A wise teacher once taught a group of us that mustard seeds are filled with potential, should not be underestimated, and like all seeds, they grow by their inherent power and grace. Jesus returns to the images of mustard seeds, parables of sowers and harvesters from time to time. All three nuances are at work: potential, surprise, and power and grace.
It is the third nuance that you gardeners and farm kids know in your bones. Martin Laird, in his remarkable book, Into the Silent Land, names the spiritual wonder of garden and farm wisdom: “A spiritual practice simply disposes us to allow something to take place. For example, a gardener does not actually grow plants. A gardener practices certain gardening skills that facilitate growth that is beyond the gardener’s direct control… The required skill is interior silence.”
Mustard seeds invite questions, wonder, and humility. God is up to something in, with, and under our shared lives. Our joy is found in the invitation of Jesus to pay attention to this moment and how it might be tended by interior silence. Giving each moment some space opens us to the potential, surprise, power, and grace of God.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Peter