What are we planting? If we want a mustard plant, we must start with a mustard seed. Sticking a bottle of mustard in the dirt will not do the trick. Besides, you end up losing a lot of good mustard. We like short cuts; they are often the quickest way to your goal. But some things prosper with time.

Jesus invites us into the kingdom of heaven with earthy parables of “the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…or a merchant who searches…” In both sayings, the kingdom of heaven is of great value. The seed becomes a sheltering plant providing for many birds. The merchant sells all that he owns for the kingdom. Both take an investment of time and effort and both reap the reward of the kingdom of heaven on earth and in our hearts and lives. We are invited by God to seek, grow, and invest in what God is doing in Jesus Christ.

May the seed of Christ our Lord be planted and nourished in your heart!

Pastor Rick