The scriptures this morning are
inviting us - enticing us, even - to think about the Kingdom of God.
This is not an uncommon topic for
Jesus - in fact, Jesus talks about the kingdoms of heaven and hell more than
anything else in our canonical gospels.
And yet - as we see today, with
parables that get shorter and shorter - that people are still having a hard
time understanding what Jesus is talking about. He even asks the folks bluntly:
Do you understand? And they say yes... but I've often imagined that their faces
showed their skepticism and doubt.
For the Kingdom of God FAR exceeds
our understanding.
It's a place where Jacob is welcomed
- despite an inheritance (of questionable sourcing, let's be honest) he will
work hard in the fields to do right by the father-in-law who tricked him, his
unintended wife and her maid, and her sister whom he continues to love. Now,
Jacob is not always the best role model of scriptural context; yet he is beloved
of God and is used to share the faith.
The Kingdom of God is a place where
someone who writes hymns to God - which we now know as the psalms - can be vulnerable enough to admit temptation
and ask for God's help in overcoming it - and thus showing countless others
that humble does not mean weak; and that faith carries you through anything
this earth can throw at you.
It's a place where someone who is
new to faith, and struggling to 'get it right', can receive a letter that
bolsters trust that the Spirit seeks out the prayers of our hearts instead of
catching in the words of our mouths; a place where love reigns, where nothing
can ever separate us from the life-changing love of Jesus.
It's a place where things don't make
sense... a mustard seed, that grows into a tall tree instead of the normal bush
that gardeners would have been expecting. It's a pearl from the sea is found in
the midst of an acreage of earth - though we know that's not how or where
pearls grow. It's yeast to people who know the power of yeast, and the mother
of all pearls to people who understand gems as treasures. It's a net to
surround those who feel excluded, or secluded in their own little boats, and
bring them in with everyone else. It's the scribe - a trained employee of the
Pharisees who were actively working against Jesus - knowing that despite his
job he is wanted and his gifts desired.
The Kingdom of God is... well, it's
all things to all people, isn't it. In a way that doesn't make sense in our
minds. Do we understand? Nope. But we try to - and Jesus is constantly and
consistently helping us - by offering words that resonate with us all. To the
farmers, he speaks of seeds; to the fishers, he speaks of fish; to the bakers,
he speaks of bread.. etc.
And that seed doesn't work like
normal seeds (yet in the kingdom it offers rest); and the hint yeast that's nothing
special and too small to make a difference in that much wheat (yet in the
kingdom it raises God's people above life's flatness). And finding a gem in a
field is so unlikely! (A proverbial needle in a haystack that in the kingdom
will show that people who keep things hidden will discover a joy beyond all
that they have)... you get the idea. It's illogical to our earthly ears... but
we are called to see beyond those limitations.
The Kingdom of God is for all people
- the poor and the rich, the young and the old, the popular and the lonely, the
shy and the outgoing, the intelligent and the simple, men and women, ... and
everyone - everyone! - in between.
And so, our ears hear the good news
in our own context: the kingdom of God is for the minimum-wage labourers, the
home-makers, the business owners, the students,
the faithful,
the not-yet-faithful, the no-longer-faithful.
The Kingdom of God is meant to be
accessible to everyone - and aspired to by everyone. It's meant to be realistic
to us all - and so Jesus speaks of it to the disciples - us - to anyone who
will listen.
And as we listen, we recognise that
there's a deeper trend. In the parables, Jesus is bringing us on a journey
where he - and we - consider, question, and even challenge the status
quo. He is inviting us to reconsider how we understand our role in the
world, and our role in the community that seeks the Kingdom.
In a world that says on the rich matter... only the predominant culture
matters... only the famous people matter... only the important people matter...
Jesus says: the Kingdom is different. For in the Kingdom, our earthly differences
and distinctions will not carry any weight.
The kingdom of God, then, is like the most unlikely and unearthly thing that we
can think of. It's amazing and wondrous, it transcends our human limitations
and restrictions. It's a place of perfect love and inclusion; a place for
ordinary people. And, the Kingdom of God is as close as we will let it
be. Because it is there for all of us to understand, for all of us to grasp,
for all of us to share.
The Kingdom of God, then, is like the community who would listen to the words
of Jesus. They would give thanks, offer prayers, find ways to gather in worship
and praise. They would welcome the stranger, share with the less fortunate,
visit the sick, love everyone they met. They are normal people celebrating the
extraordinary love of God. In a world where kindness, compassion, and love
can seem SO distant and unattainable - the preposterous notion of the Kingdom
of God can feel absurd.
Yet. Jesus himself invites us to
trust, and believe: The Kingdom of God is within our reach. We can bring it
even closer through our ministries. For it is the delight of the Lord to share
this love; and the practice of God to empower us ordinary, everyday, average
folks to share the Good News of the unimaginable Kingdom of God.
So let all of us, who have ears,
hear; let all of us who hear take action. The Kingdom of God is waiting for
you.
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