Again Jesus said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32

Like many other sayings of Jesus, one may look again at this passage and wonder what can be said this time that has not already been said so many times before - so many times before that the audience tunes out. Passages like these are a challenge not so much because of their difficulty but because of their familiarity. A not unexpected approach to this text would focus on the size of the seed and contrast that small size with the very large size of the full-grown plant and would then make the non surprising parallel with the small group of disciples gathered around Jesus and great size of the church as it has become a global institution.

This is all fine and good and can be used toward a number of exhortations about faith, hope, trust, and patience among other virtues. But I am thinking that the text has more to say and that its details testify to its genius. Small things matter. For the Kingdom of God to become a place where all the metaphorical birds perch in its metaphorical branches, small things matter. For our parish to realize its potential in our day and for our individual spiritual lives to deepen, small things matter. And not just any small thing, but the smallest of things and their small progress.

I have been reading recently about the Japanese philosophy of kaizen. It is a compound word of “kai” meaning change and “zen” meaning good. Kaizen is the philosophy of making small changes by setting small goals, thinking small thoughts, asking small questions about how to reach those goals, and using the smallest of means toward small steps on a longer path. As it turns out, kaizen is highly effective toward making desired changes whereas radical, innovative, and large changes often fail. Kaizen is the wisdom of fable of The Tortoise and the Hare. Slow and steady really does win the race. Small and steady get us where we are going.

It is the same wisdom expressed in the saying, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” In organizations following kaizen, each person is expected to share in the culture of small things by looking and asking again and again “what small things can be done to improve the work place.” Each observation may be the smallest of things but multiply that small thing by each day at work and by the number of people employed. For an individual, small good changes lead to more small good changes on the way to accomplishing that thousand mile journey. Similarly, small changes compounded by the many can transform a great organization into one that is truly exceptional. And because each change is so small, it hardly seems to require much effort. One mustard seed, a cup of soil, some water and sunshine. What about then planting another seed? Just one and then another. It is a small thing, but Jesus teaches that small things planted for the Kingdom produce big results.

We are entering our customary season of stewardship. I ask for all to do something small this year. Someone once said that the simplest yet perhaps most important prayer one can offer is “Thank you.” Say a word of thanksgiving to God for God’s protection and provision over this past year. I know there have been some great losses during this time, and for some the word of thanksgiving in that loss may be for the life of their loved one and God’s presence with them in that very hard time. But start with the smallest of expression of gratitude and then ask “What next?”

Ask the Spirit for guidance and listen to your hearts. If you are not in the practice of meeting God in scripture, try the smallest of things by reading just one sentence from one of the Gospels. Maybe there is some small action or a small increase in the giving of time, talent, and treasure that you come to feel is your “what next.” Listen to that inner voice. Jesus speaks of the power of small things. I believe small things - small steps, small prayers, small actions - multiplied by the many of us can lead an already blessed community into being even more the beloved community of God.

Grace and peace,
Fr. Bill+