The Kingdom or Reign of Heaven is like a Gorse Bush?

This sermon can be listened to here

Gate Pa – Year A - 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time -2020

Readings:

Psalm                          Psalm: 105:1-11,45b

First Reading:            Gen 29:15-28 

Second Reading:        Rom 8:26-39 

Gospel:                      Matt 13:31-33, 44-52   

What I want to say:

What is the kingdom of heaven like? A gorse bush? Yeast hidden is cast quantities of flour? What images would we use and how do we make sense of these images?

What I want to happen:

People to tell their own stories

The Sermon

1.      Introduction:

This week we hear the third set of images about the reign of God

-          Jesus in Matthew calls the kingdom of heaven

Clarify

This is not about heaven

But what it looks like when God’s will is done on earth as in heaven

How would we describe that?

Ask

•      What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

•      How would you describe the Reign of Heaven from your experience of it?

•      What images or stories would you tell?

Plenary

 

   

    2.      Subversive images

Kingdom of heaven has been understood in all kinds of ways down the ages

-          Crusader kingdoms in holy land

-          Viking court in Kiev (what we now call Ukraine) looking at which big religion to adopt – Islam, Catholicism, or orthodox Christianity

o   Bedazzled by splendour of basilicas in Constantinople and wonder of services

o   Chose Orthodox Christianity – how Russia became orthodox

Instead of those kinds of image we have surprising series

-          Less surprising for us as we so used to them

-          Loose some of their shock value

2 weeks ago gospel reading was Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23 - The parable of the really incompetent sower wasting most of his seed.

Last week - Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 - The parable of the weeds scattered among good seed.

This week have another 5 images, which are weaved through the other two stories

Not stand alone

But part of a whole

Jesus in Matthew using them help hearers

-          Crowd in places

-          Disciples in other places

grasp what he means by the “kingdom of heaven”.

We are used to them

But for those first hearers,

-          And for those who heard gospels in first centuries

These are strange stories

In Jesus con

text

Surely better images might be magnificent cedars of Lebanon

-          Often used in scripture

Or wonder of throne of God – temple on Mt. Zion

-          Bedazzling beauty and size.

Instead we get stories of seeds

-          Scattered foolishly and wastefully on all kinds of soil

Then get stories of subterfuge – weeds sown among good seeds and allowed to stay and grow

-          Not image those established “holier” churches down ages paid any attention to

Then story of

people deliberately sowing mustard seed – weed like gorse

-          Who would do such a stupid thing

-          How does that relate to story just told about weeds being maliciously sown

Then story about woman (a woman doing women’s things in this male dominated world where only men’s stuff was important)

-          Woman hiding yeast in flour

-          When holy bread of Passover is unleavened

-          Don’t hide yeast in flour – it turns huge amount flour into bread

-          (and then Jesus feeds a whole bunch of people with fish and bread – twice)


Then story about tenant farmer finding treasure previously hidden in the field,

-          In reckless joy sells all he has, which is not much,

-          and buys the field, which is impossible


It’s also like merchant looking for pearls.

-          And on finding the one

-          Joyfully sells his stock and buys it

-          Rejoicing

Finally it is like lowly fisherman dragnetting the Galilee and dragging all they find onto the shore.

 

      3.      What then is the kingdom?

What then is the reign of God like?

How we answer that shaped by how we read these stories together

Also shaped by where we see ourselves in these stories

-          As seed of weeds or good?

-          As one sowing – wastefully or with weeds

-          As yeast

-          Or one hiding the yeast

-          treasure

-          Or joyful and reckless Tenant farmer

-          Amazing pearl

-          Or joyful merchant selling his stock

-          Fisherman dragnetting

-          Or fish

What is kingdom of God like?

All these contradictory images help us his hearers know where to look for the kingdom, to know when we are experiencing the kingdom happening around us and in us.

In light of that

Where do we see reign of God breaking into our world today?

 

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