God’s reign is a treasure for you and the creation: all belong, all will grow into their fullness as God’s children, all will make an impact for God’s grace in the world.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 17 A
Texts: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52; Romans 8:26-39
Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
What if you unexpectedly found a great treasure?
You weren’t looking or anything. You just came upon it, and there it was. What would you be willing to do to get it?
What if you’d searched your whole life for a treasure, spending time and energy and hope looking for it, and one day, you found it? What would you be willing to do to get it?
Jesus says God’s reign – a world where people live and love according to God’s will and desire – is a treasure like that. Some people find the reign of God almost accidentally, stumbling over it. Others seek for it earnestly their whole lives. But for all who find it, it is a precious treasure beyond imagining.
The women and men who followed Jesus found that treasure in him, in who he was, in what he taught, in how he treated them and others, in what he said about God. People dropped everything to follow, changed their lives and their futures.
But you see what this assumes: the unexpected finder and the lifelong searcher, the fishermen and tax collectors, the women of Capernaum and Bethany, they all recognized a treasure when they saw it, found it.
So there’s really only one question. Can you see a treasure in God’s reign that means the world to you?
Maybe Jesus’ parable about the dragnet can help.
Watching people pulling in nets on the lake, Jesus said, “That’s what I mean! God’s reign is like that.” A net pulls in more than fish, though. Driftwood, old boots, what some call trash. Only the Netminder gets to decide what’s worthy.
Now, Matthew’s extra interpretation added here says in the end the good will be kept and the evil thrown on the fire. But that’s not Jesus’ verdict. Jesus promised he would draw all things to himself at the cross. “Every single thing in this net, in this world, in this creation, is mine and loved and redeemed by this,” Jesus says. Nothing and no one is thrown out.
Paul agrees, saying that everyone God knew of before time – which is literally everyone – is called, justified, loved. Nothing in all creation can separate you, or anyone else, from the love of God in Christ.
Is the truth that you are caught up in the net of God’s love worth anything to you? That you’re drawn into the embrace of God by Christ’s arms on the cross? That you are in God’s heart, and no one can take that from you? Is that a treasure worth having?
But what if it’s hard for you to trust in God’s love, your faith feels weak?
Well, walking alongside a field, seeing a mustard plant, Jesus said, “That’s what I’m talking about! God’s reign is like that.” A tiny seed, hiding the whole life and future of the plant inside it, will germinate and grow and become a shelter for birds, a giver of shade.
Jesus says, that’s what you are! You might feel insignificant, unable to do much trust God’s love, but you have the glory of God’s love and grace already contained within you. Living in God’s reign, you will grow and thrive in that love, and give shade and shelter in ways you can’t imagine, be a blessing to others.
Is that worth anything to you?
But what if you think you’re not good enough, capable enough, to be effective as Christ in the world?
Well, glimpsing through a doorway a woman making bread, Jesus said, “That’s what I’m talking about! God’s reign is like that.” Just a few little organisms placed in a big pile of flour start to grow, eat sugars, and a miracle happens: a loaf rises out of that sticky lump, and once baked, is a delight to the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the stomach.
Jesus says, that’s what you are! You might feel insufficient, and the problems of the suffering world immense. But when you join with others and love as Christ in your little space in this suffering world, you change the chemistry of your world, giving nourishment for all, like beautiful bread.
Is that worth anything to you?
Now, Jesus’ parables of the treasures do raise a question.
Both the accidental and intentional finders sold everything they had to get the treasure. But the treasure Jesus is really talking about is yours freely, without your doing anything. You don’t need to sell all you have to be forever a part of God’s embracing love, or to grow into the fullness of being God’s child, or to work with others to transform the reality of the world. All this treasure is gift and grace, given through the Holy Spirit.
But you and I are invited to give everything we have to become part of the treasure ourselves. To be people who are visibly God’s inclusive net to everyone we meet, people who grow in stature as God’s children until we blesses all we meet, people who together create a new chemistry and life, transforming the world.
If you love this freely given treasure, you are invited to become the net, the mustard plant, the busy yeast, so others can find the treasure of God’s reign, too. So, Jesus asks, what will you do to be a part of this? What will you have to sell, let go of? How will you change?
I need to add one thing.
When I preach, I usually don’t end with a list of action items, detailed ways to live out Jesus’ words. Once in a while, folks tell me they wish I would give specific ways that they could live this out in their lives.
There are a couple reasons I don’t. First, Christ called individual people. Each of us has different gifts, experiences, struggles, families, worlds, and each of us might answer differently. How I envision living as God’s inclusive net might be different from how you do.
But Christ also did put us into community together. Like Jesus’ parables, sermons are never done when they’re finished. The Spirit takes God’s Word through the preaching and out the other side where we talk with each other, imagine with each other, encourage each other with what the Word is calling out.
So now the treasure leaves this sermon and is among us. If anyone here can’t see it, how can we all help? If anyone here doesn’t know what this means for their life, or our life together, how can we all help?
This reign God is bringing to the creation is the greatest treasure we could ever imagine. Let’s get it out of the ground and start sharing it.
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
