiedStoned to death
Their final wordsMay the Lord see this and call you to account.Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.Lord, do not hold this sin against them.
Final prayer–Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit (in Luke)Lord Jesus, receive my spirit (Psalm 31:5)

So, what do we take from this, and particularly from Stephen, into our daily lives?

  1. We must take our faith seriously – it is costly, important and even worth dying for.
  2. We must care for the poor, hungry and marginalised.
  3. We must seek the infilling of Holy Spirit, who equips us for life and ministry.
  4. We must seek after the things of God, and not after the things of this world.
  5. We must forgive those who hurt even, even to death.
  6. We must entrust ourselves to God – He has got us!

St Stephen the protomartyr. Icon by Theophili

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Adversities & Adversaries

Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 15-minute message, which was delivered on 23 June 2024. Or watch the video here on Facebook (the message starts 27 minutes into the recording). Or read the text summary below.

Our readings today (23 June 2024) point to and illustrate the adversities and adversaries that we encounter in like. Adversities are difficult situations and adversaries are difficult people – often these collide. Here is a summary of these challenges in the readings:

  • Mark 4:35-51 has the disciples and Jesus in a boat in a wild storm on the lake. This is an adversity – a situation. Many of the disciples were fishermen and familiar with storms at sea, so this must have been an exceptional storm to stir up such terror.
  • 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 has Paul recounting many of the challenges he has faced in life: troubles, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, riots, hard work, sleepless nights, hunger, dishonour, bad reports, impostors, unknown, dying, beaten, having nothing. It’s quite a list!
  • 1 Samuel 17:32-49 presents young David going up against the tremendous Goliath in single-handed combat. He didn’t stand a chance against such a formidable adversary!
  • Psalm 9 describes the Psalmist’s enemies and wicked people – many adversaries!

We may resonate with these challenges and adversaries. We often face challenging situations and difficult people. And sometimes that overwhelms us, as we wonder where God is in this.

But despite the challenges, scripture presents God as more powerful the any adversary we may face, and on our side when we face adverse situations. We are encouraged and urged to put our faith and trust in him:

  • Mark 4:35-51 describes Jesus standing up in the boat and commanding the storm: “Quiet! Be still!” and it was so – the storm dissipated. The disciples found themselves being more terrified by Jesus’ power over the elements than they had been by the storm itself! A real turnabout.
  • 2 Cor 6:1-13 has Paul affirming that despite the litany of adversities, he remains always rejoicing and possessing everything. All of these adversities are, for him, ‘nothing’ compared to the blessing of being God’s child.
  • 1 Samuel 17:32-49 recounts David’s plucky engagement with Goliath – he has bested bears and other wild animals – surely he can best this giant. And with a flick of his wrist and little catty, a stone embeds itself in Goliath’s head and he falls down dead and David decapitates him. God is on his side.
  • Psalm 9 intersperses its complaints about wicked enemies with affirmations of God’s allegiance: The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble … Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you … he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted … The Lord is known by his acts of justice … But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Let us take heart in these affirmations. Let us strengthen our resolve in times of adversity. Let us not be cowed by adversaries. Let us trust in the Lord’s strength and love to take care of his own.

But there is a warning here also: let us not be the adversary to someone else and let us not cause adversity for others. God is on the side of his children, but he will not stand by us when we harm his other children. God expects us to emulate him, by standing up for people and by not being an adversary. The warnings are severe in Psalm 9 for those who make themselves enemies of God: “The wicked ensnared by the world of their hands. The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the people that forget God. … Let the nations know they are only mortal.” We do not want to become enemies of God! We want to keep on God’s right hand – his hand of power and protection – we do not want to fall under God’s wrath.

Instead, walk in God’s ways – the way of love, of justice and mercy.

Featured image from https://i.swncdn.com/media/980w/via/11268-woman-tucked-inside-bible-at-night-with-flash.jpg

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Seeds of faith

Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 15-minute message. Or watch the video here on Facebook (the message starts 32 minutes into the recording). Or read the text summary below.

Today we get two of Jesus’ parables: the parable of the growing seed and the parable of the mustard seed. These follow the parable of the sower (the one who sowed seeds in different kinds of ground) and the lesson about putting our lamp on a stand.

First, in the parable of the seed, the sower scatters the seed and then does nothing more. That’s his only role – to scatter seed. Then, spontaneously or (in the Greek) automatically the seeds grow. It is in their nature to grow, once they have been scattered. So the man goes to sleep and gets up and the seeds are doing their thing. “All by itself, the soil produces corn.” And the seed knows the steps of growth – they are programmed into the seed: “first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” And when it is ripe and ready, the man comes to harvest the result.

This parable suggests that our role and responsibility as followers of Christ is to scatter seed. Presumably, this is good seed – seed that produces a crop: wheat, maize, barley. Our job is to scatter the seed. God’s job is to make that seed grow. The ‘automatic’ growth of the seed in this parable is the code that God has embedded into the DNA of the seed. (Apologies if my scientific understanding of seeds is incorrect!) For example, we may speak to someone about our faith (scattering seed), but we cannot force them to believe or come to faith (that is God’s work). We may encourage parishioners to attend church (scattering seed), but we cannot compel them to come (that is God’s work). We are encouraged by this parable to do our part and trust God to do his.

This resonates with 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, where Paul writes,

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

This gives us perspective on what is our role, and what is not.

Second, in the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus contrasts the size of the mustard seed (which he says is the smallest of all seeds on the earth) and the resultant mustard plant (which he says is the largest of all garden plants or shrubs, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade).

This parable suggests that the scattering of even a tiny seed – even a very small act in the world – could produce a very large tree – a substantial change. Much like a lever, where a small amount of strength and effort can move a large heavy object, the tiny mustard seed, when scattered, can produce a large bush.

This resonates with Matthew 13:33, where Jesus says,

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about 23kg of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

A tiny amount of yeast can spread through a large amount of flour and rise to produce a massive number of loaves of bread. Small efforts can have large results.

These parables suggest that we ought to be scattering seed into the world, and that these seeds need not necessarily be big, dramatic, sophisticated or demanding. They might be small, understated comments or actions that go a long way. The key is to scatter these seeds – to be mindful and intentional about scattering them. And then to leave them to God to grow.

Third, although Jesus does not say this in Mark 4, this reading also evokes a warning: to be careful about what kind of seeds we sow. The seeds Jesus refers to are corn and mustard. It is hard to believe Jesus would support the scattering of weed seeds – indeed, he spoke out against weeds or thorns in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:18-19).

When we scatter bad seed, these too may grow fast and spread, just like the good seed, but with potentially terrible consequences. This resonates with James’ teaching about the tongue:

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless” (1:26). “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. … With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ” (3:5-6, 9-10)

Just as we cannot make seeds grow into bushes, we cannot stop harmful words from causing damage. We are called to sow seeds, but only good seed; bad seed should not be scattered – it should be eliminated from our minds and tongues.

Featured image from https://www.algiersumc.com/woman-scattering-seeds/