Small is good - one step at a time

In the Gospel passage we continue the agrarian parables told for a time and place that was centred in the midst of an agricultural world. Again one has to question the relevance of these parables in a society that has very little connection to the agrarian society of the past. It is of some relevance to those who live in the country but unless you work with crops it is unlikely that understanding is as intimate as it would have been for the first listeners. However, there are a few small things that can be taken away from what is being told to us in a time far removed from Christ's time. Darnell was to all intents and purposes very similar to wheat and it has only been through modern technology that separation of the seed has been possible. In terms of the plant it is much easier to determine when the grain is ready for harvest due to the nature of the head (Matt. 13:24-30). However, the interesting thing is that something small can make so much difference in terms of the farmers ability to obtain a good harvest.

Small things go on to create large consequences

If nature makes such great and such poor outcomes as a result of the small things we do, can this not be something for us to think about in terms of how we approach our faith life and our secular lives. Just as I was preparing to work on this I watched a clip about American politics. Yes, well we know how crazy those are but it does bring to mind the issues that some times challenge us and are doing so more and more in our lives. The clip was about how their democracy is failing, surprise, surprise, as a result of a small decision in the Supreme court some while ago. In law just as in this country and in fact just as any Anglican diocese in this country, there is what is known as a legal entity that is non-human. In many cases the legal entity is a company or a corporation or in the terms of Anglican polity the trustees of the diocese. That means the human face can hide behind the larger face so that small illegalities can be covered not by the human face but by the legal face. Yes, there are laws in place for accountability but these can become quite complex allowing loopholes and the escape of decision makers. Responsibility is no longer the face of a person but the legal entity that may and can pay up without blinking any financial impost placed on them away whilst the decision makers move on without facing consequences. Small decisions that have negative consequences are thereby negated. For example destruction of Indigenous artefacts and history in WA and elsewhere can be shrugged off as inconsequential by the "people" in charge. In terms of America it allowed corporations to act as people funding their political desires overwhelming the individual real person. A small change making a significant difference on the political field.

Yet, we need to understand that each individual is responsible not a legal entity or else we go the way of failed American politics. Each small thing we undertake to do has a consequence on the lives around us. The sowing of Darnell for my own profit and the destruction of my neighbours profit has a consequence. A small thing for one has a large consequence for another. In our faith lives we need to understand that it is the small things that effect others more in the long run rather than the large things. Each utterance in blessing or curse has an effect on the lives of the people around us, each piece of small gossip that is detrimental to someone is in the long term detrimental to the community. Each small piece of kindness is reflected in the continuation of that love in the community. Only we can make the decision to make the difference and if we choose to be derogatory then we choose a life away from Christ. The small decision to sleep at what became known as Bethel (Gen. 28.11) had an enormous ongoing effect on the lives of the Jewish faith and us today. For us these parables remind us that it is the small efforts that can make the largest change in the long run much like a lever shifting and obstacle. We do not need grandiose plans for some big splash but rather simple things that create the abundance of God's grace within our midst and build the community.