Year A Proper 12 2023 A Little Thing

 Year A Proper 12, 30 July 2023

St. Gabriel’s Church, Huyton Quarry, Liverpool, England

“A Little Thing”

Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 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.”

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.”

“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.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 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.”

Good morning, dear friends of St. Gabriel’s! It is so good to be back with you! It has been too long for reasons beyond both our controls, but I bring you greetings from St. James the Less in Ashland, Virginia, about 15 miles north of Richmond, the Capital of Virginia and the former Confederacy. Thankfully we are letting go of that second descriptor in a prideful way. But in honesty we must recognize our complicity in the horrible Civil War in the States and our role in the shameful slave trade economy that was the way of life in our country only 4 generations back. God forgive us!

But that is what brings me here today. I, as has been shared, am a part of the Triangle of Hope that seeks to overcome the legacy of this shameful past and move forward in faith to where God would lead us in repentance, reconciliation, and mission in the days to come. My pilgrims and fellow leaders from Virginia, and my fellow leaders from Kumasi, are so thankful of the Diocese of Liverpool, Canon Malcolm, and the leadership here to help make this happen in such wonderful ways this summer.

I have been asked by people what difference the youth pilgrimage can make. We are limited in how many kids we can bring. We are all small dealing with such huge, complex problems, does it really make a difference?

If our Gospel lesson teaches us anything, it is that small things not only make a difference, but if they are the right things, they make ALL the DIFFERENCE.

We are given visions of how God works in the Kingdom that Christ came to proclaim. It was already present, but Jesus came to teach us the nature of God and God’s ways in the Kingdom which he said was at hand. Don’t be confused, that does not mean that it could or might happen. It is at your hand. I like to say it better this way. “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” For me, I think of it this way.

“You can change your ways, for the Realm of God’s Rule is within your grasp!”

Jesus came to let us know how God’s present Kingdom works, and how we can realize it in our now, and step into that Eternal Now right now!

The first of today’s little stories is of the Mustard Seed. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 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.” I think we too often hear this story this way. “If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed. 

Jesus did not say that. Jesus spoke how the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed. While small, it knows what it can do. It knows what it was made to do. It is there to be planted. It is there to grow and become big and strong, “The greatest of shrubs!” That sounds more like an insult than a compliment, but let’s give Jesus the benefit of the doubt. 

It started as a seed, became a sprout, then grew and grew till it made more mustard seeds, and even more, it became a home and place for rest for other of God’s creatures. The blessings keep coming and coming. The mustard seed trusts in who God made the seed to be. The seed believed in God, but just as important, the seed believed that the seed itself was capable, had a mission, and was called to do it.

Friends, we do not enter into the Kingdom of God for the benefits. Maybe at first, but not in the life-long. We enter the Kingdom of God to be who we were created to be. Just like the Mustard Seed. We are blessed, to be a blessing!

Then Jesus gets to the yeast. Yeast is so effective. A little goes a long way! “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.” If a little yeast goes a long way, the Kingdom of Heaven even more so. 

Think of those dark times in your own life, or a bad situation. And then a friend in Christ comes in. It might be a phone call or a little note. A little Christian yeast comes in that lightens the burden that you have been carrying. You so needed this drop of love, and it came. God works that way so often. Just when we need it, the Kingdom’s yeast rises to the occasion. Just the right amount, no matter how small it can seem to us, can make all the difference.

Supposedly Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” That is actually attributed to SEVERAL people, but that does not make it less true! Do not worry about the provenance, listen to the words. Friends, we can be the woman who spreads the yeast into a needy situation. The yeast is the Kingdom. Hold that close. You can change the world with a little thing.

That is one reason I work with the Triangle of Hope. I have no idea where this stuff will spread. Just like yeast. [smile]

The few young people who go on these pilgrimages could be the leaders that spread the Kingdom of God in their country, and then to the whole world. Love, Reconciliation, and Repentance. That is our mission, and like yeast, once we are planted in right situation what a world of difference we can make.

I will merge the Treasure and the Pearl because they are saying similar things. “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. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

This is where we are shown what we value most. There was a game show in America called “Let’s Make A Deal.” Did you all have that one here?

The premise was that the contestant would win a nice but small prize, and they had to decide, sight unseen, for something behind the curtain, or in a big box, or something. They could keep what they had, or they could go for something better.

So often people think Christianity is like that. “Will it be worth it?” “There is a lot of work involved, and I just have to take it on faith that it will be worth it in the end.” That is SOOO different. The person knows the treasure is in the field. It is a lock. The pearl buyer, knows what he is getting. Friends, the God who made you, the Son who saves you, the Spirit whispering to your heart, they are all telling you that what meager thing that you are holding onto that is holding you back is not worth it. You can have the best, or settle for something meager. You make the call. But the game show is about entertainment, and they may have a bait-and-switch. Or like what happened to Jacob on his wedding night in our Genesis reading. God is not like that. God’s word is true. And God’s promises are sure. The Kingdom of Heaven is not “Let’s Make A Deal.” The Kingdom of Heaven is a sure thing, guaranteed.

The Net parable is where we will end it today. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 

It helps us to see what this is about if we look at it through the idea of clean and unclean fish. Things I love, shrimp or prawns, scallops, crabs, or oysters, these are plentiful in Virginia because of our beautiful Chesapeake Bay. We are mightily blessed. But according to Jewish dietary laws, no matter how tasty they are unclean. I find it so hard to think of a heavenly banquet without bacon-wrapped scallops. MMMM MMMM.

But I digress. When the net is drawn in, fish without gills are not kosher, they are considered unclean. There are those that are acceptable, and those that are not. I find this a hard story to read. I want the angels to bring in everybody. I do not want people sorted. Good/bad. Clean/unclean. But the Bible says that when time is done, there will be a reckoning. I am just glad that the angels are doing the sorting, and that they can see our truest selves. I am trusting that most will have their gills. And that the few seen as unrighteous, or unclean, will be thrown into the fire.

We are put on earth but a little space, 

to learn to bear the beams of love. (Wm. Blake)

The poet William Blake wrote that. We are in a place to learn and grow, to find out who we are and whose we are, and to live into that abundance each and every day. We are put here to bear those beams of love.

We bear those beams as we learn in Jesus’ School of the Kingdom, where he teaches us little lessons about mustard seeds and yeast, about hidden treasure and priceless pearls, and about a net that nothing escapes which is our reckoning.

There is nothing too fancy about all of his images. Even 2,000 years later we can picture them in our minds. Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven he came to proclaim are as accessible and as costly as they were 2,000 years ago. I hope you will join me, and these Triangle of Hope pilgrims, as we strive to live into and live from the Kingdom of Heaven. What a gift, and it can be yours, too. Amen.