When Valjean is caught with the stolen goods, the bishop tells the authorities that he had given the items to his guest. To everyone’s surprise, he adds two valuable silver candlesticks to the loot. 

​Once the coast is clear, the bishop tells this unassuming hero to sell the goods and use the money to make a new life for himself. The rest of the book goes on the show how Valjean’s life was transformed by this one generous act of kindness and mercy.
​
 ​In today’s reading, we see something similar when Jesus meets a woman who is at the end of her rope. And with just a little love thrown her way, Jesus is able to do this: (Read Matthew 15:21-28)

More than once in my life, I have uttered the words of this desperate mother, “Lord, have mercy.” In the Greek it’s, Kyrie Eleison.

If you grew up in the 80’s you might recognize this as the title to an album and hit song by Mr. Mister.

Or if you grew up in the Orthodox or Catholic traditions, you probably sung it as a response during the prayers of petition.

If not that then most of us have shouted this phrase, often as a last and desperate plea for help.
 
In her book The Miracles of Jesus, Jessica LaGrone uncovers a commonality shared by all those who are healed by Jesus. They are all desperate. And that’s not such a bad thing. The way she sees it, “Desperation is a gift from God because it teaches us we can’t do this on our own.” 

She writes, “We’re all in need of Jesus’ help, but the truth is it’s only the desperate who go looking for it. And they are the ones who receive it.” 
 
More than a desperate mother running after Jesus for help, Matthew makes it a point to tell us this woman was also a Gentile. And not just any old Gentile but a Canaanite; a long standing enemy of Israel.
 
She’s so desperate for help that she ignores this bitter history as well as any religious boundaries and cultural rules concerning encounters between women and men. She knows she could suffer severe consequences just by shouting at a man in public. Not to mention, throwing herself at his feet when he ignored her.
 
Of course, this was no ordinary man either. Jesus was a very religious man. Whether or not his reputation had proceeded him, she knew he was no ordinary Rabbi.

​While his own disciples had yet to fully realize who and what Jesus was, this desperate mother, who will do whatever it took to get his attention, yelled over the crowd: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” 
 
Addressing Jesus as Lord could mean something as common as “sir.” But referring to him as Son of David, well that only points to a Christological title. Of all the people there, it was this desperate, Gentile, female, adversary who recognized Jesus for who he truly is: The Christ, Israel’s Messiah, God’s Salvation.
 
Once she saw Christ in her midst, she set aside centuries of animosity, pushed past every barrier, and ran after the one who came to redeem the world.

 
We have all been in desperate situations, and have even done some crazy things to get out of it. But this desperate mother’s actions beg the question: how quick are we in these situations, to recognize and seek the One who always meets us in our places of suffering and anguish?

Sadly, most of us don’t turn to Jesus until we have nothing left to lose. We make him our last resort when in fact, Jesus should always be our first.
 
 William DuBose once wrote, “God has placed forever before our eyes, not the image but the very person of the Spiritual Man…He is with us, near us and in us. We have only to confess with our mouths that He is Lord.”
 
Jesus might have come for his Jewish people, but this mother’s confession speaks volumes to the faith of those outside this circle. She recognized Jesus for who he was, and called out to him by name, knowing and believing he was the one who could restore her child to health.
 
When Jesus ignored and rejected her, she persisted with an unshakable conviction that the faithfulness of his God was enough to restore her daughter and save her family. Jesus saw this as faith. And immediately her daughter was healed.
 
Which is why, according to Stanley Hauerwas, this desperate outsider is “the forerunner of our faith.” And not just that, she also “teaches us how to speak” directly and honestly to the face of God’s infinite love.
 
And by his willingness to extend mercy to an enemy of his people, Jesus destroys the boundaries that separate us.

He shatters any notion that might suggests some people are worthy of God’s love while others aren’t. The sun shines on both the just and the unjust, so too does God's love flow over creation… without discrimination (c.f. Matthew 5:45).

In the vast expanse of God's heart, there is room for every soul to find solace and healing. Even the dogs.
 
No matter who you are, or where you’re from, or what you’ve done or left undone, Jesus believes no one is ever beyond the reach of God’s mercy and grace. The healing we need is as close as his name is in our heart and on our lips. For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
 
Mothers and mutts alike, everyone is worthy to come to God’s holy table where even the tiniest of scrapes has the power to heal and transform a person, a community, and all of creation.
 
Just as the bishop's act of mercy led to Valjean's transformation, our faith in Jesus has the power to bring healing and new life to anyone who wants it.

Whatever pain you are holding onto. Whatever suffering or anxieties you are facing, remember, there is nothing beyond the power of God’s mercy and love.
 
The gospels are full of stories like ours. A mother who is at the end of her rope. A leper cast out of his community and forced to die alone. A blind person begging for help. A criminal hanging next to Jesus on the cross. Desperate as they were, each sought out Christ with their hearts, crying Kyrie Eleison.
 
Their stories remind us that during challenging times of uncertainty like we are facing today, God still hears our petitions. If only because God is faithful to a fault, coming to us in the flesh, to love us where we are.
 
So as we continue to struggle with navigating a new and changing world, let us cry “Lord, have mercy.”
 
When we don’t know how to approach racial and gender inequality, let us cry “Lord, have mercy.”
 
When family and friendships continue to erode from the divisiveness of our political climate, let us cry “Lord, have mercy.”
 
When our sons and daughters are afraid to go to the mall, or the movies, or to school because it might put their life in harm’s way let us cry “Lord, have mercy.”
 
As millions of people around the world lack clean water, have inadequate health care, and suffer from malnutrition caused by famine and violent conflicts, let us cry out “Lord, have mercy.”
 
If there is something that you are facing today, something that you can’t seem to control or handle, I implore you to seek Jesus…and ask for mercy. For he is the one who said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
 
As Richard Helmer points out, the plea of this desperate woman from the wrong side of the tracks, is our reminder today that "anyone who is willing to struggle faithfully – even with God – will be healed. Her story is not about faith in what we deserve. But faith in the grace we need."
 
It’s about "an insistent, almost obnoxious faith, the kind that will continue to pursue truth even at the expense of all cultural and societal boundaries."
 
It’s about our "willingness to wrestle directly with a faithful God whose attention we can get, whose heart we can change, and whose head we can turn."

And most importantly, a faithful God whose mercy, love and grace is given freely and abundantly to anyone willing to call out, Kyrie Eleison.
 
 
 
Works Cited
Adapted from Kyrie Eleison...Sorry Mr. Mister on August 16, 2020.
Bartlett, David L, and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds. Feasting on the Word: Year A, Vol. 3. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011.
Hauerwas, Stanley. Matthew. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006.
Helmer, Ricard E. Of Mice, Lions, and Dogs, Proper 15 (A), August 15, 1999 (accessed on August 26, 2023).
Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. Canterbury Classics, 1862.
LaGrone, Jessica. Desperation: What Miracles Are Made Of. April 16, 2019.
Pagano, Joseph. Borderlands. August 20, 2023 (accessed on August 25, 2023)

There is a Jewish proverb that states,“Before every person there marches an angel proclaiming, ‘Behold, the image of God.’” Of course to say are all made in God’s image, means everyone. Not some of us, but all of us. Jesus taught us to see the image of God in a person’s heart, not just because that’s where God is, but also because that’s where real transformation and redemption begins.

To recognize the divine in all people, and to be moved to act by this principle, is fundamental to following the way of Jesus. But here’s the thing, Jesus’ actions back up his words. So the question every Christian must answer is “Are my words and actions on the same page?”

If not, Jesus gives us this message from Matthew 15:1-20:

For most of my life, the Pharisees have always been portrayed as the antagonist in the gospels stories. They’re always made out to be the bad guys, because after all, Jesus is the good guy.

In today’s encounter, this group asks Jesus why his disciples don’t wash their hands before eating…a law required of priest and not the people. We don’t know what happened that trigger the question. Maybe they’d been caught reaching into the olive jar with their grubby hands. Or maybe the Pharisees were fishing to see if Jesus’ teachings were aligned with their interpretation of scripture.

The majority of people who followed Jesus regarded him as a Rabbi, a teacher. So it wouldn’t have been that uncommon for the Pharisees - who where the keepers of the laws and traditions- to interact with Jesus to test his yoke, his teaching and interpretation of Scripture. Yet that didn’t seem to be their only motive.

Jesus knew exactly what they’re trying to do. They were using the laws to their advantage, and to try to entrap him as a means to make themselves look good before the crowd.

So Jesus turns the tables on the Pharisees with a question based on God’s commandments that were given to all people to obey. He asks, “Why do you break and nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition?” Then, without missing a beat, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah charging his accusers of hypocrisy.

We might think Jesus turns to the crowd in order to shame the Pharisees. I think he did what he did to remind us all of our own failure of faithfulness.

Again, we’ve been taught to believe the Pharisees are the bad guys. They’re not. They've dedicated their entire lives to keep the commandments at the forefront of public life, because they know what has happened to the Jewish people in the past when they weren’t obedient.

We ought to be careful on judging them, or anyone else, because how many times have we thought we were honoring God with our hymns and prayers, and yet by manipulating scripture to favor our own opinions, or to make ourselves look better, actually fails to worship God.

In this story, Jesus is pretty much saying that honoring God isn’t about external rituals or proper interpretation of scripture. It’s about having and sharing a sincere and faithful heart.

As he tells the crowd, it’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out. By this unsavory example, he shifts the focus from our outward appearances to the inward intentions and attitudes that drive our actions.

​Clean hands aren’t the issue. God wants a clean heart.

Richard Rohr reminds us that “Love is the only thing that transforms the human heart.” As we see throughout the Gospels, Jesus shows us how love is the impetus of redeeming and restoring people and their communities. Love is way to healing and radical forgiveness.

The way we love and honor others says a lot about the health of the Body of Christ, because it reveals to the world how we love and honor our God.

By placing love for God and others at the forefront, Jesus shifts the focus from legalistic adherence to a more profound and transformative ethic - one that is centered on compassion, mercy, and grace as a way to engage with others, making the kingdom of heaven come to life in real time.

Again, God wants our hearts, not lip service. While eating with dirty hands might make a person physically sick, a dirty heart will make someone spiritually sick which can affect the entire community of believers.

We’ve seen this every time a leader of a church has a fall from grace, when they are caught with their dirty hands in the proverbial olive jar.

Our focus must first and foremost be on the heart. In Psalm 51, David prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God!” (Psalm 51:10)

In his epistles, Paul tells us to believe in the heart (Romans 10:9-10), sing from the heart (Colossians 3:16), obey from the heart (Romans 6:17; Ephesians 6:6), and give from the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7).

And of course it was Jesus who said, they will know you belong to me by the way you share your heart with each other (John 13:35).

Love begins in and proceeds from the heart. But so do our words, and all our other actions and interactions as well.

It’s easy to say we love God, love others, and serve both, but how do we make these seven words more than just a flowery way to describe our church?

How do we make them the actual foundational principles of our faith?

How can we transform them into an action plan that defines who we are rather than defile?

How can we embrace this ideal in such a way that we become more like Christ and less like Pharisees?

To love God like Jesus did involves cultivating a deep and personal relationship with the divine. By devoting our life to the teaching and commandments like Jesus did by adhering to the intent of the law and not merely the letter of it.

To love others like Jesus did requires treating everyone with the same compassion, kindness, respect, and empathy that you would want for yourself, regardless of who they are or what they believe.

And to serve both God and others like Jesus did…means putting his unconditional love into play. It’s about taking your time, talents, and resources to make a positive difference in the world.

Jesus called us to place love above the law. Which means whenever we step into Anamesa, that space between ourselves and others, we need to be mindful and present to needs of those around us.

We need to listen with an open heart and a non-critical attitude. We need to refrain from passing judgment on others based on their situation, choices, or circumstances.

We need to remember that when we say we love God, love others and serve both, we’re not just giving God a bunch of lip service. Instead, we are honoring God by speaking for those whose voices have been silenced; advocating justice for the mistreated and oppressed; and being the living incarnation of God’s compassion - all by engaging in the divine love that you were made from.

Our faith begins in the heart. So too does our real spiritual transformation. As we set our sights on following Jesus, let us set the intentions of our heart on imitating on the one who declared the greatest commandment in the law is this: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it,” he said. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40).

Jesus will go on to pick up his cross and demonstrate that “There is no greater love than this, but to lay down one’s life for others” (John 15:13).

Jesus showed us the way, which isn’t easy. But it’s not impossible either. It’s might seem scary because it exposes our heart and makes us vulnerable to hurt. But it is the way to redemption and transformation.

Which is why to show what we mean when we say to love God, love others, and serve both will always be greatest form of worship we can ever offer.

One of the greatest pleasures of possessing this faith I have is sharing it, as joyfully and recklessly as God has shared love with me. As Virginia Woolf wrote, “Pleasure has no relish unless we share it.” 

The universal mission of the Christian church is to do that – share God’s love with everyone. It sounds simple, and yet too many Christians still have trouble doing this. But here’s the thing, How will people know, that they are loved by God, if no one ever tells them or shows them what God’s love looks like?

As you can see this is a question the Apostle Paul asks in his prolific letter to the churches in Rome. 

When Paul wrote this theological dissertation, he meant it to be shared among the many small house churches that were spreading like weeds throughout Rome.

Unlike us, these churches had to hide in the shadows - because confessing Jesus as Lord was a serious offense against Caesar. Paul knew what he was asking here was dangerous. He knew it could get them killed. But he also knew the power of God that was demonstrated at Jesus’ résurrection. And the fear of death no longer had a sting.

So Paul encourages the local churches to not only confess but to share what they believe to be true about the power of God’s redemptive love in Christ Jesus.

After all, he asks, “How will people know to call on him if they have never heard about him? How will they hear if no one proclaims him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?

If we really believe, then we have to go out and share our faith with the world. Evangelism not an option, it’s our mission.

Sadly, the word “evangelism” has become a kind of dirty word these days. It’s often associated with people on the religious right who have weaponized the gospel for political gain.

Because of my upbringing, the word still makes me think of those angry fundamentalists who’d rather use the fear of Hell to make people obedient than to welcome someone with Christlike love. Which all seems a bit ironic considering the word literally means “to tell Good News.” Holding up signs that say “God hates” seems a little off brand.

(It’s also worth pointing out that the root word of evangelism is “angel.” If you ask me, the world could benefit from having more angels around.)

In an age of uncertainty and shaky foundations, the church should be a beacon of hope to those who may not ever get a chance to experience God’s love. But if you give Christlike love to someone in need there’s a good chance they will see Christ in their midst and be move to follow him. 

I have a friend from seminary who between classes would stand on the streets of Pasadena, desperately trying to win non-believers over to Christ. I don’t know how he did it, or how effective he was, because every time he asked me to join him I made up some excuse not to.

Unfortunately, this way of doing ministry caused David to burn out. But while he was taking a break from it, he noticed how much easier it was to make friends with non-believers when he wasn’t burdened down with converting them.

David would realize that “evangelism is much more than preaching and proclamation it’s putting your whole life on display for the world to see who Christ is through you.” The voice of the one proclaiming is Christ himself who speaks through those he sends. That’s you and me.

Like Teresa of Avila reminds us, “Jesus has no face but ours.” He has no hands, no feet, no voice now but ours. We are his church, his body. He entrusted us point people to him. And we do that by being like him in all that we do.

Jesus didn’t resort to using fear or shame or guilt to get people to follow him. He just lived his life in honor of God’s glory and people naturally wanted to be a part of it. That’s the cause and effect that God’s love produces.

People need to hear the good news if they are going to find what God has to offer. Thus, “We should never shy away from sharing the gospel whenever God gives us the chance.”

In May of 2018, some 29 million people tuned in to watch Prince Harry wed Meghan Markle. Amidst all the royal pageantry, the presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the most Reverend Michael Curry, preached a powerful sermon about God’s profound love for the world to hear.

With all eyes on him, he stated, “If humanity ever captures the energy of God’s love, it will be the second time in history that we have discovered fire.” 

Knowing and believing that faith comes by hearing, Bishop Curry seized on the opportunity God had provided for him to share the gospel. And it left people wanting more.

Evangelism is not an option. It’s our mission. It’s who we are as people of faith.

Evangelism can be as simple as standing up for a kid who’s being bullied, or making grocery bags to be handed out at the food pantry, It can be as easy as even sharing this messages on Facebook. Better yet, inviting someone to join us live, online or in person.

I remember the day I was talking a neighbor about a personal issue I was dealing with. Towards the end, she asked me how I was able to get through it without losing my mind. Instead of telling her, I asked “What are you doing next Sunday morning around 11?”

(That invitation was to join me at the same church we would eventually get married in. Talk about the positive cause and effect of evangelism).

If we believe that in Christ, God has redeemed the world, forgiven sin, offered grace upon grace…then why would we want to keep it to ourselves.

Good news needs to be share just as much as hope and grace and forgiveness does. There will always be someone out there who needs to hear that they are loved, no matter what. There’s a good chance when they hear the good news, they’ll want to know more.

Evangelism is all about putting our faith into action. It’s about making Christ visible and available for the entire world to see.

Paul urges us to embrace a life based on faith that is both written on your heart and spoken with your lips. For such a life of faith has the divine power to transform the world and all who are in it.

It’s time to reclaim evangelism from those who have weaponized it. It’s time to claim it and proclaim it by living into our own Christlikeness; loving one another as wildly and recklessly as God has loved on us.

With the Spirit of Christ upon us, let’s go out into the world proclaiming our faith, knowing God isn’t looking for perfection just participation.

It’s not our job to save the world. That’s what Christ was sent to do.

Our job is to lead others to him in the many different ways we love God, love others, and serve both.
        
Evangelism is not an option. It’s our mission.
 


Works Cited
Adapted from Sharing God’s Love. August 1, 2021.
Bartlett, David L. and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds. Feasting on the Word Year A, Vol 3. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011).
Byassee, Jason. "Temptation to Cheat." Sojourners, Feb 2016: 48. 
Park, David. From an email he sent on August 10, 2023.

I studied art history in college. I have see all sorts of antiquities, like these eyes that Rabbi Ruttenberg wrote about. I have seen hints of color in statuary, but none are as vibrant as they once were. Colors fade over time. The precious metals, if they aren't stolen, will corrode as they age. Even the stone, like marble, cracks and crumbles. Same is true about us.

​We all put on some kind of makeup, painting ourselves to look like what we think is real beauty. We believe it's everlasting. But the harsh truth flesh dies. We waste time with defining ourselves and others by outside standards, when Jesus taught us to look inward, to see the Divine Image within each person. This is one's true self. By looking through the eyes of Christ, we see who we really are - God's beloved. When we come to see ourselves this way, then we will be able to see each other the same. With new seeing comes new ways to love unconditionally as God first loved us.

Again, Rohr has this reminder for us. "We cannot build any serious spiritual house if we do not first find something solid and foundational to build on—inside our self! 'Like knows like' is the principle. God-in-us already knows, loves, and serves God in everything else."

 
 
 Adapted from Richard Rohr, Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2013). 

From The Treasure of the Sierra Madre to latest in theIndiana Jones series, Hollywood has always found entertaining ways to capitalized on that treasure seeking spirit within us all.

Long before television, Jesus described of the kingdom of heaven as a treasure hunt of sorts. Sometimes you stumble upon it like Jed Clampett did. Other times you race to find it, like Nicolas Cage in National Treasure.

Which takes us to today’s lesson, and our conclusion of what I like to call Jesus’ Sermon of the Parables – those seven short stories in Matthew 13 where Jesus reveals the mysteries and value of God’s abundant and steadfast love.​

These two super short parables have been called the “Twin Parables” because they share the same blood but remain uniquely their own. At this point in the chapter Jesus is no longer talking publicly to the crowd. Instead, he’s speaking privately to his disciples to help them understand the greater mysteries of God that have been hidden in plain sight.

As Campbell Morgan expressed, these two parables “constitute the secrets of God, but they are revealed to men of faith, knowing they will be strengthened and heartened and equipped for all their services.”
 
 In the first one, Jesus paints a vivid picture of a person stumbling upon a hidden treasure in a field. Overwhelmed with joy and excitement, the individual promptly sells everything they own to purchase that precious field.

This might seem odd to us today, but before the modern banking system, it was common for people to bury valuable possessions to keep them safe from thieves and marauders. It was a pretty good system, unless you died without telling anyone where your treasure was buried.

It must have happened a lot because people are still digging up antique vessels filled with gold coins, precious gems, and various kinds of heirlooms.
 
Yet, Jesus isn’t talking about material treasures but spiritual ones. And a particular treasure that is worth everything to the one who finds it.

This makes me wonder, “What would you give up everything to possess?” The disciples gave up their families, their jobs, their safety, and security – all to follow a man who had nothing material to offer them. What did they expect to gain in return for their sacrifice? 

Like I argued last week, the parables aren’t about us. They are about God and God’s reign. In the kingdom of heaven, it’s God who sows the seeds, and deals with the wheat and weeds, and makes worthless things worthy. And as we see here, it’s God who sacrifices everything. Causing great joy in heaven.
 
Although the parables reveal God to us, they also speak to the part of God that dwells within us. That is to say, the divine image of God’s love - that precious, invaluable treasure that is just waiting to be uncovered and embraced.

​In finding this love we will find who we are - God’s beloved, who have been empowered to carry forward what Christ set in motion.

Whether we stumble upon it or seek it out, when we discover this divine treasure within us, we learn the depth of our inherent worth in the kingdom of heaven.

This takes us to the second parable about a merchant in search of the finest pearl. Like the treasure hunter, when he finds one of such exquisite beauty he sells all that he has and buys it.
 
In the kingdom of heaven God actively searches for us. And upon finding us, spares no cost to possess us. Robb Bell reminds us that, "We are all pearls of great price. The divine spark within each of us is valuable beyond our comprehension."
 
Now, here’s what I know about pearls. First, they’re the only gem made from a living creature. Diamonds, rubies, or emeralds can’t make this claim.

Moreover, pearls are formed out of great suffering. For example, a parasite or a grain of sand works its way inside an oyster. In order to sooth the pain, a fluid is produced that coats the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is built up until a lustrous gem is formed.
 
Every pearl is made this way, yet no two are the same. Some are created naturally in saltwater; others are farmed in freshwater. Some are various shades of white; others are various shades of black. Yet each one is worth everything to God.

One of the hidden truths of this kingdom is that our God loves every one of us – so much so that God would come walk among us to redeem us back to whence we came.

That’s the Christian message, isn’t it? “That God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that anyone who believes in him will not parish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
 
I know plenty of people who can recite this infamous verse, but can’t actually comprehend the great mystery hidden within it. It’s hard for them to see how that sacred treasure of God’s steadfast love has been given to the entire world. Not just to Catholics or Protestants, but to every living creature made in God’s image.
 
I also know plenty of good people who doubt their faith. You might be one of them. You might be struggling with feelings of unworthiness or believe you have to do something to earn God's love. But that’s not how it works in the kingdom of heaven. In this sacred space, God chases after us and loves us without any terms or conditions.
 
Our true worth comes not from our possessions or accomplishments, but from being wonderfully made in the image of God. For God’s love knows no bounds. It transcends barriers of race, gender, sexuality, social status, and religious affiliation. It recognizes the unique beauty in each divine creation.
 
Because we possess that love, we must express that love in all the ways we are able. God’s love has made us “valu-able” thanks to the gift of Christ that has empowered and employed us.

Once we truly grasp the depth of God's love for the treasure that it is, we can fearlessly and faithfully love God, love others, and serve both. We can step outside our comfort zones to extend God’s grace and compassion to all people, because each person bears the divine imprint.
 
Jesus sends us into Anamesa, that space between faith and faithlessness, to be the visible representatives of God’s divine love in this heavenly kingdom…which is here in this present moment. Jesus already ushered it in.
 
Which means whoever we love, or however we help someone without judgment, or whenever we cultivate communities where everyone is seen, valued, and cherished as beloved children of God, the kingdom of heaven is revealed to those who might not ever get the chance to see it. And whenever those things happen… there is joy in heaven.
 
Back in 2013, a couple walking their dog on their large rural property in Northern California noticed a rusty can popping up from the ground. Curiosity got the best of them, and they took to digging it up. And boy, were they glad they did.

That old can was filled with gold coins. After quietly celebrating, the couple returned with a metal detector, and unearthed seven more cans for a total of 1,427 mint condition, uncirculated gold coins from the 19th century.
 
No one knows where they came from or how they got there. Only after the last can was uncovered did the couple notice the odd-shaped rock that had been tied to a weathered leather thong, and left hanging from a tree. The marker of the treasure was right there in plain sight.

We are all God’s beloved children. Each one of us is a treasure hidden in the vast field of God's love. Every soul a pearl of immeasurable worth.

When we come to recognize this divine presence within ourselves and others, we find joy in one another. And heaven rejoices.
 
So let us go forth into Anamesa, grounded in the assurance of our worth and the worth of every soul.

​Let us bring out of this treasure all that is new, and all that is old, carrying the message as living parables of God's inclusive love, shining forth as beacons of hope and healing in a broken world.
 
For the kingdom of heaven is like you. An everyday, ordinary saint whose value is worth more to God than any earthly treasure.
 
 
Work Cited
Adapted from Gathering Together from August 2, 2020.
Bell, Rob. Love Wins: a Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. New York: HarperOne, 2011.
Lockyer, Herbert. All the Parables of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1963.

There are those times in life where two seemingly opposite events seem to collide and you find yourself in that space between trying to hold them apart. One minute I’m planning my son’s 16th birthday party, and the next I am praying over a dear friend as she is passing on from this life. 

When I finally met my son Sean the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. His skin was just enough of a grayish blue color that the nurse began to phone in the special team to revive him. But the OB was calm and told the nurse not to worry, the baby was fine. 

I met Betty on my first day leading a special worship service at the nursing home. I wasn’t sure what they were expecting from me when this petite gray haired woman approached me, full of spunk and life. With her blue eyes piercing my soul she told me not to worry' “You got this, kid.”

Immobile and unable to talk I'm the one telling her not to worry, she is going to be fine. I let her know that the phrase “Do not be afraid” is in the Bible 365 times - literally one reminder per day. I don’t know if it was intended to be that number for a particular reason, but it seems like at least once a day God found a way to remind us that it’s all going to work out. We are going to be fine.

Life and death form an intricate dance, an eternal cycle where one’s existence intertwines with the other. In the space between, God invites us into this flow - sometimes leading, sometimes being led. But with God as our dancing partner, we have the assurance that everything is going to be fine.

Like I told both Sean and Betty, “There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God that has been given to you through Christ Jesus.” Hearing that, they both smiled. And everything was fine.