Eight Sunday After Pentecost – Pastor Ellen Mills
I am offering you two ways to receive this. In print, you will need to read the scriptures for yourself, and then the prayer and reflection that follow in this post. If you click on the audio link below (below), you can hear all of it, including the scripture
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray,
Beloved and sovereign God, through the death and resurrection of your Son you bring us into your kingdom of justice and mercy. By your Spirit, give us your wisdom, that we may treasure the life that comes from Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
1 Kings 3:5-12
Psalm 119:129-136
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
An understanding mind. Solomon was now king, and in a vision, God asks him what gift he would desire. And Solomon chooses something that he lacks, that will aid him in leading God’s people. Solomon wants discernment. He wants to see situations so clearly that he knows what is best, and what is not good. I don’t see this as a gift of information. It is a gift of the wisdom to see what things are really about. It is a quality of depth and clarity. And in the psalm chosen for today, we are told that the words of God bring light and understanding.
In the gospel of Matthew this morning, it is also about kingdom. But we seem to have come a long way from the days of Solomon, where there was a someone on a throne of a country, and there was land that went with it. Jesus has come to declare and reveal the kingdom of heaven. And the parables this morning are meant to shake up the understanding they had of just what God’s kingdom would be. Jesus uses common everyday things in his parables. But sometimes they need some explanation to be understood in our time. Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. Now, please forget that mustard today can be bought in a packet of seeds and grown in your garden. Mustard then was a large weed. It was not to be grown in gardens. It was wild and invasive. Gardens should be neat and orderly! Jesus talks about growing this seed in a garden, and describes it growing into a tree large enough for birds to nest in it. That was an exaggeration, but Jesus is making a point. The kingdom of heaven? It starts small and sneaky, and its effect is way beyond anything we expect, or maybe even want. The kingdom of heaven is surprising and astounding, and not under our control.
And then the woman and the yeast. Jesus not only provides a parable about a woman, she is doing a daily essential task. But again – this is not what you think. This is not dry yeast in a nice little foil envelope that you buy in a store. It is much more like what was going on last spring when people stayed home and baked and the stores ran out of yeast in packages. Instead, people baked forms of sourdough or friendship bread. You know the kind. Someone gives you this gooey lump and tells you to keep it warm, and then use it to make bread. In those days, it might even have been moldy. And this woman didn’t just add three cups of flour. She added three measures that were large enough to make 100 loaves. The kingdom of heaven is like a moldy lump that is powerful enough to turn that much flour into 100 loaves of bread. Again, something small and despised that had a powerful effect.
And then Jesus offers a couple of other parables. The kingdom of heaven is something so wonderful that the desire for it causes us to exchange it for everything else we own. Whether we found it in a field by accident, or spent our lives searching for it, apparently when we find it our life changes drastically. It is worth more than everything else. And there is a sense that we don’t just add it to our possessions as we might do with things today. No – when we encounter it, it makes an urgent demand on our lives and we must respond. It takes over our lives.
And then Jesus throws in one more parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea that caught everything, but then had to be sorted through, much like Solomon’s discerning mind. Some fish are worth keeping, and others are not. And when Jesus asks his disciples if they have understood everything, they say “yes.” Really? Could they possibly not want to admit they didn’t get it? So, again Jesus recommends discernment. We are told we have treasures that are ancient and others that are new, and Jesus does not declare that one is better than the other. Both are treasures. Do we know that?
So, what do you make of such variety? There appear to be many ways of experiencing or encountering the kingdom of heaven. It may show up in our lives as something that doesn’t appear important, until it has taken over. It may make demands on us to choose it in a way that requires us to give up all else. And it may require us to become wise, so that we can sort through all that is available to us, to choose the better thing. We know that the kingdom of heaven is God’s kingdom, full of love and mercy, and justice. It is a kingdom that values people and all of creation because God made them and declared them to be good. Those who are last in our society will be raised up. The hungry will be fed. The strangers will be welcomed. The sick and broken will be healed. Perhaps the work of the kingdom won’t be obvious to the whole world. And our part in it may start small and insignificant. But growth and change will occur. There appears to be a lot of surprise. And a chance to learn what God values and wants for us. Do not be afraid. The kingdom of heaven is in our midst. Amen.
Confident of your care and helped by the Holy Spirit, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
Merciful God, your reign is revealed to us in common things, a mustard shrub, a woman baking bread, a fishing net. Help your church witness to the surprising yet common ways you encounter us in daily life. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
When your word is opened, it gives light and understanding. Increase our understanding and awe of your creation; guide the work of scientists and researchers. Treasuring the earth, may we live as grateful and healing caretakers of your home. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
As the birds of heaven nest in branches of trees, gather the nations of the world into the welcoming shade of your merciful reign. Direct leaders of nations to build trust with each other and walk in the way of peace. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Your Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for the saints according to your will. Help us when we do not know how to pray. Give comfort to the dying, refuge to the weary, justice to those who are oppressed, and healing to the sick. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You show steadfast love and direct us to ask of you what we need. Help this congregation ask boldly for what is most needed. Refresh us with new dreams of being your people in this place and time. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Loving God, you call leaders of the church. Guide the congregational council as they interview a candidate. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
In you our lives are never lost. Strengthen us by the inspiring witness of your people in all times and places. Embolden our witness now and one day gather us with all your saints in light. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
In the certain hope that nothing can separate us from your love, we offer these prayers to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord’s face shine upon you with grace and mercy.
The Lord look upon you with favor, and give you peace.
Amen.