“What Is It Like?”

 Romans 8:26-39 
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose. For those whom God foreknew God also predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom God predestined God also called; and those whom God called, God also justified; and those whom God justified God also glorified. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? God who did not withhold God’s own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will God not with themself also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through the One who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Good morning. I’m so glad to finally be here, worshiping with you all. It’s no small thing to end a months-long interview process with a sermon knowing that afterward your entire congregation will vote on whether or not they will officially call you to be their next pastor. The stakes are high! So, of course, the desire to make a good impression is also quite high! With the entirety of scripture available for me to preach on, I wondered how I would ever decide on a passage that could serve as both your introduction to me and also be the word of God to the church today. High stakes, indeed. So I turned to the lectionary, which always takes the pressure off of me to pick the “right” passage and helps me look for how God is already speaking in this place today. To my delight, I found two wonderful New Testament readings for today. Initially, I thought I might preach on the passage from Romans that was just read. Paul is a masterful writer and he makes complicated, thoughtful arguments about the nature of faith and salvation. The ending verses of that passage are some of my favorites in all of scripture. But it was Jesus’ parables from Matthew kept drawing back in and tugging at my heart. 

Although I have come to love the parables, it was a hard won love. I used to only want what I thought Paul had to offer– strong arguments and clear answers. I didn’t want mystery, I wanted salvation to be clear and definitive. I wanted to know who gets into Heaven, how they get there, and what it will be like. But the truth is that even Paul doesn’t offer that and Jesus doesn’t even pretend to try!. Instead, when his followers try to gain information on what Heaven is like, he gives them something between a poem and riddle. Parables can be maddening when all you want is a straight answer or they can be a delight. Today, I hope you’ll choose delight with me because Jesus’ parables do have the opportunity to delight us. Parables are an invitation to wonder and imagine what God’s Kingdom is truly like. As I read today’s Gospel reading, I encourage you to take a deep breath, calm your mind, and listen with an open heart. Hear now, Matthew 13:31-33 and 44-52

Jesus 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.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

How do you explain something to someone who has no concept of what you speak of? I am a parent and aunt so I get to spend a lot of time with young children who are learning at a blindingly fast rate. Every now and then, I will have to try and explain a tricky word or idea to one of my nephews and I realize, I have no idea how to explain to a five-year-old what existential means. I try to say what it’s like using examples he does know so I stumble along, saying something about how it’s thinking about how and why we are alive and he looks at me with a funny look on his face and goes right back to whatever it was he was doing. Adults often like to think we’re so different and more advanced than children, but I think the truth is that no matter how old we are, when we are learning something new, we need something to grasp onto. This is part of what Jesus is doing when he speaks in parables. His followers are captivated by Jesus– what he does and what he says and they are desperate to know more. He says his kingdom is not of this world, so then what is it like? If God is not a king like Herod is King, then what kind of ruler is God? What is it like to live in God’s Kingdom? If we have never seen Heaven, how could we know how to make God’s Kingdom come on Earth and it is in Heaven?

So Jesus talks in parables using things we do know, like yeast. Those of us who took up bread baking as a quarantine hobby know the utter magic of leaving a few specks of yeast mixed with water, salt, and flour in a warm window sill only to come back hours later to a bowl filled with risen dough. We have planted tiny seeds only to see them sprout into massive plants that fill our garden beds in the summers. And so, we understand that in the Kingdom of Heaven, smallness is not something to fear or try to outgrow. In God’s Kingdom, it is the smallest who are used to turn the world upside down. The parables of the mustard seed and yeast inspire us to think about what and who are the smallest among us and how they might have the power to shape and change our world. When we feel small, we are comforted knowing that it is when we feel most powerless that God is most able to use us. What a delightful gift that these parables are!

But then, as we look deeper, we find that the parable changes because, in fact, mustard seeds do not produce the largest trees. Mustard is a bush, and a small and spindly one at that. Mostly they were considered weeds– why would anyone plant a weed in their field? So maybe the Kingdom of Heaven is not just about smallness. Maybe it is about defying expectations and thriving despite the world’s intentions. Or maybe it is about hospitality and providing shelter using what you have. Maybe it is all of these or none at all. 

For, you see, there is a reason we tell children that parables are in a closed box. Sometimes, the lid opens easily but other days it seems sealed shut. But if we are willing to return to it, persistent as the widow who demands justice from the king, when it does open, we are surprised to find that what is inside was deceptively simple. The fancy, Seminary word is that parables are “multivalent”-- they speak to us on different levels and they reveal different truths to different people. This is not to say that they can mean anything, to be contorted to fit our biases or judgements. It means that the Spirit is moving inside us as our imagination sparks and our minds whirl trying to make sense of what Jesus is saying. Our interpretation is part of the parable. The important thing is not what the parables “mean” but what they “do.” What does the parable do to you? How does it change you? 

When I was in Seminary, I had a weekly assignment in my preaching class to write a parable of my own. We were instructed to go out to different parts of the city, especially ones we wouldn’t normally visit, and sit and watch for an hour. We were told to pay attention to the details and to look for the parables around us. One that I wrote after an hour at the playground– The Kingdom of God is like a preschooler clutching a handful of dandelions, unafraid to share his wish with the world as he blows away the delicate tendrils- "I wish to be a Superhero." As my family took an evening walk through our new neighborhood in Tacoma this week, I thought to myself, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a blackberry bush slowly overgrowing a backyard fence, providing sweet treats in the heat of summer to those who walk by.” 

I have a first assignment for you. I want you to take a piece of paper, or if you’re like me, just open the Notes App on your phone, and write “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” Take it with you and sometime this week, take the time to observe your surroundings and look closely for God’s Kingdom around you. You don’t have to be a professional theologian to know what God is like. If you’re unsure of what to look for, trust that the Holy Spirit is breathing in and through you and you will know it when you see it. Look for the small moments that allow you to glimpse what God’s Kingdom might be like. You can share it with a friend or keep it just to yourself. May these parables– the ones that you read in scripture or write from observing the world around you– remind you that the Kingdom of Heaven is all around us, beckoning us and inviting us to live with great hope for a world that is being made right.