‘reaching out to encounter and
connect
with neighbours near and far, and with the earth itself’
with neighbours near and far, and with the earth itself’
You can LISTEN to this week's readings and reflections here.
Mark
4:30-32
30 He also
said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use
for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when
sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet
when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth
large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
A
‘cutting’ of tree wisdom (Genny Tunbridge)
A tree needs to get as many leaves as possible into the
sunlight – this is why it has branches.
By extending itself outwards and upwards from the trunk, it can greatly
increase the area exposed to the light. Each bough, branch or twig is simply a
smaller, younger version of the trunk itself, with the same inner structure and
function, branching and branching again to spread its coverage.
Branches, most clearly seen in winter, give trees their
shape, distinctive for each species – from spreading oak to tall, thin poplar;
but no two trees are exactly alike in their ‘ramification’ (from Latin ramus
– branch). The complex three-dimensional
pattern of overlapping branches big and small is different for every tree, as
each responds to its own particular environment. A tree in the middle of a wood
has most of its branches reaching high to find the light, and few or none
growing lower down on its trunk. At the wood’s edge, branches grow out sideways
into the sunlight; and a solitary tree in a field will send out branches all
round.
We are aware of trees shedding their leaves seasonally. But
they also – less often - shed branches. Overshadowed branches, their leaves no
longer able to process the sunlight, are allowed to die so as not to use up
food. Fungi attack the dead wood until it rots and drops off. As long as the
branch was not too thick, in a few years the tree will regrow bark to cover the
wound before the fungus can penetrate further.
A note on
mustard seed (Al Barrett)
‘Mustard,’ wrote Pliny the Elder in around 78 AD, ‘is extremely
beneficial for the health. It grows entirely wild, though it is improved by
being transplanted: but on the other hand when it has once been sown it is
scarcely possible to get the place free of it, as the seed when it falls
germinates at once.’ Not good news, then, for those who like their gardens or
fields well-ordered and under control. A recent
Californian blogger described it as ‘the single most pestilential invasive
plant in the entire county’.
‘Opportunistic’ plants like mustard ‘crave disturbance, love sunlit
edges, churned-up ground, and often, poor soil’. Ecosystems that are much
less-disturbed by human activity tend to be much more resistant to invasions by
the likes of mustard, which thrives best in ‘disrupted ecosystems, fragmented
and degraded by grazing, logging, dams, road building, pollution, and other human
activity… When humans make a clearing, nature leaps in, working furiously to
rebuild an intact humus and fungal layer, harvest energy, and reconstruct all
the cycles and connection that have been severed. A thicket of fast-growing
pioneer plants [like mustard], packing a lot of biomass into a small space, is
a very effective way to do this,’ gradually enabling the ecosystem to find a
new equilibrium, where other plants and trees can also begin to flourish again.
References:
·
Jim Perkinson, Political Spirituality in an
Age of Eco-Apocalypse: Communication and Struggle Across Species, Cultures, and
Religions (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015)
·
Toby Hemenway, Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to
Home-Scale Permaculture, 2nd edition (White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green,
2009)
Introduction to the theme (Al Barrett)
This week, we’re thinking about how we ‘reach out’ to
encounter and connect with others: with neighbours near and far, and with the
earth itself. We began thinking about connecting in week 2, with our ‘roots’
that stretch out underground, connecting neighbouring trees together in one big
mutual life support system. A tree’s branches reach out in a way that
almost mirrors its root system – but above ground they’re much more visible,
and also hospitable to all kinds of other creatures (as Jesus’ short but
powerfully provocative parable reminds us). Such creatures often make their
homes in the tree’s branches. But the tree needs them too: they often live
together in what scientists call a symbiotic relationship (from the
Greek words ‘sym + biosis’ = ‘living together’). As a church
community, we ‘reach out’ to connect with life beyond our own: with the life of
the Kingdom of God. The church is not the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of
God, like the mustard seed, gets everywhere: the Church needs to ‘reach out’,
to be able to find it.
‘Missional’ is a technical jargon word, and can risk
confusion. We might still think of ‘missionaries’ as Christians sent from this
country to other parts of the world with the message of the gospel to those who,
it was believed, hadn’t heard of Jesus and needed to become ‘Christians like
us’. Tragically, the history of Christian ‘mission’ has been entangled in the
violent, exploitative history of colonialism, empire-building, slavery and
racism. There is much in the church’s missionary history that demands
repentance, reparation and radical rethinking for our understanding of mission
in the future.
But the ‘sending’ that is in the word ‘mission’ (the Latin
word ‘missio’ means ‘sent’) is first and foremost not about human
beings being sent, but about God’s sending: God sent his son, Jesus, to
live among us; God sends the Holy Spirit to live within us and between us. God’s
sending, into our world, is about bringing God’s shalom: the Hebrew word
for God’s peace, justice, wholeness and healing for all creation. So our
proper ‘mission’, as Christians, is to join in ‘the mission of God’ – to
discover where Jesus and the Spirit are already present and active, already at
work bringing shalom, in every corner of the world God loves.
So what might such an approach to ‘mission’ look like in
practice? Many church denominations across the world have adopted what are
known as the ‘5 Marks of Mission’:
5.
To
strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life
of the earth
(‘treasure’)
There is much that is helpful about this ‘teasing out’ of
mission into five interrelated dimensions. It reminds us that the ‘reaching
out’ of mission includes not just the sharing of the Christian story that we
call ‘evangelism’ (next week’s theme), but also forms of loving service,
peace-and-justice seeking, and creation care (the 3rd, 4th
and 5th Marks are not ‘optional extras’ if we’ve still got some time
and energy left after the first two!). It reminds us that our neighbours
include not just every other human being on the planet, but also the non-human
life that we share the earth with. But what’s potentially unhelpful
about these ‘5 Marks’ is that they all emphasise what we do: it’s us,
the church, doing the ‘telling’, the ‘teaching’, the ‘tending’, the
‘transforming’ and the ‘treasuring’. But the church is not the Kingdom
of God. Creation care, peace-and-justice seeking, and loving service are
happening all over the place, far beyond the reach of the church – and often in
spite of the church.
How might we think about mission differently, then? What if
we turn the ‘5 Marks of Mission’ around? What if we look first for what is
happening in our world, in our society, in our neighbourhoods that looks like
God at work? What if we look for the signs of the rampant, invasive, wild
mustard seed springing up in places we’d usually overlook or ignore? What if we
start with paying attention to ‘the life of the earth’ (5th
Mark) and see if, through it, we might just discover afresh ‘the Good News of
the Kingdom’ (1st Mark)? Then, perhaps, ‘mission’ might look
something like this:
5. To discover where God is sustaining and
renewing the life of the earth, and to join with others in striving to safeguard the
integrity of creation;
4. To
discover where God is bringing peace and reconciliation, and where, in the
power of God, people are transforming the unjust structures of society and
challenging violence of every kind – to open ourselves to being challenged and
transformed, and to join in this movement of peace-and-justice seeking;
3. To
discover where, in the love of God, people are responding to human need by
loving service – to open ourselves to receive this love and care from others,
to encourage, nurture and celebrate those gifts in others, and to join in this
movement of loving care;
2. To
listen to and learn from our neighbours (other Christians, neighbours of other faiths,
and our ‘non-religious’ neighbours); and with them, to discover God’s Story,
afresh, to learn to re-tell our stories within God’s Story, and to find ways of
journeying deeper together into the love of God;
1. In all these encounters, where we see God
at work and the Kingdom of God springing to life, to proclaim the Good News that ‘the Kingdom of
God is at hand’ (Mark 1:15)
We
will return to all of these themes in the weeks to come, but for now, I wonder
– how does ‘growing missionally’ look different, now we’ve turned around what
‘mission’ means? Remember the symbiosis that goes on in trees. Trees
don’t just give life to other creatures and organisms. They are part of a
bigger ecosystem, with a multitude of other creatures and organisms, that all
depend on each other for their life and health and growth. The tree’s branches,
as with its roots, enable it to reach out, to connect with that bigger
ecosystem, in mutual, life-giving encounters. Similarly, ‘growing missionally’
is about us reaching out, to connect with our human and non-human neighbours,
seeking God’s shalom, seeking God’s Kingdom, in and through those
mutual, life-giving encounters.
In our community-building journey here in Hodge Hill over
many years now, we have often come back to some words first spoken by a group
of native Australian activists, to some well-meaning ‘missionary’ development
workers:
‘If you have come here to help us, then you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with ours, then let us work together.’
Reflection (Paul Wright)
Thinking about today’s reflection, I re-read all the
reflections so far, today’s reading, and Al’s introduction and reflection on
the mustard seed. I came out of last Sunday’s lunchtime reflection with so many
thoughts floating around my head, so I went for a run hoping for some
inspiration or clarification. As I ran, Bon Jovi came onto my playlist, and as
I listened my mind went to a story from Australian comedian Adam Hills (from
the TV show The Last Leg), who tells of a time when he was singing along
to Jon Bon Jovi with a bunch of strangers, in the green room before a show in
Belgium, and how they bonded through the singing. It made me think about
community building and the Kingdom of God, the coming together of many
different people to make a symphony or a song. I thought that might make a
funny ending to the reflection, but the more I thought, the more it spoke
clearly to how I understand what it means to grow missionally. (You can watch the clip on YouTube with this link.)
Firstly, it’s crucial to think about our understanding of the
Kingdom of God. From today’s reading I had always taken that small acts of
kindness can lead to transformation. As Gandhi put it, ‘be the change you want
to see in the world’. I still think this is true, but the deeper understanding
of the nature of the mustard seed shared by Al opens up a much richer and
deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God, and resonates with where I feel I
have experienced it. It is wild, it’s infectious (probably not the best word to
use in a pandemic!), as God is seeking out opportunities to permeate the
disrupted ecosystem, sunlit edges, churned up ground and poor soil. I believe
the Kingdom of God is everywhere, but I feel it can be most felt in places that
we deem fragmented, degraded, forgotten, polluted, or broken.
The Kingdom, witnessed in creation, is harvesting energy,
reconstructing all the cycles and connections that have been severed. The
mustard seed: the pioneer, the enabler, the opportunist will find a way to
become present, to germinate, gradually bringing about a new equilibrium, where
other plants and trees can begin to flourish. It is within this understanding
of the Kingdom of God being already present and active, that we find the mission
of God. We are asked to seek it, to find it, to shine a light on it, join in,
be involved, and help nurture places where all can flourish.
But how?! How can we ‘reach out to encounter and
connect with neighbours near and far, and with the earth itself’. I return to
Adam in the green room. He wanted to connect, he wants to have an encounter,
not just sit in silence. He felt anxious, not knowing how to relate, how to
reach out, and how to connect. I feel this can be like churches/Christians
thinking about mission, not knowing how, having few reference points for
connection, and not knowing what to do. Fearful of being vulnerable, of change,
or being rejected. This can be especially prevalent if the local community has
changed, become more diverse, where there has been an increase in poverty, a
feeling of being more disconnected. I can see how people fall into the role of
being the do-ers and the providers. These people need help so let’s help! The
lure of being helpful is tempting. I also think this can happen when the church
is already busy ‘doing’. How can we have time to encounter and connect when we
have so much to do? Undeniably, being helpful is, well, helpful, and these acts
are crucial to the life of community. But I don’t think that is what Jesus is asking
of us when he says seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
I think it starts with listening and paying attention. Adam,
in his story, notices the guy who softly sings the first line of the song to
himself. He doesn’t perhaps realise he has done it and he has made himself
vulnerable. But Adam notices and he sees an opportunity to connect, but it also
takes vulnerability to join in. He doesn’t change the song, he doesn’t make the
other guy sing the song he would like him to sing, he just brings himself and
joins in. The joining together brings a connection and eventually brings
together the whole room. Someone once told me that they encounter the Kingdom
of God like being in an orchestra. Where many people bring their gifts, their
instruments, and come together to make a beautiful joyful symphony. I love this
image, but I don’t play an instrument, so I resonate more with Adam and his
comedian friends singing Bon Jovi songs pretty badly like no-one is watching,
but finding connection and joy. As Adam says they bonded, they Jon Bonded!
It is important to know that in engaging in mission, what
Adam describes takes years of intentional community building, seeking and
creating spaces and opportunities for connection and encounter. Patiently
listening for people to share their hopes, dreams, skills, gifts and passions
(singing the first line of a song). Building trust so we can truly embrace our
vulnerability, our worries, our anxieties, and our fears. All this so we can
share in the gifts of each other and build something beautiful together.
My final thoughts are more a set of questions. How is
community building and missional activity influencing our ‘Trees of Life’?
Thinking
of the roots, and the Quaker model of spirituality (that we encountered
in Week 2): how is this influencing how we experience and understand God? How
is this shaping how we understand who we are and why we are? How is this
shaping how we relate and who we relate to? And how does this shape how we act
and how we live?
Thinking
of the trunk: in our communal life, whose gifts are we embracing? Who is
welcome and who’s doing the welcoming? Who is given space to participate? How
are we allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and open to being changed?
Thinking
of the ‘leaves’ of our evangelism, how does our missional
community-building influence how we hear stories, share our stories, and share
in God’s story?
And
thinking of growing the fruit of the Kingdom, how does our
community-building and connection-making influence how we seek justice, love
with kindness, and walk humbly with God?
All this is potentially challenging, but asking these
questions opens up the possibility of a new equilibrium, and a space where all
can begin to flourish. To encourage us on this journey I will leave you with Adam’s
portrayal of Israelis and Palestinians singing Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a Prayer’
together: ‘sure they’d be arguing about which prayer, but at least they’d be
singing together’.
5th
Gospel (Lucy
Poulson)
Despite my love for and advocacy for the important of all of
the arts, I can’t draw or paint for toffee (as my Mum would’ve said). But if I
have a good friend who can, and does! And when this happens, she often includes
the image of a tree and, more often than not, birds of all kinds perched
elegantly in its branches….
Through reflecting on the parable of the mustard seed, I have
been continuously drawn back to the idea of a small, fluffy creature nestled
inside, sheltering, resting. This probably won’t come to much of a surprise to
anyone who knows me and the endless visits to the vets and rabbit dramas which
lockdown held for me, but it has surprised me how the tree has taken on a new
significance in my thinking.
If I could draw, I’m sure I would now be excitedly beginning
a new project around this theme, and the main image I have is of a tiny bird
caught up in a strong breeze, whirlwind or tsunami, being flung all around the
air against their will, unsure what to expect next… This painting would have to
be one of a series as I imagine the bird occasionally, seemingly by chance
rather than design, landing on a branch and stopping, pausing, resting,
recovering, perhaps healing from wounds, before taking off again.
I can relate to this tiny bird as myself and my own journey,
and spiritual journey through life. A significant part of my faith journey was
looking back on reaching adulthood and seeing clearly the growing list of
people (several of whom will be reading this reflection, thanks to God’s
awesome planning!) who had offered me a kind of love and care which stood out,
changed me, gave me hope, peace, a sense of security, and rest.
Throughout recent months, connecting and reaching out to
others has been a challenge for all of us, but in my work for Open Door it has
also meant that passing ‘hello’s and ‘how are you’s have been replaced by hours
upon hours of phone calls. Many of these have been brief and practical, but
many more focussed on offering a much needed friendly ear and several have
developed or created deep and significant relationships.
I hope and pray that, through phone calls and doorstep
conversations from those I have had the privilege to offer some support to
during this time, that I may have been able to offer some of the comfort, sense
of God’s love and moments of rest so generously given to me in the past and the
present.
Questions for reflection / discussion
As I read / listened to the
readings and reflections for this week…
·
what
did I notice, or what particularly stood out for me?
·
what
did they make me wonder, or what questions am I pondering?
·
what
have they helped me realise?
·
is there anything I want to do or
change in the light of this week's topic?
On this week’s theme – growing missionally
(‘branches’):
·
In
what ways am I noticing us reaching outwards (& connecting with others) as
a church community during this time?
·
What
are the things that are helping me [or us] connect with my neighbours
& the earth at the moment?
- What am I noticing at the moment that it would be good for us, as a church community, to nurture and develop, in the coming months, to help us continue to grow missionally?
- What is not happening at the moment, that am I missing, that would usually help me [or us] reach out & connect?
- Is there anything that is not happening at the moment, that we have an opportunity to let go of?
Any other reflections…
A prayer for this journey:
God our
Maker, Jesus our Grounding, Holy Spirit our Living Water,
in you is our hope, in you is our life, in you we grow and flourish:
in the changes, challenges and uncertainties of our world,
help us to reach down deep, as we root our trust in you;
help us to reach out wide,
in loving connection with our neighbours near and far;
and may we see and share your goodness
as the life of your kingdom springs up in us, around us and beyond us.
Amen.
in you is our hope, in you is our life, in you we grow and flourish:
in the changes, challenges and uncertainties of our world,
help us to reach down deep, as we root our trust in you;
help us to reach out wide,
in loving connection with our neighbours near and far;
and may we see and share your goodness
as the life of your kingdom springs up in us, around us and beyond us.
Amen.
Activities
/ conversation-starters for people of all ages
In our reading today, the mustard tree provides a
home for the birds of the air. It provides a place of safety, shelter and
connection, and its branches offer space for others to live.
- Find somewhere, inside or outside,
where you can see a tree. Look and see what sort of life it supports – its
own leave and fruit, and any birds or animals that have made their home in
it.
- Watch from a distance to see if any
birds or animals are coming and going.
- Get closer to see if you can see any insects, fungi or other
forms of life being supported by the tree.
I wonder who you’re connected to and how?
- On a piece of paper, draw yourself or write your name in the middle, and then make a mind map of all the connections you have to other people or groups of people.
- These are some of your ‘branches’.
As you look at what you have drawn/written, thank God for these people and
your connection to them.
- Where among these ‘branches’ have you noticed something that
reminds you of God’s kingdom of peace and justice?
Today’s reading talks about branches growing form a tiny seed.
- If you have some seeds at home, plant
some. If you don’t have some seeds, and are able to get out for a walk,
look out for seeds you could collect to plant.
- What do you notice about your seeds
now? Their size, shape, colour, texture… Make a note or draw a picture. Go
back to your seeds after a few weeks, and see how they have changed –
compare what you can see with the notes you made before. You might want to
keep a record – using drawing, writing or photography – of how they change
and grow over the next weeks and months.
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