Introduction
The parables of the growing seeds of the kingdom invite us to look at the way the kingdom of God is growing around us, particularly in the context of the story of the decline of the church in Britain. How can we reclaim God’s kingdom in our United Kingdom – both church and secular institutions? We also look at the metaphor of growing seeds and how the parable might be developed today.
Context
Premier Christian Radio has designated Sunday 14 June 2015 as “Society Sunday”. It is a new initiative to celebrate at a local level the work of faith in society, and to pray for the Queen and local and national government. The kingdom of God includes society and politics. The kingdom of God is what happens when God rules. This is probably not something I would normally get involved in, but our church is privileged to host the monthly prayer meeting in the north east (of England) for Premier, so I was more aware of it than I might otherwise have been. It seemed like a good idea. I signed up, and wrote to all our local councillors – seven of them, as the parish includes parts of three different wards – telling them that we will pray for them on Sunday, and inviting prayer requests. So far, two councillors have replied with prayer requests. This has felt to me like planting seeds and seeing some of them take root. Premier has resources for Society Sunday on their website.
In recent years, we have often been confronted with the story of church decline, such as the 2014 ‘Statistics for Mission’ report by the Methodist church, or the recent analysis of the Anglican church, as reported by Church Times. In the past, the kingdom of God has been identified with the church. If the church in Britain is declining, what does that say about the kingdom of God? How do we hold the stories of growing seeds of the kingdom with our experience of church today?
This challenge has led to a renewed discovery of the theology of mission and growth, with our national churches now placing a huge emphasis on mission and evangelism – for example in the Anglican Church, the inaugural Lambeth Lecture by Archbishop Justin Welby a few weeks ago.
For local churches, this can be both exciting and terrifying. How can we develop this joyfully and positively, without placing huge burdens of guilt on churches that do not thrive because of history or context?
Reflection
The parables that Jesus tells help us to see who Jesus is himself: he is planting the seeds of the kingdom, and cooperating with the earth in the mystery of growth. We are called to be like Jesus and do the things he does. These parables of growing the kingdom encourage us to keep sowing the seed and trusting to God for its mysterious growth. Growth can be slow; we must be patient. Don’t despise small beginnings – they can have huge results. In the end, the harvest is God’s responsibility – but that doesn't let us off the task of getting the seed out there.
The world of gardening and farming, planting and growing, is a most fruitful (sorry!) source of images and metaphors for the kingdom of God and the life of faith. For my leisure reading, I subscribe to Permaculture magazine. I am a terrible gardener, but I love the ethos of permaculture which is about whole systems of living and growing. This is the kind of gardening I aspire to, which adapts to different environments and takes account of real life situations and the ways in which nature works best. This is also the kind of mission I aspire to, rooted in the way each community really works and paying attention to what the Holy Spirit is already doing. Permaculture could be a rich resource for new parables of growing the kingdom.
Prayer
Heavenly Lord, we pray for our local councillors, (names).
Give them wisdom to make good decisions;
give them courage to challenge wrong practice;
give them insight to grow as good people;
give them humility to serve those they lead;
and give them resilience to keep going,
and space to enjoy your presence with them.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Heavenly Lord,
We hold before you this church and its outreach into the community:
Lord, grow your kingdom here.
We hold before you (name) Local Council, the councillors and officers:
Lord, grow your kingdom here.
We hold before you our local projects (name them):
Lord, grow your kingdom here.
We hold before you those who are suffering or in need:
Lord, grow your kingdom here.
We hold before you everything that is broken or unwanted:
Lord, grow your kingdom here.
We hold before you our hopes and dreams:
Lord, grow your kingdom here.
We hold before you our own selves:
Lord, grow your kingdom here.
Amen.
Questions
Think about your own church – where do you see signs of decline? And where are the signs of growth and renewal? Reflecting on the metaphor of scattering seed and watching plants grow:
- How could we plant seeds of faith in our community?
- How important is it for us that our seeds are fruitful?
- What do we fear most in talking about mission?
Action
Plan one simple way of planting faith-seed in your area. For example:
- Tell someone you are praying for them – think and pray carefully about who to pray for, and how you will tell them.
- Investigate ways of prayer support that might work where you are – for example prayer shawl ministry.
- Carry out an act of kindness just for its own sake. Again, think and pray about what this might be: bake a cake, mow a lawn, perhaps.
- Invite someone to church.
Young People
Research your local council. Discover who your councillors are. What are the key issues for the council at the moment? How do these issues affect you and the people around you?
Make a prayer montage, pasting clippings from local papers or publicity information from the council or information from the internet onto a large sheet of paper, highlighting prayer needs.
Meg Gilley is an Anglican parish priest in Gateshead.She tweets at MegGilley1 and blogs sporadically at ramblingrectorbensham.wordpress.com
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