Walls of Corn

 Mark 4:26-34

Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

The operator answered, “911, state your emergency.”  On the other end of the phone a couple was terrified.  They and their infant daughter were horribly lost, deep in the torturous depths… of a corn maze.  Mosquitos, darkness, a poopy diaper and who knows what else was closing in.  They could see the lights of the farm, but in their panic, the only way they could think of to get out was to solve the maze and they had been trying to do that for over an hour!  They were so worked up they couldn’t stop and ask the question, “Is this wall between us and the farm a real wall, or is it just corn?” 

In today’s two parables, Jesus is trying to get the disciples then (and us disciples now) to stop running around in the darkness and really SEE the truth.  In both of the parables, Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of God happens mysteriously, surprisingly and overwhelmingly and it all happens IN SPITE OF US!  In happens… like a seed.  In the first parable the seed isn’t planted or sown.  THROWN is the best translation.  THROWN with abandon... THROWN everywhere in the EARTH.  Jesus reminds us that God’s Kingdom is everywhere… in all the EARTH... in every square inch of all of creation.  There aren’t holy spots here and unholy spots there… ALL of creation is holy ground!  On top of that, check out WHEN God’s Kingdom grows!  It grows while you and I do the deeply theological work of simply falling asleep and waking up again!  These parables remind us it is not OUR job to either plant or grow the Kingdom of God... God plants it and the Kingdom grows regardless of what we do!  Instead, these parables are asking us, “DO WE SEE IT?”

Do you see it?  Are you able to look through the pandemic and politics, and panic of a rapidly changing world… and church?  Have pandemic, politics and panic blinded you with anxiety about what’s next?  Certainly no clergy would have worries… oh, like… Have we lost people over the pandemic?  We sure could use ten new families!  How about just one?  Where are we with pledging units and fund raisers and building bird houses?  Arrrrrrrrgh!  We NEED to GROW God’s Kingdom!  

These two parables remind ALL of us, regardless of the sort of shirt we wear, in the midst of all of that… of the truth.  God’s Kingdom already IS growing.  The REAL question is CAN WE SEE IT growing, because it might be growing in ways we’ve never seen it grow before?  Like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle scattered on the floor, are we blinded by the chaos and hopelessness or can we stop… and look… and really SEE that those pieces are coming together to form a beautiful picture right before our eyes?  Can we see that the walls of the maze we feel trapped inside aren’t actually solid?  Can we stop, take a deep breath, look around and then simply walk toward the light through walls that the world insists are solid but turn out to be only made of corn?

The Kingdom of God is literally growing all around us.  The Kingdom of God keeps growing… while we’re sleeping or awake, locked down or opened up, whether we notice it or not.  These parables remind us to take time... PARTICULARLY when we find ourselves feeling trapped in our panicked, frantic, no time to even think world and really look… and not just look… but take the extra time on top of that to actually SEE!  Did you see how the Kingdom grew through the Feeding Sheffield program even while the world was locked behind closed doors?  Did you see how the Kingdom grew online when we had to go to streaming worship?  Did you see the Kingdom of God growing at the concert yesterday while we simply sat still and listened to the music?  Don’t just look… take the time to let the truth of God’s always growing creative abundance really soak in and SEE it working all around you and through you!

A hundred years ago I saw a Far Side cartoon of a kid pushing with all his might on the door to the Midvale School for the Gifted.  He was pushing with all his might right on the part of the door with a sign that read, “PULL.”  So much of our world is stuck just like that.  Stuck pushing on a door that says “Pull.”  Stuck in a maze unable to see the walls are only made of corn.  

These parables are for us in times like that.  Reminders that the seed grows with or without our help.  The tree really is big enough for every bird, the door says PULL and the walls are only made of corn.  So stop.  Look and SEE it.  Then put your arm around your neighbor’s shoulders and help them to see it too.  Amen.