11 Ordinary: 15/16 June, 2024

We had a few glitches in our computer system the other week.  And once the company came in to fix the problems - I developed a new problem with my printing capabilities.
    Before the fix - I would hit print – and immediately the document started printing.
    After the fix - I now hit print – and there is about a ten second delay before the document begins to print.
    10 seconds isn’t much – but when you’re in a hurry, 10 seconds can seem like 10 minutes.
    And aren’t we always in a hurry?  I need this document to print so I can move on to the next one. . .
    We need to get through this line we are waiting in so we can move on to the next task we have.
    We are always in a hurry - to get the gas pumped, the clothes washed, to get the yard work done– and to get through that pesky long light:  which we all have SOMEWHERE in our daily travels. . .
    It’s easy to get in rush and get extremely IMPATIENT with ourselves, with the kids, the neighbors and that person who is on their phone not paying attention to the light – so sits there when it turns green. . .
    It’s even easy to get impatient with God - especially in our spiritual growth to become more like Christ.
    We want to be more compassionate now (or at least I hope we do).
    We want to be more forgiving - now.
    We want to be more generous - now.  
    We want to be less judgmental - now.
All these  crazy things that Jesus wants us to be in order to be more like him – we want them NOW – if not in ourselves – certainly in those around us.
    But when listening to the parables Jesus tells of the Kingdom today – one thing we should take away is that God is always doing the building, and the growing and the molding and theshaping – not us.


    Even in the natural world, God takes the tiny, insignificant mustard see and OVER TIME God turns it into a plant that becomes a home for the birds of the sky. . .
    SO God does the planting, God controls the growth - God is in charge we are not – BUT [and this is a big BUT]  we are not excused from giving that mustard seed of the divine planted within us the most ideal growing conditions we can – we are responsible for NURTURING the seed of faith we have been given.
    And so we need to come here - or quietly in our prayer and home - to show our gratitude to God for all God has blessed us with.
    This allows the seed of faith to grow.
    And we need to come here and elsewhere to experience the support of other like-minded people to be more bold in our witness of Christ.  Who we hang out with – – determines how quickly God can produce the good fruit of the kingdom in our lives.
    And sometimes we just need a break from the chaos and hectic nature of our lives – needing a little quiet and calm and rest – so that we can listen to where the voice of God wants to lead us.  So we come here - or in the quiet of our backyard, or walking in the wonders of nature.
    But always:  we need to come here to be nourished at this table - to allow the seed of the divine to be nurtured and grow – so that we are able to face the challenge of following after Jesus
    Giving the mustard seed of faith, the spark of the divine nature placed within each one of us – the ideal growing conditions is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  AND  [and this is a BIG AND]
    It means always putting forth our best efforts - sometimes in very small, seemingly insignificant ways:
    A kind word
    A compassionate action
    Generous giving.
    To at least pray for the grace we need to forgive someone - when we can’t yet bring ourselves to forgive.
    And always asking ourselves: are we doing better at being Christ-like than we were yesterday?  Last month?  Or Last year?
    Then always asking for the grace we need to do even better.
    
    So PATIENCE - we must never look at the world, or at the Church, or at our neighbor, or at ourselves - and lose hope.  God is in charge we are not.
    And just as God always has, God will use the most unlikely-seeming, the most insignificant- appearing  means to build the kingdom.


    Jesus took 12 insignificant, often fearful, and doubting men – from insignificant backwater towns of the Roman empire – and built a Church that has now spread throughout the world.
    And God takes a splash of water over a head, a smudge of oil on a forehead, a bit of bread and a sip of wine, a kind word, or a whispered prayer – and turns us into instruments of holiness and peace.
    God will use small mustard seeds – like me and you - to continue building the kingdom of God.
    And that kingdom, which has small, insignificant starts in small insignificant ways everyday – will continue to grow and flourish – and give shade to all those who seek it.


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