Unlikely

We could talk about tone, and volume, and pacing of the speaker, and hearing abilities of those listening, and room ambiance, and distractions, and on and on...without really answering the question.

Because all of those things which certainly do play a part do not yet mention the crucial thing.

A sermon “works” when the Spirit of God takes the words of a preacher, whether they are eloquent or prosaic, and uses them to stir up faith in the person listening.

And there is no way for us to quantify that, or control that; merely to rejoice whenever and however that happens.

This seems to be a good application of Jesus' story of the seed growing secretly.

The event may begin with the preacher reading the text, planting the seed, patting it down, watering it

and tending to it in a sermon or lesson.

But how it is heard and internalized...that is not up to the preacher but to God's Holy Spirit.

Remember how Luther's explanation of the third article of the Creed begins: I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in the Lord Jesus or come to him; but that the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies me...and the whole Christian church....

We hear this with anxiety when we are so caught up in “what must I do next.”

A preacher could become extremely irritated when the congregation does not respond in what he or she thinks are the appropriate actions.

But the Spirit is doing something, in some way; perhaps it will not be recognized by anyone for a very long time.

A preacher can work long hours on phrasing a message in just the right way, and not hear or see any particular reaction from the congregation.

Or, it could be one of those sermons where the preacher is not satisfied at all with what was written and prepared when someone will say “That was exactly what I in my life needed to hear today.”

How did that happen? I don't know; but the Spirit does.

From time to time, someone will tell me something like “Remember what you said a couple of months back about...(whatever)...? I've been thinking about that and because of that I'm.....(doing a particular course of action).

First, I'm glad to have the sermons written down, because my memory is getting worse daily, so I can go back and see exactly what I said; and second, how did the sermon work on that particular person?

I don't know; but the Spirit does.

We will do certain things such as begin with songs like Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so, and hopefully as the years go by, we will become able to use and appreciate more things such as Luther's hymn based upon Psalm 130 which we sang last Sunday morning, with the 3^rd and 4^th stanzas which read:

It is in God that we shall hope,

And not in our own merit.

We rest our fears in his Good Word

And trust his Holy Spirit.

His promise keeps us strong and sure;

We trust the holy signature

Inscribed upon our temples.

...He send redemption through his Word.

We praise him for his merit.

Last week I had a conversation with a member of another area church which practices what is commonly called “believer's baptism,” the baptism of older youth or adults who are able to speak of their desire for the sacrament.

I reminded him that we really don't have time to argue about this; that folks of his persuasion need us who practice baptism at whatever age, including infants, because it reminds us all that faith is a gift of God which the Lord God himself will stir up in us.

And on the other side of the discussion, that we need those who practice “believers' baptism” because they remind us that a gift is useless unless it is opened and used and appreciated; the gift of baptism should not be treated like a good-luck charm to be worn or not depending upon personal whim.

For the sake of Christ's mission, we need to be making use of the gift of Baptism.

The two groups need each other and our particular and differing emphases.

When we have reached everyone with the gospel, then we can have time for esoteric arguments.

Until then, let's be convinced in our own minds, as Paul says,[Romans 14:5] and get on with the tasks at hand which Jesus has given us, because the harvest has arrived. [Mk.4:29]

When it is harvest-time, every bit of energy needs to be focused on that.

The old saying “make hay while the sun shines” applies here.

The second parable in our Gospel lesson today has a bit different message.

The usual interpretation goes like this: the tiny mustard seed when planted yields a great result, and so it is with us when the seed of faith is planted, great things can result, by God's grace at work within and through us.

That is true, but we got to that message a little too quickly and easily, because there are some very peculiar things about the little parable.

First, the mustard seed is certainly not the tiniest seed known, even 2,000 years ago; it is small, yes, but giant compared with African violet seed or orchid seed, and many others.

Second, mustard when it is grown is not a “shrub” as Mark describes it, and even less is it a “tree” as in Matthew's version of the parable.

It is a little weedy plant, a long way from “shrub” or “tree.”

And thirdly, birds of the air could barely land on it, let alone make nests in it.

How is the kingdom of God like this sorry state of affairs?

I'm thinking that Jesus is deliberately using irony in this parable.

He would have known the limitations of the mustard plant, its size and capabilities or lack thereof.

As far as the world is concerned, the mustard is a nondescript weed, but that is not the true measure of the situation.

Rather, it is what God will make of it.

So the kingdom of God is like this, useless in the world's estimation, but just right in the eyes of the Lord.

And so the church as a forerunner of the kingdom of God is also a weedy plant to the world; what God can do with it and how it can be great is up to God and not to us.

We are to produce the fruit that we can, and God will take care of what results he wants because of that.

I had serious conversations with a few folks on the Camino in Spain.

Will there be results because of that little bit of talking and seed-sowing?

I don't know; but the Spirit does.

When a person struggles with discerning and doing what is right at work, even if it is not the easy or popular thing, is that something grand in the world's estimation?

No, but the Spirit may make of it far more than we imagine, in ways we do not expect.

We love this great building where we gather each week; the finest space for worship and music in the area, I think.

We forget sometimes that this building is the accumulated work of generations of believers gathering in this place, and even more importantly, that the essence of the congregation is not in the building as grand as it is, but in its people and their day to day work in the name of Jesus.

The world may describe our gathering of people as an annoying reminder that society is not so smart and accomplished all by itself,

that it has gifts from God to use or abuse,

that the kingdom of God is growing in ways that the Spirit knows and we do not,

and that life consists of more than the accumulation of things.

Because of those reminders, the world will try to pull out this assembly that it considers a weed; but there is this things about weeds...they keep coming back, they are persistent in their work.

As we sing in just a moment:

...The power is yours alone

To make it sprout and grow.

O Lord, in grace the harvest raise,

And yours alone shall be the praise!

In the world's estimation, this seed growing quietly, this inconsequential mustard plant, is all so very unlikely, but in the Spirit's power all things of God are possible.

We'll conclude our song: Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.