The natural world can astonish us 

27th July 2020
 
Rev Frank Cliff, Assistant Priest, Great Yarmouth Team Ministry, researches mustard seeds and is amazed by what he finds

Last year to my great delight I took assembly at St Nicholas Priory School. It was great fun and the children were a delight
 
The story was that of the mustard seed so I researched the mustard plant and where it grows. The facts are astonishing the seed is less than 2mm across it is a tiny, tiny speck and yet this tiny seed grows into a tree that can be as much 6 metres (20 feet in old money) tall.  It is astonishing that such a small seed grows into such a large plant
 
It is yet another example of the way in which the natural world can astonish and amaze us
 
The parable of the mustard seed is one which is well known and it is a parable in which Jesus makes plain the power of Faith. We have seen how in the last few months faith has driven people to extraordinary deeds of sacrifice and love, how community has grown through faith in other people
 
These are examples to cherish and learn from, they give us hope that all is not lost
 
But there is still one question can we grow faith as we grow the mustard seed? What sort of fertiliser do we need? Simply put, we grow by helping others by loving our fellow human being by looking after the poor, the orphaned, the widow, and the stranger. It is by testing everything we are told both in the street and on social media
 
As St Paul says: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)
 
Although we live in interesting times, I pray that you will have a loving and fulfilling week ahead. That all will go well for you
Fr Frank
 

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