The kingdom of heaven is like

The kingdom of heaven is like ….  that phrase occurs about 30 times in the gospel of Matthew; it is one of the main themes of Matthew’s Gospel. This morning we have 5 parables, all of which start: The kingdom of heaven is like.

Some things to think about with these parables:

Firstly, the mustard bush.

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.

It was a weed!

No farmer in their right mind would plant mustard seeds, it would quickly take over the whole field, and your neighbour’s field.

And the woman with the yeast and flour.  Start yeast/flour/water mix

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a woman mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.

A few surprises in this parable:

Yeast was often considered to be impure, a symbol of decay.

Woman were not highly valued, so the analogy of the activity of God being like anything a woman does would be strange to the ears of the people Jesus was speaking to.

And then there is the ‘three big batches of flour’, which is equivalent to about 21 kgs. That is a lot of flour. Someone has calculated that this would make 52 loaves of bread. This woman is making enough to feed the village, not her family.[i]

For me, these two parables are surprising, and for the first hearers would have been shocking or stupid.
I mean, who plants a rampant weed on their farm,
and who makes enough bread for the whole village,
and just imagine how big a bowl that would be.

Here is 1 kg flour, imagine how much 144kgs is going to be.

The next two parables:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a shop owner is looking for fine pearls. After finding a very valuable one, the owner goes and sells everything in order to buy that pearl.

finding treasure in a field, and a fine pearl; both ending with people selling all they have for the sake of the treasure and the pearl; who does that?

Is there anything you would give up all you had for?

Maybe the fifth parable will help.

“The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a net is thrown into a lake and catches all kinds of fish.”

So far seems OK, but …. Then the separation of good and bad fish. Which reminds me of another part of the Matthew’s gospel, chapter 25 and the sheep and the goats at judgement time.

Each of the parables we heard this morning hints at the kingdom of God. the kingdom of God is not one dimensional, and it is not easily described.

Jesus says the kingdom of God is like, ... then an action.
So, the kingdom isn’t like a weed,
or yeast, which is a contaminant
or buried treasure or a fine pearl
or a net full of fish.

The kingdom of heaven is not like the objects, but what people do with them.[ii]

These parables give a picture of a kingdom that infiltrates and spreads through our lives. [iii]

The kingdom of heaven is not an object, but an activity. The kingdom of Heaven is active in ways we may not even realise, “in the mysterious and powerful things that happen right beneath our eyes, even if our eyes can't seem to see what's happening (The Lectionary Commentary: The Gospels).”^[iv]

Do you read the Bible, pray, and come to Sunday worship thinking that these things might lead to our lives being infiltrated, changed, and taken over by God’s reality and rule? ^[v]

Is God enough for you to give up everything for?

“the Gospel of the kingdom that Jesus proclaims and lives is truly good news only to those who are not finally satisfied with what this life has to offer. For those who are content, selling everything to possess a single pearl, no matter how valuable, seems a little crazy. How can anything be so precious as to give up everything else to possess it? But to those who are dissatisfied – with the status quo, with what they have been able to secure on their own, with the values, stereotypes, or prejudices of the culture – then Jesus’ Gospel, while still disruptive and even upsetting, nevertheless feels true, real, and something worth buying at any cost.” ^[vi]

Fulghum story p116-7 Uh-Oh

Affirmative vandalism [200 words]

I wonder what we could do, here on the Peninsula, to spread love, grace, and forgiveness?

What could we do to make a difference,

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[i] http://breadmonk.com/my-bread-blog/three-measures-of-flour

[ii] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/year-proper-12-17th-sunday-in-ordinary.html

[iii] http://www.davidlose.net/2014/07/pentecost-7a-parables-that-do-things/

[iv] http://www.ucc.org/worship_samuel_sermon_seeds_july_30_2017

[v] http://www.davidlose.net/2014/07/pentecost-7a-parables-that-do-things/

[vi] http://www.davidlose.net/2017/07/pentecost-8-a-parabolic-promises/

Following Jesus: Welcoming or Welcomed

This short passage from the Gospel of Matthew continues on from our readings the past few weeks. Jesus calls the disciples and tells them they will go out in pairs, proclaiming the good news:

“…the kingdom of heaven will soon be here. Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid. Don’t take along any gold, silver, or copper coins. And don’t carry a traveling bag or an extra shirt or sandals or a walking stick.” Matthew 10:7-9 CEV

The disciples have been warned that some will hate them, there will be divisions within families, and then this short section, about the rewards for those who welcome the disciples.

…

When Ian and I moved into the manse, there were some yummy slices, and lovely flowers when we arrived; and later that day, dinner arrived. A wonderful welcome.

I wonder when you have felt particularly welcomed? What was it that you appreciated or made it so special?

…

“anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will surely be rewarded.”

This verse is usually considered to mean that something as simple as a glass of cool water will be rewarded. You don’t have to do anything elaborate.

But at that time there was no fridge in the corner, and water was drawn from the well, and kept in clay jars, on hot days, the water would warm up. To give a guest a cup of cold water required an extra measure of hospitality. An unplanned trip to the well, to gather more water so it could be served before it warmed up. A drink of cold water was exceptional. This was exceptional hospitality that stretches the hostess and host beyond the ordinary.[i]

I wonder when you have done something exceptional for someone you didn’t know well?

…….

Have there been times when you needed hospitality or welcome:

when you were looking for a place to rest, or
     a new home
     or even a drink of water

what happened?
Were you offered what you needed?

…

It is one thing to offer a welcome, “into church, or your home, or your life. You have the power. You get to make the decisions as to whom you’ll invite and when. You can control the circumstances, the setting, and the surroundings. You are able to determine when the welcoming will come to an end.

It’s a completely different situation, however, when find yourself on the other side -- the one being welcomed. The one at the mercy of another.”[ii]

Welcoming goes both ways. It is wonderful when we offer a welcome to another person, and it is important to do that. But how often do we accept the welcome of another?

The disciples may have travelled empty-handed, but not empty hearted. They were sent to heal and liberate and announce the good news of the coming kingdom of God.

What gifts do you see in people who come looking for a welcome?

When new people come into:
     our church or our lives,
      our community or our country,
do we see potential,
    or trouble
do we see gifts
     or a burden?

The disciples relied on being welcomed into a home while they were out healing and liberating people. They relied on food and water from people they didn’t know. 

This requires a level of vulnerability.

When we start to imagine what it must feel like to rely on the welcome of others, perhaps then we will have a sense of the kind of vulnerability Jesus knew and Jesus lived. When you have to depend on another, perhaps even for a meal and a place to sleep, trust steps through that door first. When you allow yourself to be welcomed, perhaps that can be the first step to letting go of thinking you are not enough.^[iii]

Are we willing to be vulnerable in our welcoming and allowing ourselves to be welcomed?

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[i] Rev. Debra Jene in https://revgalblogpals.org/2017/06/27/revised-common-lectionary-a-cup-of-cold-water/

[ii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?m=4377&post=4931

[iii] https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?m=4377&post=4931

Lament

a short section early in worship

Lament

How long, O Lord.

Where are you, Lord

These are cries of Lament

The Lament psalms give expression to the deepest moments of human pain;

anger, confusion, questioning, and despair are all said out loud.

In a time of crisis, personal or communal

the palmist cried out to God:

How long, O Lord, or

what is going on or

when are you going to come and make things right?

These psalms are important for several reasons.

First, they give us words for the deepest, darkest nights of our lives -- when the bottom drops out, when the pain seems too much to bear. Second, the tell us that God is big enough for everything we've got -- 

our pain, 

our anger, 

our questions, 

our doubts.

They even suggest that genuine biblical faith is comfortable challenging God. And that God is present with us precisely when it feels like God isn't there.

While these psalms are a way of expressing anger and confusion, they do so in a way which claims the promise of God's presence in the midst of our suffering and also the promise that the God-who-is-with-us will preserve us from evil and bring us to a new day when the sun will rise and light will dawn.[i]

I am guessing that at some point in your life you wanted to shake your fist at God and ask why?

[followed by a PPT of Out of the Depths I cry to you O Lord.]

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[i]  https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3270