John 6:1-21
“After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.”

It’s a miracle!!!

I can see the excited headlines plastered across the newspaper. Or, in today’s world, I can picture the trending topic on Twitter, and the stories filling my Facebook news feed.

Jesus Feeds 5,000 People, and You’ll Never Guess What He Does Next. Hashtag #BreadMiracle. Something noteworthy is happening here. Jesus’ behavior is not normal. In today’s reading, Jesus is attracting attention. Crowds are following him. But why? The text says the crowd “saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.” Right before this, Jesus has healed the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. God is up to something special, and the people know it. Something is drawing these crowds to hear Jesus.

So everything’s going well, and a huge crowd of people is gathered together, ready to hear what Jesus is teaching today, ready to see what He’s going to do. And……problem. It’s time to eat, but no one brought any food. Either these people are all terrible at planning ahead and didn’t realize they’d need to eat, or Jesus’ teaching is so engaging that they can’t help listening and they lose track of time. I’m going with that one. The crowds were immersed in Jesus’ teaching.

Now, it’s interesting that this feeding miracle is the only one of Jesus’ miracles that appears in all four Gospels. It’s so typical for John – Jesus is completely in control, already knowing what He’s going to do; He’s just asking as a test. Apparently, Philip fails the test, since his response, his perfectly logical response, is essentially, “I have no idea.” Feeding all these people would take a miracle. Fortunately, Andrew comes to the rescue. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” He’s right. Five loaves and two fish are not going to do much good. It would take a miracle.

Jesus has the people sit down, divides them into groups, takes the bread, gives thanks, and distributes it to the people. And everybody gets free food, and everybody’s happy. Actually, everyone’s really happy. People like the free food so much that they want to make him king. And why not? Think of the economic prosperity from having a king who can miraculously, (magically?) multiply stuff! But apparently that’s not what Jesus wants. He’s got something different in mind than being a vending machine.

At the beginning of the story, the crowds were following Jesus because of the signs He did. Jesus begins his teaching by telling the crowd, “You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” Then He goes on to talk about himself as the bread of life, manna from heaven, the true bread for the world. Not the kind of bread the people are expecting. Jesus doesn’t meet their expectations. Jesus doesn’t fit into their box.

Later on in the scripture, we get this quick story about the disciples getting into the boat ahead of Jesus and going on ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As they’re going, it gets stormy. John doesn’t mention them asking if they’re going to perish, but I think it’s safe to assume they’re a little on edge. Then, a few miles into their trip, they see someone walking on the water towards them. And, as John records, “They were terrified.” An entirely reasonable reaction! People don’t walk on water. Jesus reassures them, but then, instead of calming the storm, they suddenly, immediately reach the land they were going towards. That’s actually weirder to me than the whole walking on water thing. The Jesus tele-porter! It’s a miracle.

So what do we do with these miracle stories? The people who saw them didn’t seem to have any problem with them. They followed Jesus because of the signs, because they were fed. But why do we follow? Sometimes we actually seem repulsed by the miracles. We don’t want Jesus breaking our nice little boxes of what’s possible. It’s like we’re afraid of what might happen if we dare to believe in a God who doesn’t follow our rules. I know how the world works, and this isn’t it. People don’t walk on water. Bread doesn’t come for free. This story doesn’t fit. It’s a miracle. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not explainable.

These are hard stories to believe when all the evidence says they’re impossible. In a world where there are starving people, where there is so much going wrong in the world, in our lives, how can we possibly dare believe that God provides for us? People don’t walk on water and bread doesn’t multiply. But then, in my experience, people don’t rise from the dead either. Personally, I tend to believe these stories actually happened. If Jesus can rise from the dead, I’m ok with believing He can walk on water. Maybe God isn’t bound by our understandings of physics, by what we think is possible, by our rules. Maybe God is capable of more than we can understand. Maybe, because of the cross, because of the rest of the story, we can dare to believe that God is present and active in a broken world, even where we can’t see it.

In a world of rules, a world that says “How dare you claim to be loved? How dare you claim to be made worthy? How dare you claim to be forgiven?” We believe in a God of miracles. We believe in a God who gives freely, not according to worldly rules. Because God does love you. God does make you worthy. God does forgive. God does provide. And even though we might be afraid to believe it, even though we don’t understand how it works, God is present!

Liturgical Colour: Red.

Reading 1: 2 COR 4:7-15

R Psalm: PS 126: 1BC-2AB, 2CD-3, 4-5, 6.

Gospel: MT 20: 20-28.

Today, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we come together to celebrate the feast of St James the Apostle. James is also known as James the ‘Greater’, to distinguish him from the other St James, who is known as James the ‘Lesser’. St James is one of the twelve Apostles of our Lord, and as all the apostles did, James travelled around spreading the Good news of the Gospel of Christ. James was also amongst the first to be martyred for the Lord’s sake.

Let us look at today’s Gospel Reading of MT 20:20-28, Here we are told how the Mother of St James, and also of St John, begged the Lord for special favour and for power for her sons. The other apostles were not pleased and grumbled at this, as they saw it as an attempt to get favour over them, they bickered and argued over it, but our Lord Jesus rebuked them and had to remind them that true greatness and power lies not in human or earthly favour, or fame, nor was it in prestige or in worldly power, but that greatness is in humility, in leading by example, by having a committed and devoted love and service to each other. The greater a person is, the more humility and dedication to service, that person must have in their lives.

James spread the Good news of the Lord to the far away lands, including to where we now know as Spain and Portugal. He encountered martyrdom at the hands of King Herod Agrippa, the King of Judea, because the king wanted to please the Jewish authorities and so to increase his own prestige. Through his martyrdom, James shared in the suffering of Christ, having faithfully served Him by spreading the Gospel around the earth. And as James had shed earthly glories and worldly fame, so he has gained the true treasure which can only be found in the Lord, that is the glory of Heaven and the joy that is to come, an eternity of true happiness and peace.

Each and everyone of us should be inspired by what we have witnessed in the life of St James, and also of course, of the other apostles, martyrs and saints. We need to follow in their footsteps and be more like them in our own lives. This is so we avoid falling into the traps of our own earthly pride and arrogance, which is often our undoing.

We see it all around us in the world today, where people are more interested in having earthly power, fame, prestige and material things. Indeed, the church itself is not exempt from this. In my time in ministry, I have seen so many times where a member of clergy applies to be incardinated into a church, but only if it is on their own terms- that they insist on having a title or more often still, to be made Bishop, and if the church refuses what they want, they go elsewhere to a church which will give them the power and prestige which they are demanding. They have fallen into the darkness of human power, pride and greed.

It was pride, greed and hunger for what we often covet, such as power, greatness, human fame and praise, that has led many to sin and to fall into darkness. We need to be more like Christ, and can take fantastic guidance from the lives and service of  St James, the other apostles and saints. Humility! Humility! Devotion! Devotion!

Let us learn to overcome our own earthly desires to seek the temporary pleasures of the flesh. Let us aim far higher to seek the only true treasure which is Our Lord and His Love and salvation, just as St James himself did.

May Almighty God bless each of us,strengthen us in faith, and awaken within all of us the ever stronger desire to love Him, and to devote ourselves to Him in complete faith and dedication, forgoing the trap of the darkness of earthly power, prestige or earthly treasures, replacing them with the only true treasure which is gained through Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Lord God, we thank you for the gift of your word in scripture; as we contemplate the meaning of the gospel for this day may your spirit open our hearts and our minds to those messages you would have us hear. Amen.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸ Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Mt 9)

This scripture wasn’t in our reading today but I wanted to share it as it includes the recorded words of Christ just before he calls the twelve and sends them out. I want you all to take a minute to contemplate the words of this short passage of scripture…do the conditions mentioned feel familiar?

As I contemplated the gospel reading for today and read further to discover this passage it came to my mind that Christ could have very well been speaking to us. We live in a day where the world is calling out for the transforming truth and love of Christ to heal its wounds. However, when I survey the world around me I see such confusion and turmoil, not only in the secular world but within the Christian world as well.

Christendom, which had such a promising beginning, filled with truth loving communities bound together under the leadership of the Apostles and their successors the Bishops, now finds itself in a fractured state. Instead of standing together in faith and love the so called “shepherds” of much of the Christian world stand in opposition to each other having shed much of that faith once delivered to the Saints and preserved by our Holy Mother the Church Catholic.

In such a condition is it any wonder that there is a rising secularism in the Western World that rejects all things of faith, not only Christianity, but faith in general? What is it that we, can do? Should those of you “in the pews” do anything at all or does this duty rest on those of us called to the ministry?

Let me tell you that each and every one of us are called to be one of the workers in the Vineyard. When we passed through the waters of baptism becoming joined with Christ in his magnificent family, we committed not only to follow His teachings but to hold them in our hearts and be every ready to share them with those around us.

In today’s gospel reading we see this message writ large in the mission call to the Apostles. They were called by Christ to go out and preach to the community. They were called to teach, to convert, and to heal those who were receptive of the message of Christ.

Now I am sure that many of you right now are thinking things like “but I’m not an Apostle”…”I can’t possible convert anyone”…”I’m not going knocking on doors or preaching on the street corner”…

Well let me tell you that each and every one of you stand ready right now to go into the vineyard and teach the word of God and heal a broken world. No special training is needed, no awesome spiritual insight, or perfect nature is necessary. Instead all you need to do is walk your life hand in hand with Christ and be a visible beacon of what it means to be a Christian.

In my secular life I’m a school teacher, and while I have never used that platform as a means of “conversion” or “preaching” at my colleagues and students they are all acutely aware that I am Fr. Brenden and what that means. When issues arise I’m not afraid to let my “Christian flag fly”.

When teaching my science classes I happily dispel misconceptions students have around Christian belief and open their minds to the idea that faith and science are not mutually exclusive. Often this is not done in an overt way by simply by showing that a person of faith can also be a person of reason and science.

In the staffroom questions of morality and belief often come up around the lunch table and when they do my voice is always ready to share what the truths of the gospel are and the moral insight of Christ and His Message.

It is in these simple things that the Christian faith and love of Christ are spread; from these simple instances of sharing what it is to be a Christian (without being “preachy”) comes great change in people’s lives. These conversations and opportunities plant the seeds of hope and faith within hearts. After all, in the words immortalised by Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly “from little things big things grow”.

While each and every one of us could be called to literally walk forward into the world and preach the gospel in a radical way, I believe that it is through these small almost invisible acts of “faith sharing” that the transformative love of God will spread the light and love of Christ inti the world in real and tangible ways.

So, I want to challenge each and every one of us to leave this place invigorated in our faith and prepared to share the Christian faith that lay inside of us. Boldly walk forward in the world and be an example in thought, word, and action and help heal a broken humanity.

Let us pray:

O Lord, grant to us the insight that we may know and understand those things that we have been called to do. Walking in the light of your Spirit may we also have the grace and power to faithfully accomplish your will in all things; grant us the courage to always stand as examples of your love and truth. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

1st Reading: EPH 2: 19-22.

R Psalm: PS 117: 1BC-2.

Gospel: JN 20: 24-29.

Today we come together to celebrate the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. Thomas was born in Galilee in the Roman Empire in the 1st Century AD.

Thomas is said to have travelled outside of the Roman Empire, preaching the Gospel as one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus. He also has the nickname of ‘doubting Thomas’, because as it tells us in today’s Gospel reading of JN 20:24-29, Thomas had doubts at first when he heard that Jesus had risen from the dead and had indeed appeared to the other Apostles, saying, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (V. 25). But when Jesus appeared to him later and invited him to touch his wounds and behold him, Thomas finally showed his belief by saying, “My Lord and My God.” (V. 28). Jesus then told him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” (V. 29).

Haven’t we all had doubts at some point in our life of faith just like Thomas? The true fact is that we are human and nobody in this life has a faith which is perfect. But our imperfect faith is always able to continue to bloom and deepen.

There are many things which at times we could doubt just as Thomas did about things of our faith lives. Maybe it could be doubts about our salvation, or doubt about God’s love for us- especially in times of suffering, illness or hardship. Maybe we may doubt the reliability of the holy word of God in the scriptures sometimes- this can happen in the world we are in that sadly, often, misinterprets the word for their own agenda thereby possibly causing confusion.

However, having times of doubt does not mean that we have lost our faith, we can use our times of doubt to by trusting God, to build a type of bridge that can lead to stronger faith.

In ministry, we are bound to come across those with doubts in parts of their faith life. We should consider the following when dealing with this:

1. We should have mercy on those who are doubting. We are told in Jude 22, to “have mercy on those who doubt.” It is far too easy for us to fall into the trap of judging them, of condemning them, or to see them as being less Christian than ourselves. However, if we have mercy on doubters, we are there for them. We can and ought to comfort them and build them up.

2. We must be prepared to live with mystery: As humans, there are times when we expect the answers to everything and to know all full understanding of God before we are totally willing to commit our entire lives to him. Yes, God has revealed to us much, and there is much we are able to understand, but there are also those things that we cannot begin to comprehend that belong to God alone, as we are told in (Deut 29:29). We merely need to trust God entirely and to use that which we do understand to be enough for us to rest in God with the things beyond our comprehension.

3. We shouldn’t give doubt the courtesy that we do not give to our faith. If we are able to doubt, then surely we should be able to doubt those doubts and to question them in our hearts. As Christians we can be sure that doubt will never outweigh the central truths of our faith which we do comprehend. Yes, doubts may be a pesky nuisance that pesters us, but if we learn to question our doubts, never should these be able to overthrow our faith.

If we return to Jude 22, which as we have already discussed, about having mercy on those who doubt, it matters not whether that doubt is with ourselves or in our brothers and sisters. It goes for both equally, it says have mercy and so let us do so.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ, the light of your love shines on, illuminating the places where you are present. As the bewildered Apostle Thomas heard of your appearance to the other Apostles, you penetrated the darkness of his doubt with your word of peace. You showed Thomas the appalling marks of your sacrifice for us, you opened his mind and his heart to understand and to believe. Increase our understanding, we pray, and open our minds and hearts to receive you Lord. Speak to us your word of peace and let your love shine on any dark or doubting areas of our faith in you.

In your precious name we pray. Amen.

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In the name of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Today we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, two of the most influential men in Christianity.  Peter, the rock on which Christ built His Church and Paul, the converted persecutor of Christians turned missionary.  As Christians, we can look at the lives and deaths of these great men as a model of how we are to live and possibly die for Christ.

Let us look at each of these men individually.

Peter, known originally as Simon, was the brother of Andrew.  Both fishermen by trade, they later became “fishers of men.”  Andrew, having discovered Jesus as the Messiah through John the Baptist, ran home to tell his brother Simon of the good news.  Simon meets Jesus who instructs the brothers to lay down their nets and follow Him.  A command the Bible tells us they obeyed without even a second thought.  Simon’s faith is later tested by Jesus as he walks on water and then denies Jesus three times.  In the end, Jesus tells Simon that from now on his name shall be Peter (meaning Petros or Rock) and on this “rock” He shall build His Church.

After Pentecost, Peter traveled to Antioch where he established a church which he ruled from 33AD to roughly 39AD.  Peter goes on to travel all over the Roman Empire in what is now Turkey.  He arrived in Rome in 40AD and remained there for the next quarter century.  In 51 AD Peter returned to Jerusalem for the Council in which it was decided Gentiles need not adhere to the customs and regulations of Judaism.  It was at this council that Peter and Paul not only meet, but butted heads.  Paul rebukes Peter publicly over the subject of Gentile Christians.  These two would meet again in Rome in 67AD.

Paul, originally known as Saul, was a Roman citizen and a Pharisee.  As such, Saul was a leader of Christian persecution.  One day Saul has a blinding vision, a conversion moment in which his heart is turned to Christ.  He is baptized and becomes one of Christianity’s most fervent missionaries.  Now known as Paul, he preaches the Gospel to the ends of the world.  First to Arabia then back to Damascus.  Then to Jerusalem where he visits Peter for the first council.  From Jerusalem he travels throughout Europe, including Macedonia, Greece and Italy.

While preparing for a missionary trip to Spain, he is imprisoned for 2 years by the Jews in Capernium.  Paul later travels again, but his ship wrecks in Malta.  He is imprisoned once again.  This time for 2 years for preaching in Rome.  Paul was arrested a third and final time in 67 AD in Rome.

Although both Apostles of Christ, these two men ministered independent of each other.  In the end, there were two people who linked their fates one with the other; Simon Magus and the Emperor Nero.

Simon Magus was a practitioner of black magic.  A sorcerer if you will.  Offering to pay the Apostles to give him the gift to confer upon others the Holy Spirit, Simon Magus is rebuked and ran out of the Middle East by Philip.  Now bitter and more determined than ever to show his power over that of these so called “Christians,” Simon Magus takes his show on the road all the way to Rome.  There he meets Emperor Nero.  Besides being an all-around bad guy, Nero has a strong desire to be a sorcerer.  He appoints Simon Magus to his court and aims to learn all he can from him.  In order to show his superior power, Simon Magus decides to recreate the ascension of Jesus by flying around in the sky.  Simon Magus does so with the help of demonic spirits.  That is until the prayers of two men cause the sorcerer to come crashing to the pavement at Nero’s feet.  His legs crushing on impact, Simon Magus dies of his wounds a few days later.  Who were these men who caused the death of Nero’s sorcerer?  None other than Peter and Paul who were both in Rome preaching the Good News of Christ Jesus.

Nero, who had begun a city-wide persecution of Christians, was furious over the death of his sorcerer by these leaders of the Christian movement.  Fellow believers pleaded with Peter to flee Rome and save his life.  Although he was determined to remain in Rome and suffer persecution alongside his followers, Peter gives in and heads out of town.  During all of this, Paul is now incarcerated in Rome.  When he comes to the city gate, Peter has a vision.  He sees Christ walking into the city.  Peter asks Jesus where he is going, to which he replied, “I go into Rome to be crucified again.”  Peter, understanding the meaning of the vision, returns to Rome where he is imprisoned alongside Paul.

While in prison, Peter and Paul convert the Captains of the guard and 47 others.  Eventually on June 29^th, 67 AD Peter and Paul’s lives come to an end.  Peter is taken outside the city gates where he is crucified upside down.  Paul, being a Roman citizen, does not face crucifixion.  Instead, he is beheaded.  Tradition is that his head bounced 3 times down the pavement, and at each place a spring sprang up from the ground.

Looking at the lives and deaths of these great men, we can find the strength, determination and faith to carry on the great mission to preach the Gospel unto the ends of the world, even in the face of persecution and death.  Like Peter, we are to give up everything to follow Christ when he calls us.  This may not be an easy task.  After all, we worked long and hard for that new car, that big house, and to secure the perfect job.  It is hard to give up everything and go where the Lord leads.  It is equally hard to walk out into the deep, trusting in the Lord that we will not sink.  Like Peter walking on the water, so are we to have faith strong enough keep us afloat.  Like Paul, no matter how hardened our hearts are, we can turn to love and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Even when imprisoned and on a sinking ship, Paul didn’t let anything stand in the way of him carrying out his missionary duties.  No matter how bleak the situation or how tall the obstacle, we must remain strong in our faith and push on.

Remember these men when we feel that it is impossible for one person to make a difference.  Remember them when we are persecuted for our faith. Remember them when we see Christians around the world martyred for their beliefs.  When our own faith is shaken and we feel like the world is against us, remember Sts. Peter and Paul and ask them for guidance and look to their examples for the strength to go on.

Amen.

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Liturgical Colour: White.

1st Reading: IS 49:1-6

R Psalm: PS 139: 1B-3, 13-14AB, 14C-15.

2nd Reading: ACTS 13: 22-26

Gospel: LK 1: 57-66, 80.

Today we briefly take a step away from Ordinary Time, to come together to Commemorate the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist.

John was the forerunner sent to pave the way for the coming of the Lord. If we take a look at today’s first reading of IS 49: 1-6, we are told:

The Lord called me from birth from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. He made of me a sharp-edged sword and concealed me in the shadow of his arm: You are my servant, he said to me, through whom I show my glory…to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

We can clearly see from this scripture that the Lord wants to save his people, he wishes to restore us and to raise us up. However, it was (and is), a necessity to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord into the world. This was the purpose as to John the Baptist being sent as the forerunner, to prepare the people for his coming.

At the heart of preparation of the people for the coming of the Lord, was (and still is) repentance, as we can clearly see in this scripture of Matt 3:1:

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near! Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

But what does to repent truly mean? It is far too easy for us to believe that it merely means that we are sorry for our sins! To truly repent is far more than this, it is to come to a new mind, to have a whole new way of thinking and to put the Lord as our first priority, foregoing worldly notions to gain heavenly wisdom and readiness.

So how is all this relevant to us today?

If we look at John the Baptist, we can and should also learn about ourselves in terms of our duties and service as ministers of God. Just as John was, we ought to be steeped in God’s word, and in the true teachings of the church. We should announce to all what God reveals to us and to see all things through his light. We are to summon God’s people to the truth if all that God proclaims, and to expose lies and errors for what they are, Just as John did in his ministry.

Just as John the Baptist was the forerunner sent to prepare the way for the Lord coming amongst us on the earth, we are now like John before us, the forerunners who are sent to prepare the people for the return of the Lord in glory, so that all will be ready and well adjusted to the radiance of the salvation of the Lord’s love, and will be conformed to be as suitable as is possible for His heavenly Kingdom. In short, we are the John the Baptist’s of the modern age.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, by whose Providence thy servant John the Baptist was born and sent to prepare the people for the coming of your Son, our Saviour, by preaching repentance. Make us also follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent and following his example, to prepare the way for the second coming of your Son, our Lord and Saviour, only speaking the truth of your word and rebuking all else, and to patiently accept suffering for your Truth’s sake, to your glory.

Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable to you O Lord, our God and our Creator. Amen.

This Sunday’s gospel reading consists of two parables, one more well-known than the other.
The second parable in the reading is the parable of the Mustard Seed which is found in three of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Due to its occurring in the Synoptic Gospels it’s quite likely you would have heard a sermon or at least read this parable before. I know in Sunday School and youth programs when I was younger it was a part of lessons and talks on more than one occasion.

The first parable in the reading, which goes by numerous names depending on which version of the Bible you are using is far less familiar and so is what I am going to focus my thoughts on today.

In this parable we see Jesus relating a story to his audience about a man scattering seed and the resultant process of a seed growing to maturity. With our modern understandings this may seem an odd story for Jesus to be conveying to a crowd who is asking to hear great messaged of faith. However, as with all parables Jesus was sharing the great truths of the Gospel in a unique was that both allowed listener to learn if they were true seekers but also to hide the truth behind a curtain of allegory for those who may not be ready for the higher things of the Gospel.

In this case, this seemingly simple story about seeds growing relates a message of what the Kingdom of God is. This may raise the question for us all what is meant by this term “Kingdom of God”. Depending on your theological stand point this term can evoke many different images; for some it refers to the heavenly kingdom of God on high, to others an earthy Kingdom that will be ruled over personally by Christ when he returns. It’s impossible to say that any of these views are more correct that others however, speaking as catholic and orthodox Christians the Kingdom of God refers to the whole of God’s dealing with humankind, in other words the entire plan of salvation. So how is the story of a man growing seeds able to express this?

In this particular case we can view the man who plants the seeds as Jesus Christ, while the seed is the Gospel itself. Jesus walked upon the earth and while he was here his mission was to spread the Gospel to his people for the redemption of humanity. This message culminated in the great sacrifice of Christ upon the cross of Calvary and this is represented by the man falling asleep and his waking refers to his glorious resurrection.

This then leads to the question that if the man is Christ and the seeds the Gospel how can Christ not know the process by which the seeds grow? Doesn’t God know all and have all in his control and at his command? This is most certainly a fact that cannot be in doubt and this “not knowing” does not indicate a lack of knowledge but in fact refers to a letting go to allow fallen humanity to use their free will to accept the Gospel and let it grow within their hearts and minds. Christ is not a manipulator of men and never seeks to coerce any of God’s children into service.
After the seed the man plants grows it is quite a natural conclusion to the story that he would want to harvest the field and gain benefit from what he has planted and grown. In the plan of salvation it’s obvious to me that this harvest refers to the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

When a farmer harvests their crop not all of that which is harvested is fit for use and makes it to market and thus it will be at the great harvest which shall be performed at Christ’s coming. Each and every one of us will be judged in the harvest and our reception of the gospel and the way that we have tended to the seed of faith that was planted in us will indicate our reward in the world that is to come.

It is my hope and prayer that each and every one of us will tend to the seed that we hold within us and grown in the faith and love of Christ. If we do this we will work hard to be fellow workers with Christ tending to the field alongside him assisting God’s children with their needs both temporal and spiritual.

Please join me now in a word of prayer. Let us pray:
Lord God, you protect all who trust in you, and without you nothing is strong and nothing is holy:
In your great mercy guide us through the good things of this life, so that in the end we do not lose the things of eternal life. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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