Westminster-St. Paul's Presbyterian Church
206 Victoria Road North N1E 5H8 Guelph, ON, Canada

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 30 Mark 4:30-32 B’’. Parable 30-32 Then he continued, What can we say the kingdom of God is like? How shall we put... it in a parable? It is like a tiny grain of mustard-seed which, when it is sown, is smaller than any seed that is ever sown. But after it is sown in the earth, it grows up and becomes bigger than any other plant. It shoots out great branches so that birds can come and nest in its shelter. Awe and wonder again are invited. That something so tiny as a mustard seed or any other very tiny seed could produce something so much larger than itself. Jesus is exaggerating when he says it is the smallest of all seeds there are seeds smaller than a mustard seed but the point remains that this tiny seed produces a shrub in which the birds make their nests. That this little seed can produce something sturdy enough to provide shelter for the birds this is, beyond belief. The point being that the Word of God seems so insignificant, the preaching of the Word, the reading of the Word seems so tiny, so powerless, against the forces and powers that tramp around on the earth. So powerless against the things that would want to prevent the kingdom of God growing. But, again and again in human history, the powers and forces, the governments and people who have stood against the kingdom of God, that have assumed that the kingdom will never amount to anything have been proven wrong. The kingdom will grow and will become something that no one has ever imagined. And in the kingdom people will find that they have a place of shelter in its branches. For in the kingdom just like the birds, people will find a place of safety and belonging. PRAYER: God of grace, we rejoice that your kingdom, which so often seems small and insignificant will in fact be the place, the only place, where we can find safety and security. None of our human designed plans provide what we need, only in your kingdom is there hope, safety and security. Teach us to not be discouraged by the smallness of the kingdom, instead teach us to trust in the promised growth which is your faithful promise to us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 29 Mark 4:26-29 (J. B. Phillips) B’. Parable 26-29 Then he said, The kingdom of God is like a man scattering seed o...n the ground and then going to bed each night and getting up every morning, while the seed sprouts and grows up, though he has no idea how it happens. The earth produces a crop without any help from anyone: first a blade, then the ear of corn, then the full-grown grain in the ear. And as soon as the crop is ready, he sends his reapers in without delay, for the harvest-time has come. Gardening (farming) is a test of faith. We plant the seed and hope, believe, pray, trust choose the word you want that it will germinate and grow. It does that unseen, and while we learned in high school about how germination occurs I confess it remains a wonderful mystery. That is using wonderful as in full of wonder and awe even surprise. Although I know it is supposed to happen, I am surprised again and again when it does that that little seed produces a crop is astounding. The kingdom of God is the same unnoticed hidden from human gawking the kingdom grows. In secret, the seed of the good news germinates in human hearts, and little by little it grows. The tender shoots look insignificant, unimportant how could they amount to anything? But the power of the word continues to work, the plant grows until there is a harvest. In our lives it often feels like nothing is happening we look at other people’s lives and nothing seems to be happening we look at the world and nothing seems to be changing how could anyone say that the kingdom is growing? But we are invited to join the company of those who witness the wonder filled surprise of the kingdom bearing fruit in our lives, in the lives of those around us, in our world. In awe and wonder we rejoice in what God is doing, in how the seed of the kingdom grows. PRAYER: Lord God, we are amazed at how the seed of the good news grows in lives that are open to you and your Word. Seemingly without our even noticing your Word bears fruit in the lives of people, bursting out in surprising and unexpected ways, bringing transformation and restoration. Open our eyes that we can see and rejoice in what your Word is doing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Prayer on Bell Let’s Talk Day God of compassion, we are mentally and emotionally stressed, we are tired in mind and sick at heart. We are not alone in our str...ess and exhaustion, O Lord, for 40% of Canadians say their mental health has declined in the last year. We pray for children who feel the stress around them and act out. We pray for children who feel the stress around them and internalize the stress burying inside them. We pray for children cut off from friends, from grandparents, from their normal activities. Lord God, your Son took children on his knee and blessed them, we ask you to bless children in this COVID time. We pray for teenagers and young adults, who need the companionship of friendship clusters, but cannot have those connections in this time. We pray for teenagers and young adults depressed by the anxiety. We pray for teenagers and young adults struggling with important decisions of education, jobs, and relationships in this COVID time. Lord God, your Son said, I am with you always, we ask you to reach out to teenagers and young adults that they would experience you being with them in this COVID time. We pray for adults who feel the burden of responsibility but who feel inadequate for the responsibilities that are theirs. We pray for adults who have lost jobs and businesses, and feel that they have lost their identity. We pray for adults managing care for aging parents and providing places for their children who are seeking to launch their lives, all in the complexity of COVID-19. Lord God, Your Son Jesus Christ said Come to me all you who are burdened and heavy-laden and I will give you rest, we ask you to give rest to the weary and to strengthen the faint of heart in this COVID time. We pray for seniors who are often alone, feeling cut-off from family and friends. We pray for seniors who are caregivers and have been isolated from their support networks. We pray for seniors who feel overlooked and ignored, even as they are the group everyone is talking about. Lord God, your Son said he was building a new family, a place where all who follow your will would be at home, we ask you to give the lonely and ignored a place at your family table. Lord God, teach all of us how to be cheer-leaders for the children, teenagers, young adults, adults, and seniors that we know and meet. Give us listening ears and open hearts, that all who we meet would know they are appreciated and cared for. These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ who holds all people in his arms of love. Amen.

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 28 Mark 4:21-25 (J B Phillips) C’. Method 21-23 Then he said to them, Is a lamp brought into the room to be put un...der a bucket or underneath the bed? Surely its place is on the lamp-stand! There is nothing hidden which is not meant to be made perfectly plain one day, and there are no secrets which are not meant one day to be common knowledge. If a person has ears they should use them! 24-25 Be careful how you listen, he said to them. Whatever measure you use will be used towards you, and even more than that. For the person who has something will receive more. As for the person who has nothing, even their nothing will be taken away. Jesus’ words here provide balance to his words in vs. 10-12 (Tuesday’s reading) Jesus the light will be seen by all, the truth that the kingdom of God has come near to us in Jesus Christ will not be kept hidden forever. In fact, one can argue that it has been put a lamp-stand even now and that everyone can see it. The truth about Jesus is common knowledge. Having just come through Christmas most people know that it is about Jesus being born on our way to Easter most people know it is about Jesus being raised to life again. Those are on the whole common knowledge. But having the factual knowledge alone is not enough, and we are back to the parable of the sower. Unless the seed (knowledge of the story of Jesus) finds a place to grow it will not produce a crop. So then, it is important to think about how we listen do we listen with knowledge as the goal or do we listen with hearts and wills open to being called and changed by the light (and yes, we are mixing metaphors) shining on us. Vs. 24 and 25 are not designed to be applied to other people they are designed for self-reflection. I am going to do this in reverse to end on the positive. How do we listen do we listen with ears that doubt that God can and will speak because if so Jesus says a time will come when we will stop hearing God’s word altogether. Or do we listen open to hearing the Word of God because if so Jesus says we will hear even more of the Word. PRAYER: Lord God, your Son Jesus Christ is the light of the world his light shines everywhere nothing is not touched be the light of Christ. But we want to be more than touched by the light, we want to be people who open our ears wide to the good news that it might be poured into us. Come, Holy Spirit, pour the good news into our hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 27 Mark 4:13-20 (J B Phillips) D. Interpretation 13-20 Then he continued, Do you really not understand this parabl...e? Then how are you going to understand all the other parables? The man who sows, sows the message. As for those who are by the roadside where the message is sown, as soon as they hear it Satan comes at once and takes away what has been sown in their minds. Similarly, the seed sown among the rocks represents those who hear the message without hesitation and accept it joyfully. But they have no real roots and do not lastwhen trouble or persecution arises because of the message, they give up their faith at once. Then there are the seeds which were sown among thorn-bushes. These are the people who hear the message, but the worries of this world and the false glamour of riches and all sorts of other ambitions creep in and choke the life out of what they have heard, and it produces no crop in their lives. As for the seed sown on good soil, this means the people who hear the message and accept it and do produce a cropthirty, sixty, even a hundred times as much as they received. One of the things the parable of the sower does is explain the range of responses to Jesus and his message about the kingdom of God. Some people hear the good news but never have a chance to engage with it because right from the beginning they have decided it is not for them. In Mark’s gospel that is people like the Pharisees. Then there are those who hear the word, but when opposition arises, they quit following, Peter’s denial would be an example of this. It is also a reminder to Mark’s readers that starting well is not the whole story it is also about finishing well. Then there are those who hear the good news and are interested, but the patterns of the kingdom demand changes in their lifestyles, and so they stop following. Think of the rich man who wanted to follow but when Jesus told him what it would cost decided that following was no worth it. This situation seems very common in North America words that sound like: Jesus is great as long as Jesus does not tell me how to live my life. I agree we should love everyone, as long as that does not include the people I don’t like. And then there is the fourth kind of soil that produces a crop because they have heard the message and accept it into their lives, and the message produces a crop in their lives. Those with open hearts will see an abundant crop grow from their lives. The sobering question is where do we fit among these types of soil? PRAYER: Lord God, we come before you recognizing that we have not always been good soil, and we know even now that we have parts of our lives that are hard like the pathway break up those hard places to make them soft; pull the rocks out of our lives that the seed you plant might have good roots; pull the weeds out of our lives that the planted seed might grow well. Make us into good soil for the seed you are planting. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 26 Mark 4:10-12 (J B Phillips) C. Method 10-12 Then when they were by themselves, his close followers and the twelv...e asked him about the parables, and he told them. The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those who do not know the secret, everything remains in parables, so that, ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them’. This is one of the most difficult parts of the book of Mark to understand. I don’t promise to solve the difficulties. We will return to these themes on Thursday with Mark 4:21-25. Jesus teaches his followers things that he does not teach the crowds. He provides insight to those who are open to learning. We recognize this teaching style. We may introduce people to something that is new to them, those who seem interested, who listen intently to those people we offer more information, start to go deeper, share some inside things. Think back to the sower and the seed it is about both the seed and the soil. In soil that is ready (the heart that is open) the seed will grow. But if the soil is hard like the pathway (the heart is closed) then the seed cannot grow. The seed grows where it finds a place to put down solid roots. But where the seed gets no solid footing, only limited roots, it has little or no impact. Those with open hearts will find that they are given the secrets to the kingdom of God, they will come to learn things that those whose hearts are not open to the kingdom will never understand. Again, we know this experience, we make comments about a spiritual insight we have and those listening to us who are not open to hearing the Word look at us as though we are speaking a different language. It is not enough just to hear the story of Jesus it has to take up residence in our lives otherwise it can not do its work in drawing us into the kingdom of God. PRAYER: Lord God, we pray that we would be among those who not only see but may we also perceive the truth your Son is revealing, we pray to be people who not only hear the words the Spirit speaks but may we also be those who listening come to understand the truth, the truth that your kingdom has come near, is here. These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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The end of our journey through Ephesians

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A Prayer from Peter Bush