He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in the field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

Matthew 13:31-32

I love fruit — all kinds. At our new house, we have apples, peaches, asian pears, blueberries, and the everpresent blackberries. I know that blackberries have a lot of seeds — big ones — and they can get caught between teeth and get stuck. However, I didn’t realize that blueberry seeds would also get stuck. They are so hard to get out — well, both types of seeds can be a problem. I try to work them out with my tongue and trying to suck them through so I can swallow them — but eventually I have to excuse myself and find a toothpick or some dental floss to get rid of this small seed that is not hurting me, but driving me absolutely nuts. Does this ever happen to you? Have you ever seen something here at church or had an idea that when you went to bed at night, you were still thinking about it — a small mustard seed of an idea (a dream)? Perhaps this idea is one that could grow into a tree.

Eighteen+ years ago the Pacific NW Annual Conference decided that there should be a Methodist church out beyond Woodinville that would become a Regional Church, one that brought in folks from Duvall and the areas east and north of Woodinville and east Redmond. They talked to a few people who lived out in this area and they appointed Don Sorenson to be the pastor. The Conference bought the land our building is on and they bought the parsonage. It was a start that would change this corner (165th and Avondale) — we hope forever. The first BCUMC congregation was very small — 12-15 members, meeting in homes on Sunday evenings for potluck dinners, worship, fellowship and dreaming. It wasn’t long before the group swelled to 40 and sometimes more. This growth was all by invitation — one person or family asking another to join. The next big growth was in Jan. 1992 when we made 17,000 phone calls to families in this area — asking them if they had a church home and, if not, would they be interested in info about this new church family that we were building. We had help from other churchs in the conference — Bothell UMC loaned us the space (a couple of classrooms for the phone calls) and some members to help make the calls. Other churches involved were Cedar Cross UMC, Bellevue UMC, and Woodinville UMC — and there were others. People contacting other people. The first service was at Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary in March 1992. The growth of BCUMC has come primarily from one person talking to another, asking folks to share the journey, inviting them to become part of the family.

Back in the mid-1800s a young man named George Williams decided he didn’t want to be a farmer. He was the youngest of 8 brothers and really wasn’t needed on the family farm and wasn’t very good at the work anyway. His father sent him to London to work as a sales assistant in a drapers shop (these eventually became department stores). The employees lived above the stores — it was better than living on the streets of London in those days. The hours were long –10-12 hours per day and 6 days per week. George had a strong desire to help and serve others. So, in his “off hours” he would pray, asking God to him him know what to do. He talked to his friends about this desire and soon other men were joining him as he prayed about what they could do to serve the citizens of London. After much prayer and much dicsussion, they formed a group which was to be called the Young Men’s Christian Association — YMCA. Mustard seed ideas that grew ….

The YMCA has also been the garden for other “mustard seeds” — the games of basketball (1851), volleyball (1891), and racquetball (1950) were all developed at YMCAs.

A couple of months ago, I was at a weekly meeting of four women who pray and study together. One mentioned that Bothell UMC was starting a prayer shawl ministry. I thought that this was a great idea — and I needed a new knitting project — so decided to see what I could find out about it for Bear Creek. The internet had quite a bit of info and I found several patterns. Then I went to another weekly meeting with 3 different women and asked them what they thought of the idea. They agreed that this would be a good thing and would help with making some shawls. I’d wanted to have some completed before presenting the idea to the church. Two weeks later I was overwhelmed with the 15 shawls that were first presented and the next 14 that came in soon thereafter. I was also overwhelmed by the embrace of the congregation — so many requested shawls to give to a friend or family member that really needed the “God hug” that these shawls provide. At last count, we have given 25 prayer shawls to people who need them. We have more shawls but will need more to be made (if you can). Again, this was started by one person telling a second person who told another….

Mustard seeds — the smallest seed know to the folks in biblical times. They are only about 1 mm in diameter. The mustard seed when planted and cared for will grow into a large bush that is strong enough for the birds to build nests in and find safety. The start of BCUMC, the YMCA, and our prayer shawl ministry were all mustard seeds to begin with. Even Jesus’ ministry started with just Andrew, James, John, Peter and a few others. Jesus’ ministry grew, gradually, both within individuals and in the world at large, ultimately reaching vast proportions, involving institutions, philosophies and governments.

Do you have any mustard seed dreams? Is there something you’d like to share with someone else? It doesn’t need to be something like starting a Y. It could be as simple as inviting someone to share a church service with you. My prayer is that you’ll be willing to share this dream with at least one other person and then see how this seed grows.

Amen

BENEDICTION

Contained in every seed is the genetic makeup for the entire plant. All unrealized potential, but complete, waiting only for fertile soil, gentle rain, and sunshine. In that same manner, in every mustard seed idea exists the potential for the entire kingdom of heaven — waiting only for the fertile soil of a servant heart and the nurture of faithful service. Share your mustard seeds. Amen