Piet's Page June 18, 2006

Planting seeds of hope
Mark 4:26-34

He was a member of the Volunteers in Mission Team of which I was a part in 2005. We traveled to Bolivia to work at a Bolivian Methodist Church school, deep into the jungle. Duane is from Michigan, as were all of the other members except for me, the lone Kansan. A gifted carpenter and craftsman, Duane has a unique ministry. He takes the pits from peaches, dries them, carves them into the shape of a small basket, and then fills that 'basket' with mustard seeds. This is then fitted with a gold chain, placed in a small plastic bag, along with the mustard seed quote from Matt. 17:20. Duane gives these necklaces away to anyone willing to receive them. He could only make a wild guess at how many necklaces he has made over the years, but the number exceeds 10,000 as I recall. While we were in Bolivia, every student, teacher and administrator received a necklace - more than 300 were distributed.

Patience is not one of my strong virtues. I would prefer to see immediate results from the work which I do. During the years I spent as a professor, I was rarely able to detect whether or not my teaching made a difference in the lives of the students. The disciples (especially Peter) were also impatient. In scripture we are made aware of their desire to experience immediate results of their leader and teacher, Jesus! When is the kingdom coming, Jesus -we want it now, in our lifetime, right here, in this place!!!! Frankly, I can identify with the disciples. I too would like for the work of the church to have an immediate impact, and to improve the world around us -which has plenty of room for improvement. And yet, again and again, Jesus teaches us that we must take things one step at a time. We must be willing to scatter those small mustard seeds, and have faith that in so doing, an occasional seed will take root and "become the greatest of all shrubs, put forth large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." (Mark 4:32)

I suppose that many (most?) of those mustard seed necklaces distributed in Bolivia are now in some little box, in the corner of a drawer, or lost altogether. Perhaps -just perhaps -there is one student who not only wears the necklace, but truly remembers that which it symbolizes. Perhaps that one young student tells the story each time someone notices the necklace. And so the parable once again bears fruit, and more of us little birds make our nests in the shade of the greatest of all shrubs.

-Pastor Piet 
June 18, 2006