One night, I was in bed and stumbled on a video called “The Colorist Orchestra & Emiliana Torrini - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)” on youtube. I watched as the pianist was bouncing up and down, the singer closed her eyes, and the bassist bobbed his head. They made this album in 2016, but the performance was in 2018 to a lively group of people in a jam-packed room in Iceland. It was fun watching them from across the world 2 years later.
As I watched, I realized that all I wanted to do was to feel lively along with them; to bounce up and down, to close my eyes, and to bob my head. I didn't want to remain sitting in my bed alone in the dark, I wanted to join them. I started to imagine what it would be like to go out in the street, dancing with any two people in my reach. Then, while we're dancing, people would see us and want to join us. The newcomers would think, “Wow! I am so glad I am a part of this”. We’d all bounce, close our eyes, and bob our heads together. A cycle is made with more and more people, with more and more thoughts of, “I am so glad I am a part of this”. Smiles would be seen on people’s faces; everyone is happy.
This scenario makes me believe that this is what it’d be like for the mustard seed. The tiniest seed in the bunch creating the largest tree. Me, a tiny human creating the biggest dance party known to man. Despite how much we disbelieve in the mustard seed’s ability to grow large, it grows anyway. It grows so large that the birds in the sky perch on it, and maybe even large enough to host our dance party.
Jesus was only one man spreading God’s word. He went through thick and thin, just so people would believe in Him and in what God wanted for us. Even when He was ridiculed, pushed to the side, and treated poorly, He persevered. He knew how desperately we needed a revival, in faith, hope, and love. Jesus tells this story to give us hope in humble beginnings. Look at the Church: one man turning into a small group, then into a massive cluster of people all bound together through faith. Each member is unique to the bone, yet made from God’s love just like the others. Smiles on their faces and everyone is happy.
Okay, maybe not all the time. Sometimes, we feel like we are far from what binds us, but that does not mean all is lost. Jesus reminds us that we can feel small like the mustard seed in one moment, but also believes that one day we will grow to be the tallest tree or be in the biggest dance party in the world. Jesus, who preserved against the odds, believes; and knows we can too.
After the video ended, I was met with silence, a dark room, and the feeling of being a small mustard seed. I didn’t think I could grow to be anything, but then I remembered what I had just watched. I thought, if Emiliana Torrini and The Colorist Orchestra can make an album in 2016, then make a video about a collection of songs in that album in 2018, then a girl halfway across the world watches that video making her feel like she can make the biggest dance party in the world one day two years later, then anything can happen. So, until we all can dance together, I will remember to bounce up and down, close my eyes, and bob my head. I hope you do it with me.