Proper 12, Yr A (2023) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Romans 8:26-39 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
In the name of the one, holy, and living God:
in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
Have you ever been in a conversation and asked one of those stumper questions?
I find that children usually do a great job with those.
For example, "Mom, what is love?"
Oh! Well, let's see.
Love is when two people really care a lot for each other,
but it's more than just caring for someone.
Love can be expressed physically,
but it doesn't have to be.
Love can be emotional but is much more than that.
So, I keep talking and describing,
and I'm painting a picture, which is true,
but it's never complete.
When I was reading today’s Gospel reading, I got that same sense.
In these verses Jesus tells five parables about what the kingdom of heaven is like.
He keeps trying to describe it,
trying to paint a picture, which is all true…
but never quite complete.
Likewise, it seems to me is our understanding of the kingdom.
We keep trying to understand it,
trying to describe it,
and yet we can’t seem to get the full picture all at once.
In the first two parables, Jesus talks about the kingdom as a tiny morsel that gives life to something much larger than itself.
A tiny mustard seed contains within it the capacity to grow into a large, almost tree-like shrub.
A small bit of yeast is mixed with three measures of flour,
giving new life to that which now surrounds it,
transforming one thing into something entirely different.
A number of years ago when I first graduated from college and had some extra time on my hands, I loved to bake.
I would make elaborate cakes and give them away because the fun was in the baking.
A friend of mine shared with me a portion of sourdough starter,
which he had received from someone else.
So, I started making my own bread
and then began making sourdough cinnamon rolls and loaves of bread for other people.
Eventually, I shared some of the starter with another friend.
I have no idea where that starter yeast began,
and I have no idea where it ended up.
But I do know that from just a tiny bit of yeast,
many, MANY loaves of bread were baked and shared.
All it took was just a tiny bit to produce an abundance.
As hearers of this parable we are invited ask:
Where do we find the kingdom breaking in and rising up?
And how do we pass it on?
Perhaps we pass on the Kingdom in a smile, a hug, or a word of welcome or encouragement-
perhaps it is through the sharing of a piece of Scripture-
or maybe it is in helping out someone who is having a rough time.
The Kingdom is like leaven – increasing abundantly with every little bit we share.
Jesus' next two parables speak of the priceless nature of the Kingdom.
One farmer in his daily work comes across a treasure in a field that is so great
that he sells all that he has in order to buy that field.
Again, a merchant who has spent his lifetime searching for a great pearl finally finds it,
sells all he has,
and buys this pearl.
As I read these parables and tried to understand them in terms of today's society,
I thought about what thing would be so great
that someone would give up everything they own in order to have it.
That was a stumper.
I couldn't imagine a jeweler selling everything for one jewel,
or an artist selling all for one painting or sculpture,
or even a stock brocker for a single stock.
Giving up everything means home, car, and all those things we collect that have tremendous sentimental value.
The only thing I could imagine myself giving up everything for – including my life –
would be a person:
my child, my husband, hopefully a friend,
or perhaps even in a moment of God-given Grace a complete stranger.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)
God gave up everything for us –
God gave life for us….
to show us the Kingdom’s way of Love and abundance.
The Kingdom of God,
the love of God,
the life of God is so priceless that all else pales in comparison.
The final parable tells of a net thrown into the sea, which catches fish of every kind.
All are included in the catch of the kingdom,
yet some will be thrown out.
As much as I would like to delete that last verse, I cannot.
Just as we heard last week,
God will be the final judge.
All will be brought in,
but judgement will occur.
So, it seems that Jesus is saying that what we do with our lives
and how we live each day
really does matter.
Some 1500 years ago St. Augustine summed it up in these words:
"Love…
and do what you will."
That is to say: the form our Kingdom-living takes doesn't matter,
what matters is that what we do is done in love,
with respect and dignity for all.
You can be a baker, a gardener, a farmer, a jeweler, a fisherman,
a minister, a teacher, a musician, a student,
a spouse, a parent, a grandparent, a friend . . .
the important thing is to do whatever you do in love.
And in loving,
we share God's Kingdom,
and God’s Kingdom will multiply beyond our wildest imaginings.
AMEN.
