He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32

Recently my husband and I, for the first time, purchased an array of beautiful shrubs to landscape our front yard to cover up the decimation of last year's construction projects. Now I am a perennial person and so obtaining shrubs was new to my gardening experience. I figured that the formula would be simple: dig a hole in the ground, fill the hole with water, set the shrub in the ground, stamp the dirt around its roots and water it occasionally. Wow, was I mistaken!

What I hadn't realized is that shrubs cannot be neglected. They, like perennials need tending and nurture after being transplanted. And it makes sense. You rip a shrub from its familiar surroundings and cozy home in the ground and then we expect it to adapt on its own. Because shrubs seem more "rooted" than perennials I expected to water once a day and leave the shrubs to their own growth. What I discovered is that transplanted shrubs like to be watered at least twice a day and would probably prefer a nice slow trickle all day long with a long rest at night!

In spite of my lack of knowledge when it comes to shrubs, most are flourishing and one reminds me that I haven't quite figured out how to take care of its species! All in all, my shrubs remind me of a parable that Jesus told, the parable of the little mustard seed that first grows into a shrub and then a tree. As the tree takes root and gets large, birds make nests in the tree raising their families so that their species continue to exist.

Parables are treasures from God often written as pithy little sayings. At first glance they seem childishly simple as to be ridiculous. And yet when we think about them, parables are like a written Rubik's cube leaving us to puzzle over its godly and sacred meaning as we explore each surface.

The parable of the mustard seed is God's kingdom expanding and growing. It starts small, with children, and grows into a large stable tree where the creatures of God's kingdom can come and grow their families.

Here at Community United Methodist Church we are planting seeds in children ministries, watering shrubs of tweens and teens, admiring stately trees-those experienced ones who share their wisdom about God's kingdom in many ways.

Today we are thrilled when we see all the families who are coming to "nest" in our church home. We hear the peeps and cries of little ones in worship and see the sway of gangly teenagers as they bound up the basement steps three at a time. We are secure in our beautiful building that is ready to stand time and be a safe place to nurture for years to come. Our appreciation for the experienced ones who created a vision to be transplanted on a hill reminds us that they are needed in these new times as well; they know how to plant and nurture shrubs.

Now it is time to take care of our resources of time, money and talent to maintain God's kingdom. Now is the time to take a turn to plant and fertilize; to rely on God's Spirit to help us get prepared for tomorrow's harvest.

Our house is becoming very, very full. The harvest is here! May you decide to become a partner of the harvest.