Readings for June 13, 2021
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Mark 4:26-34
God says He can make the small tree a large tree. Even so, I feel like I was never destined to be a cedar. There’s nothing regal about me, even if standing on a mountain. My genes come from a dad who weighs 125 pounds soaking wet, and a mom who was maybe a hair over 5 feet tall. But So I’m waiting for that to come true.
Jesus, for his account of great trees, dumbs it down a bit. And I admit I can probably relate more to a mustard tree than I can to a majestic cedar. The mustard tree is really more of a bush, wider than it is tall, and a bit craggy. No one would likely consider it regal, but it is a large branched plant that comes from a tiny little seed. And I think that’s a hope that I can hang my hat on. That’s more my style.
God, in so many ways, has already made more of me than I could myself. If I work to recall that God’s measure of greatness is not the world’s measure of greatness, my giving glory to Him for all He has done for me or accomplished through me, then it doesn’t matter if I’m a regal cedar or a craggy bush. But the key, for me, is to keep in mind from whom am I gifted and to whom I owe my praise. How the world measures my greatness is irrespective of any measure other than seeking to do God’s will and giving Him praise for allowing me to do so.
Teach me, good Lord, to serve You as You deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that I do your will. Amen
-Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Reflections from the Pew 
At 4’11”, I guess I’m a craggy bush, too! Blessings, Tim!
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