He
told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which
a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds,
yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so
that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
He
told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a
woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all
through the dough.”
“The
kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he
hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that
field.
“Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found
one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
“Once
again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and
caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the
shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the
bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come
and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing
furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The
first Sunday of each month part of the offering at this church is designated for
Malawi mission, so, thinking they might have some music from Malawi, we were
looking forward to an uplifting worship.
Even
singing the American words, I didn’t think anyone could get through “Siyahamba”
without passion. I have memory of this church being more upbeat.
We
were greeted by a few people. I wish the personal confession time was longer.
I
found it impressive that Malawi is about the size of Pennsylvania but has more
Presbyterians than the whole USA and one pastor per 5,000 worshipers.
The
sermon, “Like a Mustard Seed,” dealt with how God can use ordinary people for
extraordinary things.
We
previously visited here almost exactly two years ago, and since this church
supports missions in Malawi, World Communion Sunday seemed a good time for a
return visit.
We
arrived very early with plenty of time to look around, but there was little to
look at so we ended up sitting in the sanctuary for about ½ hour. At least we
had time to peruse the bulletin.
Using
international songs for each musical portion in the service was imaginative. I
was a bit disappointed that only the English words were used for “Siyahamba” (“We
Are Marching”), as I was looking forward to singing the African words. Still, that
song always brings back wonderful memories for me.
The
point of the sermon, “Like a Mustard Seed,” was that “God uses the ordinary
people of the world to do extraordinary things; our job is to keep sowing the
seeds and trust God to give the growth.”
Dear Lord, we pray You call this congregation to sow the seeds of faith that You might cause great growth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment