Again [Jesus] said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
- Mark 4:30-32
 
Check this out: the gigantic garden plant provides perches and shade for the birds. The seed becomes a shelter. So it is with God’s kingdom.
 
Our communities exist to be a blessing. Just as the growth of the seed blessed the birds, so the growth of our communities blesses all who live around us. They flourish when we flourish.
 
Play with this image for a moment.
 
What would the birds want to do if they saw the seed before it sank into the earth? With a peck and a chirp, that seed would be lunch! The seed would cleanse the palate between the worm course and the bug course in the feast of the birds.
 
Can you see the connection with our communities here? It’s so tempting to immediately rush out to meet every need we can with all possible haste. We can scatter our small group communities and toss our Bibles on our shelves and serve all of the birds we can find. But that burst of energy quickly fades. Seeds only provide a little bit of sustenance if they’re consumed.
 
A seed that’s planted does less for the birds in the short-term than one that’s gobbled up. But after a few months, it grows and provides shade and shelter and safety. The birds of the air need plants to survive.
 
All around us birds circle and soar looking for a safe place to land, searching for shelter, longing for shade. As our community grows – as we launch new campuses and build generous buildings and try new initiatives – the people who live near us and work with us and spend time with us … those people are blessed by us.
 
When we become who God invites us to become we benefit from the growth and we bless our broader community.
 
Take a moment today to pray for the people who God has placed in your life. Ask the Lord to help our community to be a blessing to them.