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At the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Miami, Florida, there is a plant celebrity named Audrey. Audrey is a titan arum, famous—no, infamous for her aroma. The titan arum is native to the jungles of Sumatra. Its fragrance resembles an overpowering stench of rotting fish or meat, which it uses to attract the carrion beetles that pollinate it. In Miami, it's a big draw for visitors. Audrey's human caretaker has a blog where the plant's progress is recorded. Here's one entry: "Audrey put on a dramatic show last night, releasing her scent in dramatic waves that increased in intensity throughout the night. It really is amazing to see so many people coming to smell something so terrible. Some people are even impatient when they have to wait a couple of minutes for the wave of rotting meat to wash over them. I bring peppermint oil with me to relieve my nose when necessary. My husband called around 8:00 p.m. and I immediately turned down his offer to go out for sushi. The scent definitely suppresses the appetite."
Almost as remarkable as this fragrance is the plant's growth rate. Another blog entry: "It's a good thing Jeff our computer technician installed the webcam today because you can practically watch Audrey grow before your eyes. Over a 24 hour period, she grew 8 inches. When I told the school groups that Audrey was 7'1" tall, they were unimpressed until one boy asked, "Is that as tall as Shaq?" And I told them that Audrey is in fact the same height as Shaq. That really got their attention.
The first thing the Lord wants us to note is the mystery of growth. The mystery of growth. The farmer goes to bed at night and when he or she gets up next morning he sees this plant has sprouted new leaves and has grown three inches. How? It's a mystery. Jesus says, "The earth produces by itself." Yes, the farmer has to tend and care for and work and toil. But here the focus is on the mysterious power. Without it, all the toil wouldn't matter. First, the wonder of growth. Growth happens. And when we're talking about the kingdom of God, we're thinking about the One who gives the growth. This text is centered on God—God's ability.
This past week I put our son on a plane for Japan. There were 15 on the trip—you know teens aren't always eager to give hugs in public—at least not to their parents. The other parents were holding it together pretty well—then a young man, who couldn't have been more than 14, on his own went over to his mom—she was confined to a wheelchair with a debilitating disease—and he gave her a great big long hug. It wasn't an okay if I have to hug. Well, then the tears started to flow. It's just a two-week trip—but something of a milestone for youth and especially for parents who all of a sudden realize their children have grown up before their eyes.
Now we are different than a field full of crops. A field just kind of sits there and soaks it all up. We can be a little more conscious of it. We can live with a sense of expectation. You never know what good will happen.
Christopher Gardner grew up Milwaukee and never knew his own father. He lived with his mother and her family, and at times, in foster homes. He had a life of hardship and emotional scarring, and saw way too much of gunplay and domestic violence as a boy.
He once told his mother he wanted to be Miles Davis when he grew up, the great jazz trumpeter. She said that job was already taken—his job was to be Chris Gardner. She also taught him that he could be whatever he made up his mind to be—and he was innocent enough to believe her. As a young man, he fell on hard times, and struggled to provide for himself and his young son while he learned a profession. At times they spent his nights at a homeless shelter or in the Bart station in San Francisco.
He met a man who was well-dressed and drove a Ferrari—and he asked him, "How'd you do that?" Turns out the man was a stock broker, so Chris determined he would be one too. Though his son's mother left him, Chris had resolved he would do whatever it took to keep and care for his son. The Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco helped them stay together at the church's shelter. Well, in 1981 Chris passed his licensing exam as a stock broker. He and his son were finally able to get their own apartment. Chris is now the CEO of Gardner Rich brokerage in Chicago, and is a major philanthropist of charities that give young people a chance to make their way in the world. His remarkable story is the power of a committed life.
So, maybe this verse brings up the question of where our growing edge is. It's not making ourselves grow, but it is being aware of how the Spirit might be moving in us. If we can begin to identify our passion—that's a good start. What do we find ourselves thinking and dreaming about? What way of helping or creating or being in mission in the congregation or community or world? You remember the famous Scottish runner Eric Liddell from the movie Chariots of Fire. He was from a deeply Christian family, and his sister worried that his participation in the Olympics might derail his missionary career. Eric responded, "God made me fast. When I run, I feel God's pleasure." What makes me feel God's pleasure? I need to identify it, and then run.
The first part is the sheer mystery of growth. The next part of what Jesus says focuses on what happens in growth: we go from little to big, of course. The little kingdom of self that we all start with becomes larger. Our hearts widen to include more and more of humanity, and indeed creation itself. The confined perimeter of our lives expands. There have been some small kingdoms in history—Monaco, Liechtenstein and Andorra. No kingdom so small as the self unconnected to God and others. That's a very tiny fiefdom. But when the mustard seed of faith gets started in our lives, when the Spirit begins to enlarge our horizons—we become part of the ever-growing realm of God. There's no greater contradiction than a narrow-minded Christian, the strict confines of bigotry and judgmentalism.
In Christian terms, what is the bigness for? Just bigness? No, it's for shade and shelter and blessing and nests and food. The little seed grows to be a blessing. Sometimes companies and shareholders and churches and national economies get so caught up in growth they forget to ask why. Growth, according to Jesus, is for the blessing of others.
A few weeks ago a friend of ours moved up from Florida. She said, what are those little plants in the field? Oh, those are corn plants. I never knew corn started out so small.
In our church we have what we call small groups. Some places call them cell groups or ministry groups. I've read about a church that calls them community groups. But for this message, I like small groups. Mustard seed small. A core that contains the potential. A nurturing environment. Now the thing about small groups is, if they get too big, they're not small any more. You can quote that. But, small groups are where the growth happens. Through the study and encouragement and fellowship and friendship. Then they afford shelter and shade and help in time of need. Our lives are enlarged and expanded through mutual support. In other words, we grow. The group is the ground where we can grow in Christ.
It's amazing how many groups take this mustard seed concept and use it in their name. The Mustard Seed Foundation gives grants to groups seeking to start economic development projects. There's the Mustard Seed Street Ministry in Atlanta; the Mustard Seed Café, where youth can go and have coffee and fellowship and Christian music in West Jefferson, Ohio; there's The Mustard Seed Group in Chicago, renowned for its ministry to recovering addicts; the Mustard Seed School in Hoboken, N.J. with an intentional education mission to the urban poor; and a book by christian author Tom Sine called Mustard Seed Versus McWorld, advocating local, kingdom-oriented business practices rather than globalization. In choosing that name, each expresses the power of starting small and the hope contained in a venture of faith, whatever it might be.
It's interesting that Jesus uses the agricultural imagery so often. For most of human history a farm has been something to be kept in the family. So people in farming had the long view of things. They wanted to pass on a legacy to their children. So they cared for the land. Not always—but at their best. If we're being asked by God to work in the kingdom, we need to take the long view—not use up everything in a couple of generations—think of those yet to come—future generations—what kind of world will we leave them? Part of growth in the kingdom is leaving a legacy to those who come after us. And as Christians we need to think deeply about what humans—all of us—are doing to this earth.
Phillip Yancey is a wonderful, honest Christian author. He wrote a book called Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church. Yes, some of us have been on the receiving end of abusive churches when we were growing up—or as adults. And this author tells of people who inspired him to move on past those hurts and be a disciple of Jesus anyway. But Philip Yancey made a list. He calls it "A Believer's To-Be List." You've heard of to-do lists—this is a to-be list. It speaks about spiritual growth. Here are just a few.
Do not attempt this journey alone. Like many Protestants, I easily assume the posture of one person alone before God. But the Bible speaks of the people of God together. We are intended for community.
Second, allow the good—natural beauty, encouraging words, joyful times to penetrate more deeply than the bad.
He wonders, as an author why does it take about 15 encouraging letters from readers to overcome one critical letter? If I awoke every morning and fell asleep each night, bathed in sense of gratitude and not self-doubt, the in-between hours would take on a different cast.
Third, always err, as God does, on the side of mercy, freedom, and compassion.
Fourth, forgive daily, those who caused the wounds that keep you from wholeness. Increasingly, I find God uses our wounds in his service. By harboring blame for those who caused them, I slow the act of redemption that can bring healing. By forgiveness, I help my own spiritual growth.
Just a brief word to some today who might feel like they haven't been so good at being either a child or a parent. I'm a failure at raising my kids. I didn't love my parents the way I should have or could have. I feel guilty or angry or ashamed for what I did or didn't do. And, furthermore, there's no going back now to fix it. It's too late. Put those thoughts out of your head. Let them go. They're not faith-building thoughts. They're not growth-giving. Accept the redeeming power of God to turn our mistakes into something completely new. Regain your sense of wonder, and of life's possibilities through Christ.
Growth is the way of God's kingdom. It's people finding life in Christ—it's ventures of faith that start small but contain the kernel of God's spirit. It's growing in love, until we reflect the mercy of God in all we do.
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