Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - 30th Tuesday in Ordinary Time
[Ephesians 5:21-33 and Luke 13:18-21]What is the Kingdom of God like? It is like a mustard seed...... It is like yeast....
Great things can grow from small beginnings! Perhaps that's one of the classic models of the American success story. Whether it be a computer in a garage or a homemade jelly, the "success story" is one that crops up frequently. The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast are examples of that. Luke is trying to reassure the struggling preachers of his time. It is a reassurance that contemporary preachers have to take to heart. Numbers aren't everything, they tell themselves! But small beginnings are not easy ones. A lot of optimism is required. Sometimes it is a "take along the tartar sauce when you go after Moby Dick" type optimism. Sometimes it is quiet confidence that something is a good thing. We should feel that way about the Good News! Consider the image of the yeast. The "three measures" here are not three cups but roughly 190 cups. The yeast has its job cut out for it! So does the baker in Jesus' time. There were no Kitchen-Aid mixers - only strong hands and arms. Consider the mustard seed. A lot of patience is required to see that seed develop into a tree. It's a lot like parenthood! I know that getting an iris seed from pod to bloom takes about two years! Instant results are not the criterion for "success" in the preaching of the gospel. Indeed, there are portions of the planet where the gospel has never been heard! God takes care of those folks, but we still have to patiently work to get the message out. If it is Good News, it's worth planting a very small seed or working to get tiny yeast spores into the dough and waiting for it to rise. AMEN