God’s Kingdom rarely shows up in big, flashy ways—it starts small, like a mustard seed or a pinch of yeast. But those little moments of faithfulness, kindness, and love are how the Kingdom grows. You don’t have to do something grand to make a difference today. Just be faithful in the small things—smile, pray, serve, love—and trust that God will take care of the growth. The Kingdom may start small, but it’s unstoppable.

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Well, good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Friday morning. Hope you’re doing well and have a big weekend planned.

Now, I’ll tell you—I’m pretty excited about this weekend for a lot of reasons. One of them is that I’ve got nothingplanned. No weddings, no events. I’ve had weddings the last few weekends, but not this time. Tonight, I plan on sitting around the house, drinking coffee, and watching football. That’s my plan, and I’m very happy about it.

Then Sunday’s a big day at St. Matthew’s—we’ve got Grandparents’ Breakfast (at the Sunday School hour), Children’s Sabbath in worship, and a baptism right after the traditional service. We’ll go outside and dunk somebody—which is always exciting! I love when we get to do baptisms by immersion. Then Sunday afternoon, pumpkin decorating at 3:00, Blessing of the Animals at 2:00—just a big day all around. So if you’re in the Metro Jackson area, come join us. It’s going to be great.

Today we’re in Luke 13:18–21, two short parables that go together, both talking about the Kingdom of God.

He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Jesus says the Kingdom is like a mustard seed and like yeast. Both are small—tiny, really. He doesn’t say the Kingdom is like a massive boulder sitting on the edge of a cliff. No, it’s like a little mustard seed, like a pinch of yeast. Not big, not flashy, not obvious.

That’s an important point. The Kingdom of God isn’t ostentatious. It’s not about power or grandeur. It’s small—but it grows into something huge.

I love that scene from The Hobbit—you know, where Gandalf says that darkness is pushed back not by great power, but by small everyday acts of kindness. That’s such a Kingdom truth. It’s not always the big things that change the world; it’s the small, faithful, unseen ones.

A smile to a stranger.
A kind word to a co-worker.
Holding a door open for someone who needs it.

Those seem small, but they’re like mustard seeds and yeast—they make a world of difference.

The Kingdom of God is built on those small, faithful acts that are easy to overlook.

And notice something else about these images: the seed does the work. The yeast does the work. How much effort do you put into growing a tree? You plant it, maybe water it—but the growth happens because of what’s inside that seed. How much effort do you put into making dough rise? You mix in the yeast, and it does its thing.

The same goes for the Kingdom. It doesn’t depend on our human effort. It depends on God’s power. God the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit, is the one who brings the Kingdom to life and makes it grow.

It reminds me of what one of my seminary professors, Harold Bryson, used to tell us:
“Prepare like it depends on you. Preach knowing it depends on God.”

Or as Tim Keller once said, “Writing a sermon is a skill anyone can learn. But revival—that’s when the Spirit of God falls, and only God controls that.”

That’s mustard-seed thinking. That’s yeast-faith. We plant, we mix, we’re faithful—but God brings the growth.

And I love how life finds a way. You ever seen a little green blade of grass pushing up through a sidewalk crack? There’s no good reason it should be there—but there it is. Life finds a way.

That’s how the Kingdom works too. God’s Kingdom will not be denied. It will grow where He wants it to grow. It’s not dependent on our strength, our perfection, or our cleverness. God doesn’t need me or you to make His Kingdom happen. He just calls us to be faithful with what we’ve been given.

So today, look for those small ways to live faithfully. Smile at someone. Offer a prayer. Send that text of encouragement. Do the small things.

And then rest easy—because the fate of the world doesn’t rest on your shoulders. It rests in the hands of a loving God who is already at work.

The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It’s like yeast. It may start small—but it’s unstoppable.

Thanks for being with us today. Have a great weekend!