Prayers of Approach
Creator God, Lord and Spirit, we come before you, grounded on the earth, our hands stretched high like a tree. You fill us with amazement, wonderful God.
God of mystery, Sower, Saviour, Spirit, we worship you; and we ask you to give us: eyes to notice where the seeds of your kingdom are growing, courage to show them to others, faith enough to help nurture them, and a heart that delights in their harvest.
Living God, from a mustard seed to a tree, from I to we, in you we grow. Amen. In the mystery of the unseen, from brown field to green, in you we grow. Amen. By faith and not by sight, by day and by night, in you we grow. Amen. Forgiven and freed, through word and deed, in you we grow. Amen. As we sow and reap, as we laugh and weep, in you we grow. Amen. May your kingdom come, Father, Spirit, Son, as in you we grow. Amen.
God of grace and growth, you have called us to plant the seeds of your kingdom in the fields of your world, and to trust you for their developing and flourishing – and so we praise you. For the abundance of your creativity: we praise you. For the transforming nature of your Spirit: we praise you. For the power of small beginnings: we praise you. For the mystery of hidden growth: we praise you. And for the harvest we are invited to delight in: we praise you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn For the beauty of the earth (R&S 41)
Readings: Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:12-15
Mark 4:26-34
Introduction
Ezekiel’s prophecy about a new cedar tree grown from the sprig of an old one was a double-edged sword for the people of Judah in the sixth century BC. Jerusalem was about to be destroyed by the Babylonians, and her people would be taken into exile. The old cedar would fall – yet out of this defeat a new cedar would grow, in which every kind of bird could live and make its nest. A more inclusive city and nation would eventually be rebuilt. It’s a prophecy about the renewal of Israel, with the new cedar grown from the sprig of the old. Jesus both uses and subverts Ezekiel’s image. Rather than renewing an old tree, he offers a new tree altogether – and this will be the ‘greatest of all’. Greater than Israel? Greater than Rome? The kingdom that Jesus proclaims transcends racial and religious boundaries, offering a home to all people.
Hymn O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder (R&S 117)
Sermon
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus shares two parables about growth, patience and hope. As Jesus continues to draw crowds who gather to listen to his teaching, these parables speak about how this teaching is heard and received. The adventure of discipleship is how faith can grow from a small seed to a colossal plant with far-reaching branches, if the right environment is provided. The natural world speaks to us of God’s presence and nature, and Jesus uses the realities and rhythms of nature to awaken people to the realities of God’s kingdom growing among them.
Ezekiel’s cedar tree demonstrated longevity and tenacity. The mustard seed produced sudden, explosive growth. There is stability and continuity in Ezekiel’s image of the cedar but what the mustard seed produced was surprising. And yet there is patience with the unseen and unknown in Mark’s parable of the farmer. What does this say about the haste and changeability of our modern Western world?
The rhythms of the natural world tell us a lot about the nature of God and our place in creation and his kingdom. There is a big word which explains how things happen at the right time, the right speed and the right place. The word is ‘photoperiodism’. It tells how plants know when to start the burst of new growth each year – when trees should put out new leaves and when seeds should put out roots and send up shoots. We might translate it (very roughly) as ‘light time’. It’s not just a case of the weather getting warmer, although that helps of course, it is the increase in the length of day and the amount of light available which starts the growth.
In God’s kingdom too everything happens at the right time. Whether it is slow steady growth like that of a tree, or a rapid springing up like that of the mustard plant. And the growth of God’s kingdom also depends on the light, the light of Christ revealing God’s love and God’s purposes, slowly dawning or bursting forth in a blaze of glory. And even from the smallest most insignificant beginnings, from the tiniest seed, God’s kingdom can grow.
· How does God’s kingdom grow?
· Where are the signs of the kingdom in today’s world?
· How can we grow the kingdom today?
Hymn Colours of day dawn into the mind (R&S 572)
Prayers of Intercession
God of the rich and the poor, of the powerful and the vulnerable, we pray for leaders of nations and for the people they govern, for rich and powerful nations and the people of other nations they can support, and for the world they can protect through their decisions. May wisdom be planted, generosity grow, and co-operation flourish.
We pray for a growth in resilience, awareness and togetherness across all the nations of the world, as they confront environmental issues. and as they reach out to communities crippled by need, war and natural disasters. May integrity be planted, urgency grow and healing flourish.
We pray for the church in this place and around the world as we seek to serve those around us, to reach out to those in trouble, and to share the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. May faith be planted, compassion grow and hope flourish.
We pray for those in the charity sector who seek to support those in crisis, to feed the hungry, to embrace those displaced by war, to protect wildlife and the environment, and the planet that we all call home. May trust be planted, resources grow and lives flourish.
We pray for those in sport, for those they inspire, for the enjoyment they bring, especially all the nations taking part in the football Euros and the T20 cricket world cup, for those preparing for the Olympic Games, and for all those at grass roots level struggling to keep their clubs going. May respect be planted, opportunities grow and talent flourish.
And we pray for those whose faces we have seen on our screens and in our papers this week, those who suffer or have lost their lives, and those who mourn, those who have risked themselves to save others, and those who work tirelessly day by day for their communities and strangers, for all who have enriched our world and for all who are at the mercy of others. May justice be planted, goodness grow and peace flourish – in Jesus name. Amen.
Hymn Jesus is Lord, creation’s voice proclaims it (R&S 268)
Blessing
God of surprises, as we go on our way, may we delight in your growth, flourish in your love, and share your hope with the world.
And may your blessing rest on us, now and evermore. Amen.
Prayers and other material (adapted) © Roots for Churches Ltd. Used by permission.
