Jesus 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.’
Mark 4: 26,27
The Rev’d Dr Samuel Wells talks about the keynote of Christianity in this time of pandemic and social change needs to be a “humbler Church and a bigger God”. The Church has certainly moved from a central position in society to occupying a space on the margins, meaning that our faith communities may feel vulnerable to change, but can potentially also feel liberated from the unhealthy collusion with wealth and power that has been part of our history.
What would it mean to be a humbler Church with a bigger God? Perhaps part of the answer can be found in this short section from this Sunday’s Gospel reading. At its heart, the kingdom of God is relational, growing organically along lines of connection and love. This kind of growth can never be wholly contained within a mission action plan and may advance in surprising ways. How it happens can be as mysterious as seed sprouting into a field of wheat, or the tiniest of seeds becoming the largest of trees which offer a home to many.
What we create is not all down to us any more than the wheat is created by the farmer. We will always be called to acknowledge the mystery of this life into which we may contribute our part. We are also invited into the joy of the new creation whenever and wherever we see its energy emerging, celebrating the loving connections of the life we share here at St Andrew’s. This is an invitation to awe and wonder, where we release our need to control but take our place as a much beloved member in the family of a much bigger God.
Grace and peace,
Sue+
