Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

Dear Friends in Christ, God’s grace and peace be with you.  Amen

In the heart of the Financial District in New York City, a statue of a small fearless girl[i] stands courageously in the face of a charging bull[ii]. You may remember that the Charging Bull[iii] statue was originally placed there in the late 1980s, first as guerilla art, but later placed there officially as a sign of the restless resiliency and long-term strength of the market, in spite of the stress experienced in the years preceding.

The Fearless Girl, showing up on the eve of the International Women’s Day, 2017, encouraged investments in gender-diverse funds, and promoted the full participation of women in all aspects of the market. Because of the way she faces straight into the bull, people find the statue to be a strong statement not just of resistance to exclusivity in the workplace, but also a commentary on corporate greed, profit-driven economics, and oppression of the least. “Watch out,” the young statue seems to proclaim, “Girl power cannot be denied.”

The Reign of God is like the unlikely strength of a determined, pony-tailed girl, with fists clenched on hips, reminding us that power comes to those facing great odds, and that the arc of the universe still bends toward justice[iv]. She stands by faith, and not by sight.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like an insignificant seed growing into a tall shrub with enough power to protect and heal and feed the world, though no one was even watching it grow.

Jesus gives us two parables among many, comparing God’s reign as seeds growing with little if any effort on humanity’s part, into full harvests and mature shrubs, great enough to provide shelter for God’s creatures.

Many scholars point out that mustard shrubs are not actually the largest as Jesus seems to imply. Their seeds are not actually the smallest, either[v]. (You have smaller seeds in your spice cabinet.) But the point is not lost – small seeds grow into significant bushes.

And maybe that’s enough. Though not all that magnificent, mustard bushes are sturdy, resolute shrubs. They create wind blocks and protection for the plants around them, and they grow wide enough for passing birds to rest in their shade. Their fruit and leaves are used for fresh greens and flavoring, and also for traditional medicines. Jesus seems to use the image, perhaps because it was so common, to simply remind us that seeds, though they can look small and insignificant, can grow into powerful plants.

Jesus points to the surrounding flora in his midst and says, God’s work happens. God’s work happens whether we pay attention to it, or ignore it. It happens whether we try to help it along, or are oblivious. God is at work in the world, and nothing will stop the growth of a harvest of life and goodness.

We can trust that message us on sunny June days vibrantly bursting with green after a heavy rainfall. We celebrate it at graduation parties, and anniversaries, and Father’s Days, when children are confident and flowers are blooming, and hearts are full.

But what about on the days when things are less rosy? How do we experience God’s providence and growth when beetles or borers invade our trees, when crops are damaged, or when seeds fall among thorns and are choked out before the harvest stage?

Rather than celebrating the growth and development of their children, families along the U.S. southwest border have been facing a completely contrary horror. Immigration officials have separated children from their parents and guardians, and are housing them in make-shift shelters, ranging from vacated discount store buildings to tents[vi]. How do we trust in the ultimate vitality of God’s reign when families despair that they will never see their babies again?[vii]

What happens when it’s not only shrubs growing thick without our attention, but injustices mounting upon atrocities without us really noticing, either, until suddenly a human rights crisis is taking place in our own backyard?

The gospel of Mark was written at a time when God’s people were facing horrendous realities, too. Our best guesses presume that Mark was writing near the time of overwhelming persecution of Jews and Jesus’ followers. In a year or two from the time his gospel was assembled, both Paul and Peter among others would be martyred, the temple would be demolished, and Jerusalem would be razed. Families would be separated and persecuted by violent and self-focused regimes and whole houses of faith would be silenced.

Even though our gospel story takes place relatively early in Mark’s gospel (Mark 4:26-34), the religious and political leaders around Jesus were already plotting on ways to destroy him (Mark 3:6). While we read this story in the middle of a heat spell in a deliciously vibrant time of year, Jesus’ friends would have heard him under threats and fear.

That the reign of God would grow, as slowly and imperceptibly as the steady, non-stoppable growth of a mustard tree would have been a word of hope offered to people who feared for their lives. That a harvest will be gathered, no matter how improbable it may look when seeds are scattered in unfavorable conditions, could have been the most important reminder to those living in danger that God would never abandon them.

St. Paul may have written 2^nd Corinthians a decade earlier than Mark’s gospel was compiled, but his life was already being threatened too. He may have already been imprisoned, and he certainly had already faced persecution and harassment for his teachings. And yet he writes, “So we are always confident.” Confidence for Paul comes not from knowing that life is carefree and successful, but from knowing that life is lived in the love of God. For he walked by faith, not by sight— not by the sight of oppression, retaliation, or violence around him, but faith in God’s promise to never stop loving, caring, and blessing the world.

Where is God’s love and care and blessing reaching the world today? It may be hard to see it along the Southwest border. It may be hard to believe God is working within the hearts and minds and bodies of those families ripped by grief and fear. I pray that the Spirit is growing hope and answers in the lives of those in trouble, even if I can’t see it right now. I pray that God can work within the deliberations of our officials to find merciful and just solutions to the issues immigration and refugees.  Scripture is full of mandates for those who are in power to care for the least, for children, for migrants, for those fleeing persecution. And I continue to trust that God works in ways I can’t always see or recognize.

But God also plants seeds of hope inside each one of us, and longs for us to be signs of a new creation to a world that’s hurting. We may not even be aware of the confidence and strength God is growing in us. We may be somewhat oblivious to the harvest God is ready to reap in our witness to new life, in our determination to stand up to destruction, and in our stubborn contention that death will not have the last word for us.

What if we are the mustard shrubs? This week, children will gather at Gloria Dei’s Vacation Bible School. They’ll gather in song and laughter, for learning and playing and praying and creating. For these five days, they’ll find shelter in the shadow of God’s welcome here. They’ll be reminded every day that God will never stop loving, caring and blessing each one of them and the world outside. For this week, we’ll use our church to teach them to be confident and resolute in the goodness of life lived in the love of God.

Could it reach beyond this week? Could it reach beyond Gloria Dei? Beyond St. Paul? What if we start to notice that we have healing in our leaves to share with the world? What if without our sensing it, we have grown bold in our witness to the never-failing love of God which may be the seasoning that the world most desperately needs? What if we recognize a new determination in our posture and, pulling our hair back in a fresh ponytail, we find the courage to stand up to the powers of despair or brokenness with a new song of hope?

The Reign of God is like a community of unassuming friends and strangers, who without noticing it happening, discover  the healing and life-giving strength in their arms, and learn to offer their lives on behalf of their neighbors. Watch out.  Love Power, Life Power, Resurrection Power will not be denied.

Thanks be to God. Amen

[i] Fearless Girl, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearless_Girl

[ii] See photos from Anthony Quintano on Flickr, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).

[iii] Charging Bull, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_Bull

[iv] Theodore Parker. Martin Luther King, Jr. used to quote Parker, and many people have quoted King’s remembrance of this line.

[v] Amy-Jill Levine, Chapter 5, “The Mustard Seed,” Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, (New York: Harper Collins, 2014).

[vi]Colleen Long, Associated Press, June 15, 2018, “DHS reports about 2,000 minors separated from families,” Minneapolis, Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/ap-exclusive-about-2k-minors-separated-from-families/485681671/

[vii] The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has signed a letter with other religious dignitaries and leaders addressing the immigration issue.  Read about it here:  http://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7935

 

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[i] Fearless Girl, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearless_Girl

[ii] See photos from Anthony Quintano on Flickr, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).

[iii] Charging Bull, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_Bull

[iv] Amy-Jill Levine, Chapter 5, “The Mustard Seed,” Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi, (New York: Harper Collins, 2014).

[v]COLLEEN LONG  Associated Press, June 15, 2018, “DHS reports about 2,000 minors separated from families,” Minneapolis, Star Tribune http://www.startribune.com/ap-exclusive-about-2k-minors-separated-from-families/485681671/

[vi] The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has signed a letter with other religious dignitaries and leaders addressing the immigration issue.  Read about it here:  http://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7935