How many of you know who Ian Ferris is? Does that name ring a bell for anyone here this morning? I’ll give you a hint: he made news earlier this week in Red Sox nation. In case you missed it-Ian Ferris is the Yankees fan who planted “Yankee” grass seed in the infield at Fenway Park.

He did it while attending the recent Phish concert that was held inside the ballpark while the Red Sox were on the road. [The first indication that Mr. Ferris is trouble is that he was attending a Phish concert.] I am sure that most of us agree the only suitable punishment for this kind of thing would be to lock Mr. Ferris up and throw away the key, right?
But, I guess that’s only half the story, though, isn’t it? After all, if you asked Mr. Ferris he would probably tell you he was just returning the favor after Gino Castignoli, a member of Red Sox nation planted a David Ortiz Jersey in wet cement while the new Yankee stadium was being built.

Whether you side with Mr. Ferris-or you’re a member of Red Sox nation- you have to agree it’s fun being a fan. Strange, at times, but fun.

As for that Yankee grass, it’s not a problem-because as St. Paul wrote: only God can give the growth, and as we all know, God must be a Red Sox Fan.

The problem is, even if God were a Red Sox fan, God might be an even bigger Ian Ferris fan, because God is always a fan of growing new things. To be more clear, I think God is a fan of anyone who plants a seed-because planting a seed is an act of hope. Planting a seed is an act of complete faith. Planting a seed means being willing to let go of control and enter into the growth only God can bring. And God loves growing.

Maybe that’s why Jesus loved children so much. Children are just like the seed that sprouts without the farmer knowing how it happens…it’s automatic-Children grow. When they’re little it seems that this is all they do-each day growing a little bit more. It’s more than just, physical, as well. Children, if we let them, aren’t afraid to grow, to try out something new. They don’t have the same fear of failure that we do. For them, growing is just a part of everyday life.

God is a huge fan of little things. Jesus tells the story of the hidden power of the mustard seed-a tiny little package of potential just waiting to sprout and grow. He spends the time, standing in front of an enormous crowd of people, to tell them about a tiny seed and what it means for Gods’ kingdom.

Just as the farmer in Jesus’ story that we read today planted seeds, he was also planting hope. He hoped that they would grow. Then, when they do, he is full of faith. He is humble and honest, because when he looks at the little sprouts that emerge from the ground he has to admit, he has no idea how they do it.

“Automatically” is the word the original text uses to describe this kind of growth.
Today, God reminds us all that he is one of our biggest fans…and there is nothing we could do to ever change that.

God loves things that grow, and I think he loves it when we grow-when we take chances, when we step out on a limb, when we risk failure to try something new. God will always give us room to grow…permission to plant seeds and make mistakes…and God promises to offer plenty of forgiveness when we do.

Jesus was planted into our world to bring hope, to fill people with faith. He taught a kind of love that was meant to be just like the way a seed sprouts and grows-automatic. He shared a kind of acceptance that was just as sure-without bias, open, and growing to embrace every kind of person. Jesus, like the farmer, scattered powerful seeds of forgiveness everywhere he went-sitting by the well in the hot sun with a woman who thirsted for new life-inviting tax collectors to come and share a meal when no one else would ask them-touching the hands of those who were untouchable-he did it all to grow a new kind of love in the world that God created.

In the end, Jesus found that he had made many fans-crowds and crowds of them. But he also found that there were many who weren’t a fan of what he was growing in the earth-they couldn’t see the potential to live the love he planted. So, instead, they cut him down. They raised the cross. They tried to stopped the spread of his growing message of love.

But, like I said, God is a huge fan of growth…so three days later, somehow, that love sprouted again, and kept on growing with new life that can’t be contained-this is the new life that God wants to grow in your heart-a new life that isn’t afraid of letting the growth of God become a mysterious, certain, automatic thing in your life and in the world around you.

Today we’re reminded by them what it means to grow in God’s grace-it means that you become the kind of person who sees that God’s love for all people is “automatic” and even if we don’t know how it happens, we’re thankful to spend our time living in it and trying to live it out for the world around us.