July 30, 2023
St. Andrew Church
Rev. Anne McAnelly
First Lesson: 1 Kings 3:5-12
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.
Second Lesson: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
On opening day, Cooper and I watched Oppenheimer, the 3-hour movie chronically the life, science and politics of the creation of the atomic bomb that ended WWII. Cillian Murphy, who played the lead role, was superb demonstrating the challenge and moral conflict while being blindsided by the powers that be. The Manhattan Project defined the last century piercing our nation’s self-understanding and the corruption of weapons of war. I am glad I saw it, but director Christopher Nolan told the story in a strange way.
Jesus told stories in a strange way as well. The last two weeks we have been exploring two of Jesus’ stories about seeds. Of course, we call these parables. I discovered it was prophesied that Jesus would teach in parables, hence Matthew sharing so many all at once (v. 34-35).
So what do we do with these seemly unrelated tales of Jesus about a mustard seed, leaven, treasure, a merchant and a net? First, each simile is a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. Now don’t think Jesus is telling us what heaven will be like. Rather focus on the kingdom and the reign of God. The way God wants us to be in relationship. I heard a new way of thinking about this. Rather than saying the kingdom of God, say the kin-dom of God. By dropping the g we are focusing on the relational nature rather than the authoritarian part of the relationship. The kinship we share with God and our fellows is certainly more welcoming and inclusive that the kingship of God. Sit with that for a while before passing judgement, feel how liberating it is. “Ada María Isasi-Díaz was visiting her friend, a Franciscan nun, when she heard the word for the first time: kin-dom rather than kingdom. I imagine that as she sat with this word, turning it over in her mind, something clicked about her own life. For Latinas, she would go on to write, kin-dom offered a description of liberation that was “self-determining” within an interconnected community, seeing God’s movement emerge from la familia, from the family God makes” (https:sojo.net/articles/kin-dom-christ). Kin-dom the family of God.
There are three things I want to focus on within these five parables: The kin-dom of God creates growth, is often hidden and has extreme value.
The mustard seed is considered the smallest seed and yet it grows into a large shrub or tree, big enough to shelter birds. What starts out small can have a huge impact on our lives. So it is with the reality of faith, with our relationship with God. Of course, the yeast in the bread only takes a little to transform an entire loaf. Transform it does, three measures of flour makes enough bread to feed over 100 people. One commentator writes, “Yeast is a key ingredient for making bread because without it, bread cannot be fluffy and light. In other words, the kingdom of heaven is transformative and uplifting. Without God’s reign, life would be flat and dull. It is the presence of God’s kingdom that empowers God’s people to rise above life’s circumstances” (Working Preacher, Jennifer Kaalund). The mustard seed and the leaven express the amazing growth that comes from our relationship with God.
Did you notice that the woman hid the leaven in the bread and the treasure was hidden in the field? I have to admit I was confused why the man did not just take the treasure, instead he covers it up and buys the field. Sometimes we hide the things we treasure most. We want to keep it all to ourselves. How can we even put into words what our relationship with God means to us? There is a hidden nature to our relationship with God. Moreover, the dominion of God may take hold in hidden and unexpected ways. John Wesley wrote, “The kingdom of God within us is a treasure indeed, but a treasure hid from the world, and from the most wise and prudent in it. He that finds this treasure, (perhaps when he thought it far from him,) hides it deep in his heart, and gives up all other happiness for it” (Sermons.com)
That leads to the third point, the indescribable value of God’s kingdom. Two parables express the overwhelming joy and value of our relationship with God. Both the man and merchant sell all that they have, to be close to this treasure, close to God. One commentator writes, “The person who finds the treasure joyfully “sells all” to buy the field (13:44). The merchant “sold all” to buy the pearl. The discoveries disrupt normal daily life and priorities; they require risk and sacrifice. In these actions, the power of that which has been found is seen to be at work. The treasure and pearl possess the finders and shape their lives. So it is to participate in and be possessed by the empire of heaven; it is worth everything” (Working Preacher, Warren Carter).
Is your relationship with God worth everything? Would you sell all that you have to possess it?
Let’s take a breath. Let’s look at this another way. If I offered you a million dollars, would you take it? How would that make you feel? Now, would you take it if it meant that you would not wake up tomorrow? You would probably say no. That means that the mere fact of waking up tomorrow is worth more than a million dollars. So let’s be grateful for each day we wake up. Let’s value, treasure, our relationship with God who is the giver of life and love. Our joy in the morning.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus describes the kingdom of God 37 times and each one is a little different, a new perspective on what Jesus wants us to know about God. In these five parables Jesus is almost personalizing the story. Let me explain. If I wanted to make a point with a musician, I might connect it to the notes on a scale. Here I think Jesus is personalizing how the kingdom of God might affect people differently. A musician relates to notes, a fisherman relates to nets, a woman understands the leaven in bread, and a merchant the purchasing of a valuable pearl. Each one tells a little more about how we relate to the kingdom of God. Isn’t wonderful Jesus takes the time to personalize these parables, so that you can see yourself in them?
Recently a friend told me about the audio book, “This I Believe.” It is the continuation of the work of Edward R Murrow’s work in the 50’s interviewing people about what was their truth. It started with famous people and soon expanded to everyday people: the banker, butcher and baker. Each person had 500 words to express their truth. Two I want to share with you. First scientist Sheri White notes how divided we are and how we see our differences more clearly than our similarity. Yet she declares we are genetically 99.9% the same. She is the daughter of racially mixed parents. She recalls the first time she noticed her mother’s skin was darker than her father’s, because until then they were just her parents. Her truth, we are 99.9% the same, so let’s focus on that.
The second one is about the healing power of forgiveness. Jennifer Cannino identified Ronald Cotton as the man who raped her sending him to prison. 11 years later, he was cleared through DNA and released. Together they have found a path to forgiveness; Ronald for the years he wrongly spent in prison and Jennifer for the guilt of sending him there. Ronald was freed not only from prison but from his anger. Jennifer found peace in the mercy Ronald showed her in forgiveness.
I share these stories, these parables, for us to consider what our truth is, what are the stories we live by and want the world to see and know? If you had 500 words to tell your truth, what would it be? Would you share the love of your life, surviving a horrible event, the joy of waking up every morning? What is your truth?
Jesus has just told us about the truth of the kingdom, or rather the kin-dom of heaven. In less than 500 words, he shares its ability to multiply something small to huge effect, it’s personal nature that we hold close and often hide, and its immeasurable value, so great it motivates us to sell all that we have so that we might possess it. How would you tell your truth, the parable of your life? AMEN
