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) ...Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment. 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)
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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: Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? .... You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, .... “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them….. the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts ... but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” 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. But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved... For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?
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. Here's a little something from Richard Rohr that was adapted from his book Immortal Diamond. It speaks to my heart and vision for how I wish we could all see. I hope it speaks to you as well. We each have different faces and different colors of skin; some of us have hair, some of us don’t; some are tall, some are a little shorter. If we are living out of the false self, all we can do is measure, compare, evaluate, and label. That’s what I call dualistic thinking, and it’s where our world lives. Many people think that all they have are these external costumes—but when we put on the eyes and mind of Christ, we have a new pair of glasses. We can look around and know that the world is filled with infinite images of God. Isn’t that a nicer world to live in? It’s the ultimate political-social critique.
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. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."
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.
Back in college I took a road trip with two friends for spring break. Like most starving students, we barely had enough money for gas, and less for beer. Food was an afterthought. But we had to eat, so we hit the grocery store and grabbed whatever we could afford.
As I was standing in the check-out line, my buddy Gordon came up behind me holding a container of mustard, a loaf of bread, and two cases of beer. No cheese. No meats. No other condiments. He had all that he needed. For Gordon, there was nothing better than a mustard sandwich and a cold beer. Who would have thought something as common as mustard, which is made from a scrubby weed, could bring a person so much joy? As we continue to look at the parables of Jesus, we know that everything has value in the kingdom of heaven. He put before them 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.” Matthew 13:31-32
There are seven parables in this one chapter alone. Each describing what the kingdom of heaven is like.
It’s like a farmer who throws seeds everywhere to see what will grow. A place where wheat and weeds grow together. Today, it’s like a tiny mustard seed planted on purpose. And a pinch of yeast that was intentionally added to some dough. This is God’s kingdom that we have been blessed to be a part of. Jesus began his public ministry telling people to “Repent,” because the “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As we see in scripture, Jesus uses parables to show us just how close this heavenly kingdom is. It’s as close as the ground is to our feet. We can see it with our eyes, touch it with our hands, and taste and savor its goodness. Jesus uses parables help his followers to see and understand that God is not hidden away in some far away land. God’s divine presence is right here in our midst whether we know it or not. He knows this because he was the one sent to reveal it to us. Every time Jesus healed someone who was sick, or forgave someone who had sinned, or reached out to someone pushed to the margins of society, Jesus made this heavenly kingdom visible and come to life. Now, out of all his parables I think the one about the mustard seed is probably the most well-known. There’s a good chance you have heard it to describe one’s faith as in it only takes a little faith to make something big happen. I have taught that before. But in reading these parables through the lens of Anamesa, I began to wonder exactly whose faith are we talking about? Our faith in God? Or God’s faith in us? I think when we make it about ourselves, we miss the point Jesus is trying to make. The kingdom of heaven has come. God is near us and with us. If you want to see God, one needs to look no further than Jesus - the living incarnation of God’s glory. That’s what Jesus is always revealing – not his humanity, but his divinity. Everything he says and does points our attention towards God to lead us back to God. Which gives us a real perspective on how we are to live our lives in imitation of him. With that said, these parables, like every day ordinary life, really aren’t about us or what we can do. They’re about God and what God does in this heavenly space. God sows seeds of love. God deals with the wheat and the weeds. God transforms a worthless scrub into a thriving sanctuary. God expands the dough to feed a hungry world. You might be wondering why Jesus uses the most ordinary things in life to reveal what God is capable of doing. I suspect it’s because God uses ordinary everyday people like you and me to continue what Jesus began. Like St. Teresa of Avila famously noted, “God has no hands or feet or voice except ours and through these God works.” God always works with and through the ordinary. Ordinary wine, ordinary bread. An ordinary table. An ordinary grave. God even uses everyday saints like you and me, imperfect as we are, to usher in the kingdom of heaven. You might think because because your faith is in doubt, or because you don’t know the bible very well, or you have done more screwing up than showing up that God has no use for you. But here’s the thing, Jesus does not use the seven wonders of the world to envision God’s kingdom. He uses common stories about every day, ordinary things to embolden and empower us into action. Take yeast for example. You might already know that yeast works by making thousands of tiny pockets of air in the dough. But back in Jesus’ days, yeast was used in Jewish stories as a symbol of corruption and impurity.
Jesus makes it very clear that we are also a part of this kingdom he ushered in, and we too are called to participate in this kingdom like he did. It should go without saying that if we are going to follow him, then we must literally follow his example of kingdom living.
You see, to be his church, to be a living thriving growing part of his holy body, isn’t just about loving God and loving others. It’s also about serving both. This is how we become the visible presence of God’s love in a world that is crying out for it. We might not ever have the chance to heal someone, but we can be there for them when they are suffering. By simply holding that space, as vessels of God’s compassion, we make the kingdom of heaven come near. We might not get the chance to miraculously feed thousands of people at one time. But in every dish we bring to a lonely neighbor, or every meal we buy for someone who hasn’t eaten today, the kingdom of heaven comes near. Every smile we offer, every flower we plant, every wrong we right a little bit of heaven is revealed to those who may never get the chance to see it. As John the Apostle wrote, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us” (1 John 4:12). Whenever and wherever we show love through acts of compassion and kindness, hospitality and humility, justice and peacemaking God is made manifest in us, and the kingdom of heaven is brought within everyone’s reach. Paul writes, “it’s God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill God’s good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). That purpose is to share and spread God’s glory over all of creation. How we do that is simple. Love God, love others, and serve both. This isn’t the work of saints, but the way of becoming one. It is the way of Jesus, who has invited us to follow. Each one of us - as ordinary as we think we are - have been made a little extra ordinary through the power of God’s love given to us through Christ Jesus. I like to believe that if Jesus were to give us a parable today, we might hear him say, “The kingdom of heaven is like a candy maker who infused candy with mustard.” He would tell us that God is the confectioner. We are the confection. And the mustard is God’s love. Sweet and sour might seem like an unlikely pair. The same could be said about human and divine. But as Jesus showed us, that’s how it is in the kingdom of heaven. Work Cited Adapted from Thriving Together on July 26, 2020. Bartlett, David L and Barbara Brown Taylor, eds. Feasting on the Word, Year A, Vol 3. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2011). Henri Nouwen writes: “Jesus’ primary concern was to be obedient to his Father, to live constantly in his presence. Only then did it become clear to him what his task was in his relationships with people. This also is the way he proposes for his apostles: “It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples” (John 15:8).” If Nouwen is correct, and I believe most theologians would agree he is, then to be a follower of Jesus literally means to be completely obedient to God. Which is to say do exactly what God wants you to do. “Perhaps we must continually remind ourselves that the first commandment requiring us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind is indeed the first. I wonder if we really believe this.” So this begs the question, do we really want to follow Jesus? Do we really, truly believe that our obedience must first and foremost be to God, and the way we do that is in the form of love? Loving God is easy to say with our lips, but not so easy to show with our hands and feet; our lungs, our thoughts, our introspection, our eyelashes, ears, muscles, and intelligence. It seems that in fact we live as if we should give as much of our heart, soul, and mind as possible to our fellow human beings, while trying hard not to forget God. At least we feel that our attention should be divided evenly between God and our neighbor.
But Jesus’ claim is much more radical. He asks for a single-minded commitment to God and God alone. God wants all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our soul.
This might seem troubling at first, until we realize that what we do to our neighbor, we do also to God (Matthew 25:31-46). I think that’s Nouwen’s point when he said: It is this unconditional and unreserved love for God that leads to the care for our neighbor, not as an activity that distracts us from God or competes with our attention to God, but as an expression of our love for God who reveals himself to us as the God of all people. When God is our neighbor, or when we are able to see the divine in those who live and work around us, then we should be able to give every fiber of our being to them. We can love them unconditionally, like God loves us - with steadfast faithfulness - without fear, worry, or a need to receive anything in return. It is in God that we find our neighbors and discover our responsibility to them. We might even say that only in God does our neighbor become a neighbor rather than an infringement upon our autonomy, and that only in and through God does service become possible. Nouwen, Henri J.M. "You are the Beloved" (San Francisco: Convergent, 2017)
In the eaves over our back porch is a bird’s nest that’s been there for at least a decade. Multiple times a year, the mourning doves hatch new little baby birds. One year, a swarm of wasps built their nest just a few inches away from the hatchlings; too close to spray insecticide or remove the wasps without endangering the birds.
So, I let it be until it was safe to do something. And guess what? Nothing happened. The birds grew up and the wasps eventually moved on. If these two seemingly opposing creatures can live side-by-side in perfect harmony, then so can we. Like we will see from today’s reading, we are all called to live in this world together - friends and enemies alike - enduring all the good and bad that we bring with us. Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well... The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ” Matthew 13:24-30
Immediately following last week’s parable of the farmer who recklessly throws seeds everywhere to see what would grow, Jesus gives us another parable about another farmer, one who’s more intentional with his seeds.
Like he does every year, the farmer carefully sows wheat in his field hoping to reap a bounty come harvest time. While the seed is germinating, an enemy of the farmer sneaks in and sows weeds into his crop. Unbeknownst to the farmer, the two plants grow together. When the field-hands discover this, they rush to act. And rightfully so. Weeds not only choke out the good plants, but they also reproduce unwanted seedlings that can plague future crops. A smart gardener would take immediate action to remove the weeds like the field-hands suggest. But the farmer seems to have a different strategy in mind: don’t worry about the weeds, tend to them both and we’ll sort it out later. This puzzles the workers, just as it probably did to those who were listening firsthand. Last week I confessed that my obsession to have the perfect yard often sent me into war against the dandelions. But to be fair, it’s not just those pillowy puffs that get my ire up. There’s a vast assortment of evil weeds that snake around my yard strangling the life out of my good grass. When we moved into this house, the previous owners had put down new sod. It was a spongy, luscious, dark green carpet of paradise that tickled my bare feet. But by spring, some crabgrass appeared. I should have known by the puzzled look on his face that it was a bad idea to ask the gardener to pull up any crabgrass he spotted. Which he did, diligently. When I returned home, 50% of my beautiful yard was gone. Although he put down new seed in the barren areas, it was too late. The spotted spurge, the chickweed and Bermuda grass had already joined the party. It’s easy to think this parable is about separating ourselves from bad people and their evil ways. Jesus clearly puts the onus on the evil one for spreading the weeds. While it’s easy for us to make the devil our scapegoat, let us not forget that just as the wheat and the weeds grow together in the same field, so too does good and evil grow in the same persons. Which means, the only way to get rid of evil altogether would be to get rid of literally everyone. But according to Jesus, that’s not how it works in God’s kingdom. Jesus knows evil exists in the world. He, like most of us, suffered dearly because of it. He also knows suffering is inevitable, especially when we love as he taught. And when bad things happen we’re all affected by it either directly or indirectly. This raises the age-old question “Why does a good God allow bad things to happen?” I don’t know the answer. But I suspect God could ask us the same thing. Why do we let it happen? Unlike crabgrass, evil isn’t easily rooted out with human hands. Especially when it’s our own deep seeded sin we’re trying to remove. So, what do we do? In this parable Jesus tells not to worry about it. Those weeds that grow in and around us will be dealt with later. He said at the end of the age, the angelic reapers will collect and separate the good from the bad. So perhaps, instead of focusing on the evil weeds, we’d be better off putting our attention on producing good wheat. As Robert Capon points out, “The wheat is in the field, the Kingdom is in the world, and there is not a thing the enemy can do about any of it.” Just as God knows good from bad, God also knows the heart. The place where God’s divine images has been stamped into everyone - whether we know it or not. Just as a weed seed produces weeds, a good and godly heart produces good and godly things. The world would be a better place if we all just put our attention on that inner goodness - in ourselves and in others. This doesn’t mean evil will no longer exist, but it’s a good way to strip it of its power. So, where should we begin to make that change in our seeing and understanding? Capon points our attention to a particular Greek word in this passage: the verb, aphiémi (ἀφίημι), which has two distinct meanings in the New Testament. The first is “to let go, leave, permit” like we read in most modern bible translations. The farmer told his workers to, “Let both grow together until the harvest.” But Capon argues that’s not how the early followers of Jesus would have heard aphiémi. They would have understood the verb by its other meaning, “to forgive,” like it’s translated in the Lord’s Prayer with the forgiving of debts (or sins or trespasses). “Don’t fight the weeds,” the farmer instructed his workers. “Instead, forgive them. Otherwise you risk your own wellbeing.” God’s kingdom is not a system of revenge and retribution, but forgiveness and grace. This is hard for the world to understand. It’s not how power operates. The world isn’t about giving grace, it’s about getting what you deserve. Unless you have received the unconditional love, and unmerited mercy of God’s grace, then it will be hard to understand this parable - muchless what Jesus is all about. The wheat is already in the ground. The kingdom of heaven has already been ushered in. There’s nothing evil can do to stop what God has already set in motion. “The malice, the evil, the badness that has manifested in the real world and in the lives of real people, is not to be dealt with by attacking or abolishing the things or persons in whom it dwells; rather, it is to be dealt with only by forgiving, letting go.” (Capon) It’s not our job to attack the weeds and risk destroying everything. That’s what evil wants us to do – to use our good to produce bad. Our job is to let go of our judgements and grudges and the need to always be right, and enter this kingdom with a heart of loving compassion. Jesus knows an unforgiving heart is a byproduct of evil that holds onto anger and rage which produces hatred, violence, destruction, and division. Jesus says let that stuff go. It has no place in the kingdom of heaven. We would do better focusing on our own goodness, standing in our Christlikeness, trusting God’s faithfulness and love. James Finley writes, “In light of eternity, we’re here for a very short time. Our sole purpose is to learn how to love because God is love. Love is our origin, love is our ground, and love is our destiny.” There is evil out there, and it will try to stop us from loving as God loves us. But we are Easter people. At the resurrection of Christ Jesus, God made it very clear evil will never prevail. But love will. Jesus is our proof. In his letter to the Roman churches, where infighting and persecutions were threatening the church’s existence, Paul reminds us that there is nothing in this world (good or bad) that is able to separate us from the love of God that has been given to us through Christ Jesus.(Rom. 8:39) All the weeds, and sins, and evil in the world can’t stop what God has already set in motion through Christ. Not a cross. Not a grave. Not anyone of us. Although we cannot destroy evil, we can face it like Jesus did – by loving God, loving others, and serving both. To think it was only a couple of years ago we were wearing masks to help stop the spread of a deadly virus. In the same way, if we live into our Christlikeness, sowing the seeds of love as wildly and liberally as he did, then perhaps we can slow the spread of evil from doing any more damage to ourselves and to our communities. Love is the way into the kingdom of heaven. A kingdom, that Jesus ushered in not “up there” somewhere. But here. Jesus has entrusted us, to make this kingdom come alive everywhere and anywhere we intermingle with one another; sowing mercy, grace, and love among the good and bad alike, until the Son of Man comes and sorts it all out at the end. Work Cited: Adapted from Growing Together on July 17, 2020. Capon, Robert Farrar. The Parables of the Kingdom. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.) Finley, James. “Practice That Grounds Us in the Sustaining Love of God,” Wisdom in Times of Crisis (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2020), faculty presentation (April 26, 2020). (accessed on 07-16-2020) In the book Liturgy of the Ordinary, Tish Harrison Warren writes, “If I am to spend my whole life being transformed by the good news of Jesus, I must learn how grand, sweeping truths - doctrine, theology, ecclesiology, Christology - rub against the texture of an average day. How I spend this ordinary day in Christ is how I will spend my Christian life.”
The greatest challenge for the Christian church and her people is to live your life like Jesus lived his (loving, forgiving, serving, helping, redeeming, restoring, etc.). This is an intimidating bar he set. That is, until you realize those things were only a small fraction of his life. Most of his life was spent in the mundane, daily tasks of life (eating, sleeping, working, playing, etc.). I think it’s safe to say we’re not spending every waking hour performing miracles, healing people, or forgiving sin. But still, we do spend every second in and around with God in our ordinary, mundane lives. Which means, the conversations we have, the people we meet, the jobs and menial tasks we do all matter to God. And they should matter to us as well. Because it’s in these moments God meets us where we are and loves on us as we are. You may not be raising the dead, but when we spend our day in the everyday spaces like Jesus did – honoring God in tasks big and small – we stay connected with our LORD who makes the mundane and ordinary, extraordinary. |
Ian MacdonaldAn ex-copywriter turned punk rock pastor and peacemaker who dedicates his life to making the world a better place for all humanity. "that they all might be one" ~John 17:21“Prius vita quam doctrina.”
~ St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) * “Life is more important than doctrine.”
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