Sermon for July 30, 2017: The Everyday Kingdom Way

Sermon for Pentecost 8, 7/30/17                                           The Everyday Kingdom Way

Psalm 119: 129-135, Matthew 13: 31-33, 44-52                                      Jennifer M. Ginn

A tiny seed that grows into a big tree.

A sprinkling of yeast working in a batch of dough.

A treasure buried in a field or a pearl so beautiful, you’d sell everything for it.

A net full of fish large and small, along with maybe a shoe or two.

Can you picture it?

Sure—and the first-century people listening to Jesus could, too.

But the rest of the image is harder to picture. All these things are like the the Kingdom of Heaven? But wait, isn’t the Kingdom of Heaven … in … heaven? So how can Jesus talk about it alongside stuff that has to be dug out of the ground or picked out of a fish net?

Could he be saying the Kingdom of Heaven isn’t only UP there, waiting for us at our death? Could the Kingdom of Heaven be even bigger? Could it include God’s work and presence among us right now? Jesus had even suggested that idea when he first came on the scene to start his own ministry, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven has come near.” So could we read these little parables this way: God’s work among us (Kingdom of Heaven) is like yeast working in the dough.

God’s work among us brings growth as astounding as the mustard seed turning into a tree.      God’s work among us is as valuable as buried treasure or a stunning pearl.

            (Now that makes some sense to me)

But if the Kingdom of Heaven really IS here among us, how do we get in line with it?  

               That’s a question poet Mary Oliver gets at in a poem called “The Summer Day.” Her last line asks, 

“Tell me, what IS it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Researchers contend that all kinds of people these days are asking that question, hungry to know what to do with their lives. For US, in this place, the question might be, “How does God want US to live? And what do the Bible and the church have to do with it?”

Bible readers and even those who aren’t can tell you its basic rules for living: the 10 commandments. [Name some of them] But not all our choices can be guided by those rules. Who has time or the presence of mind in every moment of choice to go through the commandments one by one to see which one fits? We need a different kind of guidance, moment-to-moment guidance. 

That need is not only a contemporary one. The writer of the Psalms had it, too. He pleaded with God: “Show me how to live!” Let’s read today’s Psalm responsively and feel his passion.

Psalm 119: 129-135

¹²⁹Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them.

¹³⁰The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

¹³¹With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments.

¹³²Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those who love your name.

¹³³Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me.

¹³⁴Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts.

¹³⁵Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.

Did you feel the Psalmist’s longing? It’s an earthy, bodily longing: mouth, feet, eyes and ears—they’re all in there. Like the parables we heard earlier, these descriptions are the stuff of daily life:

*  He pants with open mouth, like a big slobbery St. Bernard.

*  He begs for steady steps and longs for God’s face to shine on him.

*  And even though he knows the rules and loves them—“God, your decrees are wonderful!”—he needs more. He wants to hear from the source—God, what do you want me to do?  

Later the prophet Isaiah tells God’s people they WILL hear from the source: “When you turn to the right or … the left,” he says, “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”(Isaiah 30:21) I’d like to hear that direction. Wouldn’t you?  But even if we don’t hear God’s actual voice, there are ways to detect God’s leading.

*  It comes to us through the Word, the Bible. 

*    You can see the words on the page. But they don’t just sit there. The Apostle Paul, founder of churches, said the word is alive and at work in believers. It gets into you and moves things around. It’s busy and nosey and maybe even annoying at times.

*    You can find Christ in the Word. Martin Luther called the scriptures the cradle of the Christ child. That child was the word made human flesh, who dwelled among us, changing the world one life at a time. 

*    You can hear the Word in community. Luther wanted the Bible to be read in families and among friends, being talked about and understood back and forth between us.

But we can misunderstand the authority of the Bible as a guide, can’t we? You’ve heard the story about the man who opened the Bible, looking for direction for his next move. He first read the verse,

"And Judas went out and hung himself."

No, he thought, that won’t do. Let's try again. So he flipped to a different portion of Scripture and read this:

"Go, thou, and do likewise.” 

Not the way to find direction in the Bible!

           

God’s direction is best understood in the company of believers right here in church.

*   Here we receive the living word in bread and wine—how much closer can you get to Jesus that that?

*   Here we discuss the word—in SS, in Word at Lunch, in Unbinding, in Men’s Group.

*   Here we find God’s leading in our prayers together, gaining strength and confidence as we pray and are prayed for.

We also follow God’s direction by following the model, Jesus himself. “What would Jesus do?” was a fad in the 90’s, a trendy bracelet, but also an honest question. Ask yourself what WOULD Jesus do when….

*   someone is being bullied and you see it [WWJD]

*    a friend is holding a grudge against you and you are tempted to strike back [WWJD]

*   financial need for a worthy cause is expressed and you turn away, thinking of all the other ‘worthy causes’ you already give to [WWJD]

*   you are asked to lead a ministry or teach a Sunday School class, and you … (you finish that sentence. WWJD?)

And we can feel God’s direction in our own hearts, where the seed of God’s love has been deeply planted. Christ is alive there, and we CAN find him in prayer and in times of quiet meditation.

How should we live? What does God want us to do? You know. … Do the good and faithful things: be patient with others, practice kindness, forgive an enemy, encourage a friend, share your wealth, abide with God’s people.

           

But also ask boldly and expect God to take you further/deeper:

*   Seek God’s wisdom.

*   Be a slobbery St. Bernard! Pant and dig at God like the Psalmist did.

*   Stay hungry for God’s presence and watchful to see it in others.

* Trust that God’s decrees ARE wonderful and attempt to keep them.

*   Believe that God’s face WILL shine on you as you seek to understand the word.

*   Ask for what you need, like the Psalmist, who demanded, “Keep my steps steady, God. You promised.”

In these ways you and I can live in the Kingdom of Heaven everyday, here and now.

And is it possible for YOUR everyday kingdom life to be a fine pearl,

            a tree for all the birds to nest in?

Can YOUR everyday kingdom life be a sprinkle of yeast that builds up others?

Can it be a sign for someone that Jesus is alive and at work?

Is that possible?

You Bet! And thanks be to God that it is!  Amen.