My story and message for June 17 related to the two parables from Mark are posted in a blog.  My story starts with seeds and goes on to include Martin Luther and Craig Kielburger as examples of surprising outcomes from relatively small events.  My message is titled Silly Stories about Seeds and is focused on Christian Mission.

The following are my story about the unpredictability of seeds and events, and my message relating the parables from Mark 4 on seeds to current Christian Mission.

Surprising Seeds

In this ziplock bag are a few different kinds of seeds.  All of the gardeners here will recognize what most or all of these seeds will become, but that is because of past experience.  There is little in the appearance of these seeds to show us what they can become.  ….

I was just at a sort of ad-hoc youth group and an interesting sermon was given.  The guy talking (a fellow councillor) talked about how in the Parable of the Wedding, or the Parable of the King's Banquet (depending on translation) it says that the "Kingdom of God is like unto..." and then goes on to describe a temper-tantrum king, murder, and rejection. 

Philippians 2:12 says 'work out your own salvation...with fear..for it is God what works within you'. Loosely paraphrased...

So, what does that mean for us? I hear a lot of talk about Tolle and the greatness of the Presence of Now. Is that not just the Kingdom of God within us? What about this working out salvation on your own? If Jesus died for us, for our salvation, then why do we have to work on it?