Miracles within Mustard Seeds

On my first night of training for this job, the other interns and I sat awkwardly around a table eating spaghetti as our Executive Director, Bill Buchanan, said something that would stay imprinted  in my brain for the rest of the summer. “This is kingdom of God stuff, y’all” he said with sincerity, while the other interns and I pondered what that really meant. Fast forward to my second summer as an AYM intern, I can say with absolute certainty that the people I’ve met and the agencies I’ve worked with are truly part of that “kingdom of God stuff”.

​At the beginning of the summer if you had asked me what I imagined God’s kingdom looked like, I would have told you something that was truly perfect and profound, something that was flawless and impeccable. Surprisingly, I still agree with that statement, but now an explanation is required along with it. 

​Haywood Street Congregation is a church in Asheville that was specifically created for people living on the margins. One of their taglines is “Holy Chaos” and that couldn’t be more accurate when describing the experience you’ll have there. On a typical Wednesday afternoon up to five hundred people step foot on Haywood’s campus, possibly to grab a meal at their welcome table, receive a free haircut in their hospitality room, pick up some clothes from their clothing closet they call “God’s Outfitters”, or worship with all different types of people from the Asheville community. The first Wednesday I was there with AYM, the scripture reading was from Matthew 13:31-32:

​Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in the branches.”

​Following the reading, the founder of Haywood Street and lead Pastor, Brian Combs, rises to the front and asks the congregation “Alright church, what do we think?” Almost immediately several hands went up, and the discussion commenced. Folks began exploring concepts of what they believed the kingdom of heaven was like, eventually Pastor Brian commenting “Mustard seeds at this time in history were seen as weeds”. He went on to explain that not only were mustard seeds tiny as a seed and tiny as a plant when they grew, but they were also something insignificant and unwanted in the gardening world most of the time. But using the metaphor of a weed for God’s kingdom is on purpose, he reassured. I was puzzled by this notion, but Brian continued, saying that God’s kingdom is and was created by what we would consider the insignificant moments; the imperfect and the underestimated are always the folks that can teach us the most about God’s kingdom. 

​My experience this summer with AYM can certainly attest to this concept. I always saw my glimpses into God’s kingdom within the smallest moments; a kid beaming as they gave a popsicle to one of our neighbors experiencing homelessness, or receiving a hug from a gentle stranger after experiencing Bible study with them. This compilation of seemingly insignificant moments with society’s most underestimated people have become some of the most profound and significant moments along my faith journey. I’ve realized this summer that God’s kingdom is built with moments of imperfect perfection— the miracles of life are found within the unsuspecting mustard seeds we encounter everyday. 

Katie Flanagan is a summer intern at Asheville Youth Mission She attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.