“The Parable of the Mustard Seed” Matthew 13: 31-33
Our sermon today begins with another of the Parables that Jesus told while sitting on a boat in the Sea of Galilee. It is written that he went out of the house and sat on the shore until a large crowd came to hear his words.
Jesus used the mustard seed as an example of how something very small can grow until it reaches great heights and takes over an entire garden. We learn from his Parable that the early Christians were considered the tiny seeds growing in gardens as weeds and would one day reach the height of a tree, overshadowing those who considered them to be worthless members of society. His message is an inspiration to those who followed and believed his teachings that they were not weeds to be rooted out. Their faith would one day overshadow the evil in the world and provide hope and shelter in the Kingdom of God.
Our message today comes at a time when the children have just begun Vacation Bible School. The theme this year is called, “Living By The Water.” This simple topic has sparked many conversations, ideas, and friendships. It all started from a small idea that grew and grew over the past few months.
On the first video (found on our website), friends from the Shinnecock Reservation introduced the water called, “Cuffee Beach,” to the children They told how over many, many generations, their families have respected the water as a place of “sustenance” and a place for prayer to thank the Creator for the gift of life that the water brings.
Children came together on Saturday to sing, paint, experiment, make prayer boxes and to listen to stories. Pastor Sarah’s message shared God’s love for them as they came together to hear all about the gift of water. It was a beautiful morning and left everyone smiling and looking forward to returning next Saturday.
Our tiny seeds are our children. They will grow and spread out like the branches of a tree. They will continue to love the stories told by Jesus as they grow up and go out into the world. They will inherit the Kingdom of God with grace and humility because they have a loving church family.
Our talents are many and we would like to thank Mollie for her leadership in singing, Kathie Mades and Kim Makowski for leading the children in painting a canvas of the beach, Teal and Aaron for teaching what an oil spill does to the ocean, Faith and Sandy for helping the children paint prayer rocks and boxes, Katy for reading stories, Tom and Robbie for helping us set up and take down everything, the parents who came and helped out, for Shelley’s help in organizing, designing flyers, t-shirts and support, and for Pastor Sarah’s leadership and spiritual guidance. She also created and produced the video on our website (check it out if you haven’t seen it). We are truly blessed.
Think about this: FPC is the tallest building on Main Street. It has grown from tiny seeds into a huge tree sheltering and overlooking our community and that is “Good News.”