Proper 12A – 8th Sunday after Pentecost Panzer Liturgical Service, Stuttgart
Sermon – The Kingdom of God is like a picture collage July 30, 2017
I came to Germany in 2002, joining Shawn at the end of a two-week TDY. We had just transitioned from 35mm film to a digital camera, but I still was being judicious in my shot selection. Not knowing that we would eventually move to Germany, not once - but twice, I was intent on recording our itinerary in pictures so we would be able to remember the details of our trip and tell the story of our journey. But the best pictures of the trip were the shots which captured the beauty of the world around me. Neuschwanstein Castle nestled in the mountain side and the beauty of an Oberammergau cemetery prepared for Mother’s Day celebrations... I remember seeing those pictures blown up on my computer screen and thinking, “I can’t believe I took that.” So many details that I had missed popped into the view once the picture was enlarged and enhanced. It not only brought back the memory, but also the emotion of the day.
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| Oberammergau Cemetary - 2002 (C) DLT |
Since then I have taken thousands of pictures, finally abandoning my digital camera for the superior picture quality of my mobile phone. It is always close at hand, and within a split moment, I can catch a surprising or beautiful or funny moment, to be remembered and shared. The photos I take often tell a story… but some just capture a split-second memory of the world at large. More and more, I look out on the world and to capture the intricacies of the world around me, showing details that I didn’t see at first. But there are also times when I realize that a photo just isn’t enough.
I am in awe of how our eyes and our brains work together to turn our view of the world from something two dimensional to something that is three or four dimensional. If only we could infuse our pictures with the emotions of the experience… now that would be an amazing photo album.
In today’s gospel reading, we encounter Jesus teaching about the Kingdom of God… again. And in this brief passage, he gives several examples – although not exclusive or exhaustive by any stretch of the imagination. It turns out that one parable is not enough to see the vastness of God’s Kingdom. Our job is to see ourselves in his pictures, and daily life in the Kingdom of God.
Mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, a wise merchant, a fishing net, a wise scribe… common items or people which give us a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. On their own, they tell us something important about God and our place in God’s world. But together, they weave a tapestry of intricate and complicated beauty. Like a beautiful Persian carpet woven from cotton and wool and silk, from one direction it may look blue, but from the other side of the room, you could swear it’s green. But the more you look at it, you just call it beautiful and know that mere words are not enough.
What lesson was Jesus trying to teach us thru these parables? What did he want us to know about the Kingdom of God that would change our lives… and the core of who we are? Here are four lessons that stand out to me.
I. The Value of the Kingdom Is Greater Than Anything Else (vv. 44-46)[i]
The value of a society is often measured in how much it is worth… countries are designated rich or poor based on how much money they have in their treasury and the performance of their stock markets or natural resources. But the Kingdom of God is more valuable than any of the countries we know. And our place in it has more worth than even our best relationships. We claim that we would do anything to protect those we love… we are even willing to surrender our lives for them. But being a part of the KOG requires our willingness to surrender all of everything we have to Jesus – no easy task. Part of becoming Christian is realizing that our membership is God’s Kingdom is life’s greatest treasure. It takes a lot of bravery to commit ourselves fully to its call and responsibilities.
Military members and their families understand this. You’re not just in the Marines – you are a Marine. The same holds true for us… Being Christian is not just about accepting the “rules” … our lives must be thoroughly infused with the grace and love of God.
II. The Nature of the Kingdom Endures Forever (vv. 31-33)
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| Twitter - Trooper Brooke Bova @wspd1pio |
I saw a story the other day of a delivery van on the I-5 in Seattle that was seen oozing a beige blog of material onto the highway. When highway patrol finally caught up with the van (after it left a multi-mile layer of slime on the roadway), it was discovered that the van contained scrap bread dough that was headed to a processing plant to be made into animal feed. It seems that the driver had stopped to have lunch and being a hotter-than-normal day, the yeast had grown and expanded the dough out of the garbage bags that it was stored in and tumbled to the grown along the way.[ii] No harm – no foul… a yeast has to do what a yeast will do.
Both the parable of the mustard seed and the yeast tell the story of something really small that becomes really big. The mustard seed we use today to make a sandwich spread is a little different from the one Jesus talked about, but even so, it’s hard to imagine how a tiny seed like that could become a bush that was so big that birds could make a nest in it. These two parables teach us that just because something is small doesn’t mean that it’s not mighty. Even when things are hard, when life seems to throw punches that come from nowhere and doesn’t seem fair, we have to keep pushing forward to further the agenda of the KOG… love, care, and trust make all of that possible. That is to say, the Kingdom is life's greatest treasure not only because of its great value but also because it will endure forever. All other things will fail, but the Kingdom will persevere to the end.
III. Our Work in the Kingdom Is to Share This Treasure with Others (vv. 51-52)
The last of the parables sees Jesus appointing his listeners to be communicators of the message of the Kingdom. He called them scribes. To be a scribe is to be honored. A scribe in Palestine was highly respected. The Pharisees and religious leaders thought Jesus and his crowd were rabble-rousers and trouble makers, but Jesus tells them that their true value is defined by entrusting them with this ministry. Even more, to be a scribe is also to bear the responsibility of teaching others the truths of God. In other words, Kingdom disciples have an evangelistic responsibility. Evangelism comes in many forms, but I wonder if we really understand that how we live our lives is as much an invitation as what we say. The Kingdom life is not just defined by what is written or spoken, but also how that life is lived. Implicit in Jesus directive is his desire that our words and our living match up, and that people will indeed know us by our love.
Since every sermon I have preached in the last five years is recorded online, I often worry that the way I live my life does not contradict the lessons that I learn from study and exegesis. I know that I have not always acted in concert with the good news of Jesus. I have spoken without thinking or in anger or acted in ways that were not inclusive or loving. Each time I realize my mistake, I seek forgiveness from God and if possible, from those I have harmed, but I am sure that there are many times when I am oblivious to the mistakes I make. Part of the Kingdom journey is becoming more and more aware of the how our lives are true reflections of the life Christ teaches us about. And it is very hard work – work that’s never done.
IV. The Joy of the Kingdom Is Available to All (vv. 47-50)
Maybe this is the hardest point of all in Jesus’ message. Once we become a part of the Kingdom, we can be lured into the practice of wanting to protect it, to make it pure and exclusive. But the parable of the net challenges that assumption. When fishers use a dragnet, they sweep up everything in their path. The picture of the dragnet demonstrates that the Kingdom is open to all.
For me, this brings up the ultimate question. What is the purpose of the Gospel? Is it to save our individual souls so that we can go to heaven? Or is it for something more? Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of people.” The good news of Jesus is meant to be shared. Even if we feel reluctant or afraid to share our own theological understandings of scripture or Christian ethics or life, we do share them in the way we behave… in how we treat people. AI am more convinced that our job isn’t to make people conform to our intellectual understandings of God. It’s to love them and to walk with them on the Kingdom way.
The purpose of the Kingdom is to touch every soul with the gospel – the good news – of Jesus Christ. And what is that good news? God loves us. God calls us to love others… all others… not just those who are like us, but everyone. Even those who don’t deserve it… even those who don’t want it… and it’s the hardest thing we to do.
The tragic reality, however, is that many will reject the Kingdom because our words and our actions don’t match. Our lives are in the invitation to follow Jesus, not just our words. Instead of seeing him as judge and jury, he is both our friend and fellow traveler.
This week I’ve been following the Air Force Cycling Team as they ride in the Register’s Great Bike Race Across Iowa. [iii] Accomplished active duty and retired Air Force cyclists have gathered, not to win a race, but to assist the thousands who gather each year to interact with the week-long course and with people in the communities who welcome them. Instead of riding at the front of the pack each day, every AF rider carries bike inner tubes, spare parts, energy bars, first aid kits, and an unfailing desire to help those who are in need along the way.
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| Facebook - Air Force Cycling Teagan - RAGBRAI 2017 |
Their actions each mile during the day, as they interact with folks each night, and as they volunteer in their local communities, are the hallmarks of not only the USAF core values – Integrity first, Service above self, & Excellence in all we do – but also a witness to what it means to live as Kingdom people.
Becoming Christian is about more than the moment of salvation. It’s one thing to invite Jesus into our hearts or to make the decision to claim Christianity, but living out that faith into the Kingdom is something else altogether. Jesus teaches us that living as citizens in God's kingdom through Jesus Christ is life's greatest treasure. It looks different for each of us, but it’s not only OK but necessary that we ask ourselves this question: “What is the treasure of my life?”
I have a feeling we each still have a lot of work to do… It’s a good thing we’re all in this together, fellow companions in the Pick-Stitch Kingdom of God.
Peace, Deb
[i] This sermon was inspired by exegesis by Douglas Bunch, “Life’s Greatest Treasure,” Ministry Matters: SERMON OPTIONS: JULY 30, 2017, http://www.ministrymatters.com/preach/entry/5167/sermon-options-july-30-2017
[ii] CARA GIAIMO, Truck Full of Dough Rises Ahead of Schedule, Atlas, Obscura, JULY 25, 2017, http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dough-truck-rising-heat
[iii] Facebook – Air Force Cycling Team - https://www.facebook.com/afcycling/
