More than Conquerors: Mustard Seeds and Yeast

July 26, 2026 homily on Matthew 13:31-33 and Romans 8:37-39 by Pastor Galen

“… We are more than victorious through him who loved us.” – Romans 8:37

Slow and Steady Practice

When I was little, my parents had an old guitar that they let me play with. I spent hours as a kid playing around with that guitar. I didn’t really know how to play it, but I would strum the strings and pretend that I was making music. Sometimes I would bang on the sides to see what kinds of sounds it would make, and I would turn the tuning pegs just to find out what they did. I had a lot of fun with that guitar, although I certainly could not call myself a guitar player.

A few years later, a music teacher began offering lessons at my school. My parents asked whether I might enjoy learning an instrument. I remembered how much fun I had with that old guitar, so I said that I would like to learn how to play. From fifth grade through high school, I took guitar lessons every week during the school year with Mr. Kunkle. I also practiced just about every day. Over time, I began to play the guitar for real. At first, I learned a few notes and some basic patterns. Eventually, I could play a line from a song, and whole songs followed after that. With years of practice, I became pretty decent at playing the guitar.

That may not be a very exciting story. If I told you that when I was five years old I picked up a guitar and immediately began playing like a professional would probably be much more exciting. Some people do seem to have extraordinary natural talent. But most musicians develop their abilities through years of lessons and practice.

The same is true for many other skills. Learning another language takes concerted effort. Athletes spend countless hours practicing the same movements. A craftsperson gradually becomes better through experience. Progress usually comes through hard work and a lot of practice.

More Than Victorious

In Romans 8:37, the Apostle Paul writes that “we are more than victorious through him who loved us.” Many translations use the more familiar phrase, “We are more than conquerors.” The word “victorious” may bring to mind an army defeating its enemies or a championship team celebrating after the final game. We picture the players raising their hands victoriously, lifting their star player on their shoulders, while a crowd cheers around them.

But long before that moment of celebration, the members of the team spent years developing the skills that made that victory possible. Their preparation included grueling practices and difficult losses. They experienced exhaustion and perhaps even injury, and there were many days when it seemed as though they were not making any progress. Eventually, however, they were victorious, and that final victory grew out of slow, steady work.

Mustard Seeds and Trees

The kingdom of God grows in a similar way. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells two short parables about the kingdom of God. Both of them describe gradual growth that is difficult to see while it is taking place. 

Jesus first speaks about a mustard seed. He describes it as the smallest of all seeds, but points out that it grows into a tree large enough for birds to come and make nests in its branches. Mustard plants in the region where Jesus lived could grow surprisingly large. A tiny seed could eventually produce a plant that provided food and shelter for birds. Mustard could also spread rapidly and become difficult to contain. There is also a tree in that region that is sometimes referred to as a “mustard tree,” so Jesus may have been referring to one of several related plants. But whichever particular plant Jesus had in mind, his central point remains the same: something that begins almost invisibly can grow into something unexpectedly large.

If you and I sat beside one of those plants and watched it for an afternoon, we probably would not see any noticeable change. The growth would be far too gradual for our eyes to detect from one moment to the next. But if we were to leave and visit again after a few days or weeks, the change would be much more obvious. Given enough time, the tiny seed would become something large enough to provide a home for other living creatures. That is how growth usually happens: slowly and steadily, often undetectably. But growth is taking place nonetheless.

Yeast and the Kingdom

Jesus then tells a parable about a baker who mixes yeast into flour. Once the yeast has been worked into the dough, it disappears from sight. The baker can no longer point to it and show exactly where it is. Even so, the yeast remains active. Over time, it works throughout the dough and causes it to rise. A small ingredient gradually affects the entire lump.

Jesus says that the kingdom of God works like this. A prayer offered on someone’s behalf. The choice to forgive. Going out of our way to offer help to a stranger. A small step of faith. These acts may seem small, and it may appear that no growth is occurring. Yet God is able to work mightily through these small acts of faithfulness. A seed begins growing beneath the soil, and yeast transforms dough from within. In much the same way, God’s love is at work even in ways we cannot see.

More Than Conquerors

This understanding of God’s kingdom helps us understand Paul’s words about being more than conquerors. Paul was writing to Christians in Rome who knew hardship. A few verses earlier in Romans 8, Paul mentions trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, danger, and death. Paul knew about human suffering on a deep and personal level.

And so, when Paul speaks of victory, he is not speaking only about the celebratory moments. He is also talking about the slow and steady faithfulness that continues through difficult decisions, struggle, suffering, and hardship. Yet through it all, we can be victorious because Christ is present with us no matter what we are going through.

Paul expresses this assurance in verses 38 and 39 when he says: “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

For Paul, victorious living means living in Christ’s love. Christ’s love gives us the strength to remain faithful through challenges and hardships. Because we are held by God, we can continue pressing forward even when life is difficult. This is victorious living. We look forward to the day when Christ comes in final victory and puts a final end to pain, suffering, hardship, and grief. But even here and now, in the midst of the challenges we face in this life, we can experience victory through Christ. The victory is not only in the future; it is also present among us now.

Slow and Steady Growth in Faith

When I was learning the guitar, most practice sessions did not end with a dramatic breakthrough. I might learn one chord a little more clearly or play a section of music with fewer mistakes. But those small improvements eventually added up. 

Our spiritual lives are shaped through ordinary practices as well. Prayer slowly teaches us to bring our whole lives before God. Regular worship reminds us that our lives are part of a much larger story. Scripture gives us words and images that can shape how we understand ourselves, our neighbors, and the world. Acts of service gradually train our attention toward the needs of others.

Forgiveness also requires practice. We may have to place the same hurt into God’s hands many times before its hold on us begins to loosen. Generosity develops as we learn to trust that the little bit we have can be shared. Courage grows through decisions that may feel small at first. On any particular day, we may have difficulty seeing how these practices are changing us. Years later, however, we may realize that our responses have become different. We’ve become a little more patient with someone who once frustrated us. We are more willing to listen before speaking or more attentive to a person whom others have ignored. Those changes may not be noticeable while they are taking place, but this is often how growth occurs. 

How a Church Grows

And if this is true for us on an individual level, then it is true of how churches grow as well. Some of us can remember when many more people filled these pews on Sunday mornings. We remember those who worshiped and served beside us and became part of our lives. Some have passed away, moved away, or are no longer able to attend in person. Others stopped participating in church. Each empty pew represents a relationship and a story, so it is understandable that we sometimes feel discouraged.

We want people to gather for worship and new disciples to become part of the church. We want this congregation to have a future. Sunday attendance matters, but it is just one way to recognize the growth God is bringing about through a church. Growth also takes place when someone discovers that they are loved by God or becomes more compassionate and courageous. It happens when people find food, friendship, recovery, education, or hope through ministries housed within these walls.

By that measure, God is doing something remarkable through this little church. More 

than seventy people come here for an AA meeting on Monday evenings, with another forty gathering on Thursdays. Our food pantry serves dozens of families each Wednesday. Children attend school here throughout the week, and others enter our building for music lessons, art, dancing, quilting, and community events. This week alone, we welcomed twenty volunteers for a service project on Thursday and more than one hundred people were here on Friday for the funeral of a former member.

Our congregation does not coordinate every one of these programs, yet we have made room for them. We have opened our doors so that people can recover, learn, create, receive food, and find community. Perhaps these ministries are like the yeast in Jesus’ parable. Their influence reaches far beyond what we see when we look around this room. God’s love is working throughout the basement, classrooms, fellowship hall, and the surrounding community.

We also hope that visitors will find a place of belonging here in our worshiping community. Every one of us can help create that kind of community. Your presence and experiences matter, whether you have been here for fifty years or only recently began attending. You can welcome someone, offer encouragement, lend a hand, or ask how you can pray for them. The gifts God has given you can become part of what God is growing in this place.

A mustard seed takes time to become a tree, and yeast needs time to work through the dough. In the same way, we may not immediately see the results of our faithfulness.

The future of Christ’s church rests securely in God’s hands. God is already at work, and our calling is to notice that work and participate faithfully in the opportunities before us.

So let us continue praying, worshiping, serving, inviting, and making space for our neighbors. This is how God’s kingdom grows among us. Through Christ’s love, even our smallest acts of faithfulness can become part of something far greater than we can presently see. May we rest secure in the promise that nothing: discouragement, disappointment, uncertainty, suffering, or even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Through him who loved us, we are more than conquerors. 

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

1. What is one area of your life in which God may be bringing about slow, steady growth? Which spiritual practice (such as prayer, worship, Scripture, service, forgiveness, or generosity) would you like to practice more faithfully?

2. What disappointment, uncertainty, or hardship makes it difficult for you to trust that nothing can separate you from God’s love?

3. What would it mean for you to live as “more than a conqueror” through perseverance and faithfulness rather than power or visible success?

4. Where do you see signs that God is working through your church?

5. How can you help make your church a place where newer people and those on the edges feel that they belong and have something to contribute?