The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Grow. Pray. Study. Guide "Upside Down 'Small, But Mighty… Hidden, But Here'” for Sunday, 4 June 2017 through Saturday, 10 June 2017-------
Sunday, 4 June 4, 2017 "Upside Down 'Small, But Mighty… Hidden, But Here'”
Scripture: Matthew 13:1 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches.”
33 And he told them yet another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose.”-------Prayer Tip: Small, But Mighty… Hidden, But Here
Daily Scripture
Matthew 13:1 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches.”
33 And he told them yet another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose.”
-------
Prayer Tip:
Moment of self-disclosure here: I don’t know if this ever happens to you, but sometimes I doubt my purpose.
I think all of us wonder at times why, how or if our lives matter. One of the reasons I have come to love the parables is that they are so down to earth. Jesus used ordinary, everyday things that people understood to make the story of God’s love make more sense. Through them, Jesus reminds us that we are a part of God’s story - called to give and receive that great love.
My mother-in-law shared a parable with me before she passed. She pointed at a tomato plant with dozens of cherry tomatoes on it and pointed out that all of those plants and all of the many seeds they would bear came from one seed.
She encouraged me to remember that when God is involved, any little good thing planted in us can be used to change the world in thousands of ways for the better. I keep this package of tomato seeds on my desk to remember that God is always at work among us doing new things and the fruit of this work will be tremendous.
Are there any modern-day parables that your family members have passed on to you? How might they speak to your faith life?Spend time in prayer asking God to help you see the “seeds” God is planting in, around and through you. Thank God for all of the amazing things God is at work doing. [Rev. Katherine Ebling-Frazier, Pastor of Prayer]
Read today's Insight by Katherine Ebling-Frazier
Katherine Ebling-Frazier is the Pastor of Prayer at Church of the Resurrection.
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like
Katherine Ebling-Frazier is the Pastor of Prayer at Church of the Resurrection.
Like this post? Share it!
You might also like- God calls us to live out God’s triumphant love
God’s barrier-busting love, preparing the way for Jesus
The qualities that build enduring love
Dealing honestly (and healingly) with anger
Judgment and contempt: guaranteed relationship destroyers
Or download this week's printable GPS.
-------
"What are parables?" Monday, 5 June 2017
Mark 4:33 With many parables like these he spoke the message to them, to the extent that they were capable of hearing it. 34 He did not say a thing to them without using a parable; when he was alone with his own talmidim he explained everything to them., Matthew 13:
34 All these things Yeshua said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without using a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet,
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will say what has been hidden since the creation of the universe.”[Matthew 13:35 Psalm 78:2]
I will say what has been hidden since the creation of the universe.”[Matthew 13:35 Psalm 78:2]
Jesus taught with many “parables” (Greek parabolē). The Greek word (and its rough Hebrew equivalent māšal) had a broader meaning than the English “parable.” It meant ways of speaking that used images to get hearers thinking. Scholar N. T. Wright said, “Parables, then, aren’t simply nice, friendly illustrations designed to help people get their minds round deep abstract truth. The truth they speak of isn’t abstract at all: it’s what God is doing personally, bodily, in Jesus and his work, and what God will do through his death and resurrection…. it doesn’t look like what most people were expecting.” *
• Jesus didn’t invent parables. For example, when King David lost his moral compass (the sad story is in 2 Samuel 11), Nathan the prophet used a parable to deftly show the king how he had abused his power (cf. 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13). His parable allowed King David to see himself more clearly. When has a Bible story, sermon illustration or life observation given you insight into yourself? How can stories sometimes reach your heart when a lecture won’t get through?
• We can usually distinguish Jesus’ parables from allegories. Parables were shorter and simpler, making one major point. Allegories (e.g. Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress) are more like a coded message, in which nearly every detail has a meaning to decipher. How can focusing on the main message of Jesus’ parables, rather than on every little detail, help you find the point Jesus intended, rather than ingeniously inventing your own meanings?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep my heart open to let the truths you taught hit home to the places where I need them. Heal my wounded places, and strengthen the areas where I need your strength. Amen.
* N. T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1–15. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 162-163.
-------
Donna Karlen
Donna Karlen serves in Communications at Church of the Resurrection by creating and managing social media content.
I grew up with 13 cousins--and that was just on my mom’s side. We all got together frequently, most of the time at the homes of the two families who probably represented a tenth of the population of the small town where they lived. I can remember my parents, aunts and uncles gathering in the living rooms, swapping story after story after story. Before I became a too-cool-to-hang-with-old-people teenager, I used to love to listen in on their adventures. Some of my favorites were about the days when they would take on another small town in one contest or another: tug of war (it did involve mud), a baseball game (Satchel Paige is in a photo with my uncle)-–certainly athletic skills were high on the list of desirable attributes in my extended family.
Little did I know at the time how much I someday would wish that I had written down those stories. Even after hearing them over and over again, as an adult I can’t recall very many. I guess I thought there would always be someone around who would be able to share those special memories on demand. But I lost one uncle, then another, then an aunt… And then my most reliable source for the stories, my mom, lost all her memories to Alzheimer’s a few years before her death. And my backup storyteller, my dad, passed away a few days before she did.
Write down your stories, your parents’ stories, your children’s. Get your phone out to record when a grandparent or aunt or uncle begins a trip down memory lane (with their permission). Start a Facebook group, share on Instagram (but not Snapchat – too many things just disappear!)
Imagine if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John had failed to capture the stories that Jesus told. Even without the Bible, these powerful parables and meaningful stories probably would have been passed down from generation to generation; but just like with the old Telephone Game, by the time they got to us, some things would get lost in the translation. Mustard seeds might've gotten mixed up with yeast! Sounds messy.
One of my goals as Content Editor for Church of the Resurrection is find ways to capture the stories of our church life-–from the mission trips where a community is transformed… to the life-changing moments that happen at Thursday Care Night or in a class or small group… or in any of our ministry areas such as Young Adults, rezlife students, KiDSCOR, Crossroads, Silver Link… or at community serving opportunities such as our upcoming Bless the School. So many opportunities… so many stories!
Create your Resurrection story by worshiping, serving, caring, growing, connecting! Then share your story.
Little did I know at the time how much I someday would wish that I had written down those stories. Even after hearing them over and over again, as an adult I can’t recall very many. I guess I thought there would always be someone around who would be able to share those special memories on demand. But I lost one uncle, then another, then an aunt… And then my most reliable source for the stories, my mom, lost all her memories to Alzheimer’s a few years before her death. And my backup storyteller, my dad, passed away a few days before she did.
Write down your stories, your parents’ stories, your children’s. Get your phone out to record when a grandparent or aunt or uncle begins a trip down memory lane (with their permission). Start a Facebook group, share on Instagram (but not Snapchat – too many things just disappear!)
Imagine if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John had failed to capture the stories that Jesus told. Even without the Bible, these powerful parables and meaningful stories probably would have been passed down from generation to generation; but just like with the old Telephone Game, by the time they got to us, some things would get lost in the translation. Mustard seeds might've gotten mixed up with yeast! Sounds messy.
One of my goals as Content Editor for Church of the Resurrection is find ways to capture the stories of our church life-–from the mission trips where a community is transformed… to the life-changing moments that happen at Thursday Care Night or in a class or small group… or in any of our ministry areas such as Young Adults, rezlife students, KiDSCOR, Crossroads, Silver Link… or at community serving opportunities such as our upcoming Bless the School. So many opportunities… so many stories!
Create your Resurrection story by worshiping, serving, caring, growing, connecting! Then share your story.
"Why did Jesus use parables?"
Tuesday, 6 June 2017
Matthew 13:10 Then the talmidim came and asked Yeshua, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them. 12 For anyone who has something will be given more, so that he will have plenty; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away. 13 Here is why I speak to them in parables: they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding. 14 That is, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Yesha‘yahu which says,
‘You will keep on hearing but never understand,
and keep on seeing but never perceive,
15 because the heart of this people has become dull —
with their ears they barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
so as not to see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and do t’shuvah,
so that I could heal them.’
and keep on seeing but never perceive,
15 because the heart of this people has become dull —
with their ears they barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
so as not to see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their heart,
and do t’shuvah,
so that I could heal them.’
16 But you, how blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear!
-------Jesus’ disciples asked him why he used parables when speaking to the crowds. Jesus quoted Isaiah 6:9-10, which people often misunderstand. The words were an ironic picture of how closed most people’s minds and hearts already were. “God offers the prophet a contrary message for people who haven’t been listening.” * Neither Isaiah nor Jesus meant that God wanted people to close their minds and hearts—quite the opposite was true.
• Experienced teachers know that their students usually learn more from wrestling with a question or experiment than if the teacher spoon-feeds them the answer. How does this suggest at least one reason Jesus used parables? When have you understood Jesus’ message more deeply by wrestling with some part of it yourself rather than having someone else hand you an answer?
• There was nothing arbitrary about Jesus’ saying that “those who have will receive more …. as for those who don’t have, even the little they have will be taken away from them” (verse 12). Use muscles and they grow; left idle, they wither away. In what ways have you found yourself “receiving more” as you intentionally develop your spiritual “muscles”?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you brought light and life. Guide me as I keep learning how to live into the life you offer, to stretch myself and grow in the atmosphere of your grace. Amen.
* Patricia K. Tull, study note on Isaiah 6:9-10 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 1104-1105 OT.
-------
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Vibe, West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
Think back to the last good movie you saw. You probably remember lines from the movie and important plot points, and you may have felt strong feelings about what the characters were going through. If the characters learned a lesson, it’s probably something you carried in your mind for the next few days or even weeks. Good movies are memorable and are usually very effective at delivering messages when they try.
Now think back to the last scientific research paper you read. You probably remember how far that one surprising experimental group deviated from the control and how the sample size wasn’t nearly large enough to provide conclusive results. You may have laughed about the researcher’s outlandish interpretation of the results. Oh, wait--none of those things happened because most people don’t casually read scientific research papers for fun.
This is a comical but also puzzling phenomenon. Scientific papers are purely objective and should be much more effective communicators of truth than fictional movies. And yet, for the biggest changes in our lives, it’s usually a story or a personal experience that drives them. Why is this?
Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once argued that subjectivity is truth. This has drawn much scorn for its appearance of throwing objectivity out the window and placing the whole of truth in personal interpretation. But that’s not what he was arguing at all. His argument was that the evidence of truth in an individual wasn’t in their acceptance of facts but in how they related themselves to the facts and responded to them. I can accept the fact that flossing is a great way to keep your teeth into old age; but until I believe it enough to let it change me and make me start flossing every day, the evidence of that truth is lacking in my life.
Stories and experiences are excellent communicators of truth because they often force us to respond to it personally. They should never be used to the detriment of hard facts--a good story doesn’t disprove statistical evidence--but a good illustration can make those facts hit us on a much deeper level. This is something Jesus latched onto in his teaching, and it’s a tradition that’s still followed in Christian teaching today. The important thing was how vital Jesus viewed the connection between the head and the heart. If there is no evidence of the truth in our lives, can we blame others for not seeing the truth in us? Truth is not true in our lives if it doesn’t change us, and it’s only in living out the truth that it will begin to impact the people around us.
Now think back to the last scientific research paper you read. You probably remember how far that one surprising experimental group deviated from the control and how the sample size wasn’t nearly large enough to provide conclusive results. You may have laughed about the researcher’s outlandish interpretation of the results. Oh, wait--none of those things happened because most people don’t casually read scientific research papers for fun.
This is a comical but also puzzling phenomenon. Scientific papers are purely objective and should be much more effective communicators of truth than fictional movies. And yet, for the biggest changes in our lives, it’s usually a story or a personal experience that drives them. Why is this?
Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once argued that subjectivity is truth. This has drawn much scorn for its appearance of throwing objectivity out the window and placing the whole of truth in personal interpretation. But that’s not what he was arguing at all. His argument was that the evidence of truth in an individual wasn’t in their acceptance of facts but in how they related themselves to the facts and responded to them. I can accept the fact that flossing is a great way to keep your teeth into old age; but until I believe it enough to let it change me and make me start flossing every day, the evidence of that truth is lacking in my life.
Stories and experiences are excellent communicators of truth because they often force us to respond to it personally. They should never be used to the detriment of hard facts--a good story doesn’t disprove statistical evidence--but a good illustration can make those facts hit us on a much deeper level. This is something Jesus latched onto in his teaching, and it’s a tradition that’s still followed in Christian teaching today. The important thing was how vital Jesus viewed the connection between the head and the heart. If there is no evidence of the truth in our lives, can we blame others for not seeing the truth in us? Truth is not true in our lives if it doesn’t change us, and it’s only in living out the truth that it will begin to impact the people around us.
"The parable of the mustard seed"
Wednesday, 7 June 2017
Matthew 13:31 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches.”
-------
In rabbinic writings from Jesus’ day, the mustard seed was proverbial for being one of the smallest objects. Jesus’ description of the grown plant may have been a bit hyperbolic— depending on the variety, mustard plants generally grew from 2-6 feet tall. There was a reason for it, though. “The language… evokes the image of a great kingdom of old that would be supplanted by God’s kingdom (Daniel 4:12). The glorious future kingdom was already active in a hidden way in Jesus’ ministry.” *
• Few if any Israelites thought God’s kingdom would start small. They usually thought the Messiah would launch the kingdom in a dramatic, powerful way. Jesus’ parable would have shocked those who expected that. In what ways does this part of Jesus’ story speak to us today, when so many bemoan the fact that much of entertainment, education and business seems to ignore or scorn God’s kingdom?
• Jesus’ story pointed his followers toward patience and long-term confidence. Like the mustard seed, the kingdom would grow—but not at all at once. When, even in a congregation like Resurrection, do you need to exercise patience? What helps you maintain confidence that, in the end, God will fully establish God’s kingdom to end evil and rule the earth?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I see all that’s wrong in our world, give me patience. But sustain my faith in the ultimate triumph of your kingdom, however slow its growth sometimes looks to me. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 219928-219930). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
-------
Jennifer Creagar
Jennifer Creagar is the Financial Care Program Director in Congregational Care at Resurrection Leawood. She is married and loves spending time with her family, and she enjoys writing and photography.
When I was a little girl, mustard seeds were very common “prizes” in Sunday School. I think we got them for memorizing all our Bible verses. The girls got little marble-sized charms with a tiny seed trapped in the plastic ball. I think the boys got similar little seeds in a tiny flat plastic disk the size of a nickel that they were supposed to carry in their pockets. The idea was to reflect upon the fact that, with faith no bigger than that mustard seed, we could do great things in God’s name.
Reading today’s scripture, I’m not sure those permanently encapsulated, forever sterile little seeds illustrated what Jesus is trying to communicate. Those seeds were never going to grow giant plants. The birds in the sky were not going to find their homes in anything that grew from those little tiny seeds, hiding in plastic. They were symbolic, but pretty much useless for growing.
Sometimes I think I let my own faith become wrapped in safety - beautiful words, comfortable prayers, and my own self-interest - until it becomes just like those little mustard seed charms. Nice to look at, fits in the pocket or on the chain around my neck, safe and secure. There’s no danger of a big out-of-control plant suddenly springing up and inviting birds to come and nest. In fact, there’s no danger at all. My faith, like that little seed, can be safely wrapped and never challenged, never stretched, and never exploded into anything that actually looks like the Kingdom of Heaven. I won’t have to feed it or water it or worry about where it might pop up next.
I don’t want to be a safe Christian. I don’t want to wrap my faith in plastic so that I can take it out and look at it when I need to feel inspired. I want to plant it and watch it grow, even though that’s more than a little bit scary, and I have to be open to whatever giant plant God wants it to be.
Reading today’s scripture, I’m not sure those permanently encapsulated, forever sterile little seeds illustrated what Jesus is trying to communicate. Those seeds were never going to grow giant plants. The birds in the sky were not going to find their homes in anything that grew from those little tiny seeds, hiding in plastic. They were symbolic, but pretty much useless for growing.
Sometimes I think I let my own faith become wrapped in safety - beautiful words, comfortable prayers, and my own self-interest - until it becomes just like those little mustard seed charms. Nice to look at, fits in the pocket or on the chain around my neck, safe and secure. There’s no danger of a big out-of-control plant suddenly springing up and inviting birds to come and nest. In fact, there’s no danger at all. My faith, like that little seed, can be safely wrapped and never challenged, never stretched, and never exploded into anything that actually looks like the Kingdom of Heaven. I won’t have to feed it or water it or worry about where it might pop up next.
I don’t want to be a safe Christian. I don’t want to wrap my faith in plastic so that I can take it out and look at it when I need to feel inspired. I want to plant it and watch it grow, even though that’s more than a little bit scary, and I have to be open to whatever giant plant God wants it to be.
"The parable of the yeast"
Thursday, 8 June 2017
Matthew 13:33 And he told them yet another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose.”
-------
Jesus’ use of yeast as an image for the kingdom likely also puzzled some of his hearers. “Some Jewish texts used “yeast” to symbolize evil, but it did not always mean that (Genesis 19:3; Exodus 12:11, 39; Leviticus 23:17) and does not mean that here. Although bakeries might prepare large amounts of bread, Jesus refers to a Galilean housewife.” * We might even imagine some of Jesus’ male hearers thinking, “Why is he talking about something my wife does?”
• “The whole point of the parable lies in one thing—the transforming power of the leaven. Leaven changed the character of a whole baking…. The introduction of the leaven causes a transformation in the dough; and the coming of the Kingdom causes a transformation in life.” ** In what ways has your choice to be a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom transformed your life? In what parts of your life is the yeast at work right now?
• Like the mustard seed image, the yeast image related to the whole world as well as to individual believers. Can you think of times in history in which the “yeast” of God’s principles has permeated and changed entire societies (e.g. the gradual abolition of the legal slave trade, and then legal slavery itself)? What are some parts of contemporary life in which you can pray and work for that to keep happening?
Prayer: O Lord, keep the yeast of your eternal wisdom working its way into every corner of my life. Make me a “yeasty” Christian who can change the world around me for the good. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 219931-219935). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
** William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 2 Chapters 11–28 (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 79.
-------
Chris Abel
Chris Abel is the Young Adults Pastor at Resurrection, and he describes himself as a "Pastor/Creative-type/Adventurer." A former atheist turned passionate follower of Christ, he completed his seminary education in Washington, DC. Before coming to Resurrection, Chris was a campus pastor near St. Louis, MO.
Ten years ago, a book called “The Shack” shocked readers with a depiction of God as a black woman. Personally, I loved it then and I love it now. (Even if I haven’t actually read the book… yet). So where would the author, William P. Young, get such an “outlandish” idea?
Well, perhaps from the Bible:
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of wheat flour until the yeast had worked its way through all the dough.” -Matthew 13:33
It’s not explicit, but if you read closely, you may notice an interesting metaphor here. It’s not just about making bread. It’s about who makes bread. It’s a woman. So often when we read this parable we focus on the “us” part. Our attention is immediately drawn to the yeast.
But I want to focus on this woman. Because this woman isn’t just throwing yeast into flour on accident.
This is a purposeful act.
It’s an act of creation. The yeast fundamentally changes the flour—but the woman is the catalyst, the baker, the caretaker looking to feed her family and friends. (Spoiler: The woman is a metaphor for God).
Want to know why I love this? Because it’s so different than the toxic imagery of God as a disapproving father looking to punish his children that so many Christians carry around with them.
Maybe God is more like a mother providing.
And we, as members of the kingdom, are part of that process.
We are the chemical reaction that turns mere flour into life-giving bread. We are the ones who are taking this world and bubbling and rising and moving within it to turn dust into food. When we join into this kingdom, it’s not to judge the flour—it’s to work it and transform it and join ourselves into it so we can be used by the baker to feed others.
And if following Jesus means we get to make some delicious bread out of this world, I am SO IN.
Now, anyone have a copy of "The Shack" I can borrow?
Well, perhaps from the Bible:
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of wheat flour until the yeast had worked its way through all the dough.” -Matthew 13:33
It’s not explicit, but if you read closely, you may notice an interesting metaphor here. It’s not just about making bread. It’s about who makes bread. It’s a woman. So often when we read this parable we focus on the “us” part. Our attention is immediately drawn to the yeast.
But I want to focus on this woman. Because this woman isn’t just throwing yeast into flour on accident.
This is a purposeful act.
It’s an act of creation. The yeast fundamentally changes the flour—but the woman is the catalyst, the baker, the caretaker looking to feed her family and friends. (Spoiler: The woman is a metaphor for God).
Want to know why I love this? Because it’s so different than the toxic imagery of God as a disapproving father looking to punish his children that so many Christians carry around with them.
Maybe God is more like a mother providing.
And we, as members of the kingdom, are part of that process.
We are the chemical reaction that turns mere flour into life-giving bread. We are the ones who are taking this world and bubbling and rising and moving within it to turn dust into food. When we join into this kingdom, it’s not to judge the flour—it’s to work it and transform it and join ourselves into it so we can be used by the baker to feed others.
And if following Jesus means we get to make some delicious bread out of this world, I am SO IN.
Now, anyone have a copy of "The Shack" I can borrow?
-------
"Parables of great treasure" Friday, 9 June 2017
Matthew 13:44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, hid it again, then in great joy went and sold everything he owned, and bought that field.
45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for fine pearls. 46 On finding one very valuable pearl he went away, sold everything he owned and bought it.-------
Every now and again, something like Jesus’ first story would happen. A farmer—probably a tenant farmer on a wealthy man’s land—would unearth a chest of money that someone had buried in a field and then forgotten. Fine pearls were rare in that world, and usually worn by Roman aristocrats. Jesus’ picture was of finding an enormous, flawless pearl—one whose value would go far beyond even ordinarily valuable pearls.
• These stories made a bold claim about Jesus’ kingdom. “The gospel of the kingdom isn’t a pleasant religious idea that you might like to explore some time when you’ve got an hour or two to spare…. It’s like a fabulous hoard of treasure, yours for the taking—if you’ll sell everything else to buy the field where it’s hidden. It’s like the biggest, finest, purest pearl that any jeweler ever imagined, and it’s yours for the taking—if you’ll sell everything else, including all the other pearls you’ve ever owned, in order to purchase it.” * Have you had to give up anything of value to you to gain Jesus’ kingdom? If so, has it been worth it?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you once asked, “Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? What will people give in exchange for their lives?” (Matthew 16:26) Make me willing to give up anything else to receive your gift of eternal life. Amen.
* N. T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1–15. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 177.
-------
Ginger Rothhaas
Ginger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
We all know the clichés that sound like this: "navy is the new black," "50 is the new 30," and "kale is the new spinach." If Jesus were to add clichés to his parables, he might say, “here is the new there.”
We have all imagined what heaven will be like. Some churches teach that everything you do should be with the intention to get a golden ticket into there. There seems to be a place with happy dancing people dressed in white holding adorable puppies under rainbows. A place that is somewhere out there, not here. It’s a place we will go someday, a place where joy, peace, love, and bliss exist beyond our imaginations. We want to go there.
But Jesus might say: here is the new there…the treasure you seek is right here. The kingdom of heaven can be yours now, but you keep denying it, covering it up, burying it. Instead, seek it, open the treasure of love, and find joy in receiving God’s love. It has been right under your feet all along.
This is a treasure with infinite possibilities, given to us. It is up to us to receive it. The first step is seeing your purpose as an instrument of God’s love. Living in partnership with God, as a messenger of God’s love, leads you to your treasure. Doing our part to contribute to building a kin-dom where we live in peace, love, justice, and joy with every human on earth is the treasure we seek.
The way to live here is to replicate what we long for in the there. Whatever you imagine heaven to be, do what you need to do to create that here today. When you get a glimpse of heaven, don’t bury it and deny it, instead live into it. Capture it, receive it, open it wide, and bask in the glory.
If we are all radiating love because we have found our purpose and feel a divine connection to God and others, then people will begin to ask what we have done to achieve this. That’s when you whisper to them, “Here is the new there.”
We have all imagined what heaven will be like. Some churches teach that everything you do should be with the intention to get a golden ticket into there. There seems to be a place with happy dancing people dressed in white holding adorable puppies under rainbows. A place that is somewhere out there, not here. It’s a place we will go someday, a place where joy, peace, love, and bliss exist beyond our imaginations. We want to go there.
But Jesus might say: here is the new there…the treasure you seek is right here. The kingdom of heaven can be yours now, but you keep denying it, covering it up, burying it. Instead, seek it, open the treasure of love, and find joy in receiving God’s love. It has been right under your feet all along.
This is a treasure with infinite possibilities, given to us. It is up to us to receive it. The first step is seeing your purpose as an instrument of God’s love. Living in partnership with God, as a messenger of God’s love, leads you to your treasure. Doing our part to contribute to building a kin-dom where we live in peace, love, justice, and joy with every human on earth is the treasure we seek.
The way to live here is to replicate what we long for in the there. Whatever you imagine heaven to be, do what you need to do to create that here today. When you get a glimpse of heaven, don’t bury it and deny it, instead live into it. Capture it, receive it, open it wide, and bask in the glory.
If we are all radiating love because we have found our purpose and feel a divine connection to God and others, then people will begin to ask what we have done to achieve this. That’s when you whisper to them, “Here is the new there.”
"A parable about sheep, goats—and recognizing Jesus"
Saturday, 10 June 2017
Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, accompanied by all the angels, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. 33 The ‘sheep’ he will place at his right hand and the ‘goats’ at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest, 36 I needed clothes and you provided them, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the people who have done what God wants will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and make you our guest, or needing clothes and provide them? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 The King will say to them, ‘Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!’
41 “Then he will also speak to those on his left, saying, ‘Get away from me, you who are cursed! Go off into the fire prepared for the Adversary and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 a stranger and you did not welcome me, needing clothes and you did not give them to me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they too will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, needing clothes, sick or in prison, and not take care of you?’ 45 And he will answer them, ‘Yes! I tell you that whenever you refused to do it for the least important of these people, you refused to do it for me!’ 46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life.”-------
Scholar William Barclay told this story: Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier, and a Christian. One winter day, Martin met a beggar who was blue and shivering with cold. Martin took his worn and frayed soldier’s coat, cut it in two, and gave half of it to the beggar. That night he had a dream. In it he saw the heavenly places and Jesus in the midst of all the angels. Jesus was wearing half of a Roman soldier’s cloak. An angel asked, “Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak?” And Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to me.” *
• Notice that in this parable, “the king’s” word surprised both “the sheep” and “the goats.” The goats’ question (verse 44) suggests a sense that “if we’d known it was you, of course we’d have helped.” In other words, the hungry, hurting, outcast people they ignored, maybe every day, weren’t worth helping. What can help you learn to see the face of Jesus in the faces of the people you meet, especially those who are outcast or hurting? When have you found the freedom and joy that comes from blessing others because it’s the “God thing” to do?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I’m sorry for the times I’ve turned away from you, not recognizing you in the unlovely, unlovable people I saw. By your grace may I bless you by blessing those I otherwise would not love. Amen.
* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 2 Chapters 11–28 (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 326.
Family Activity: Sometimes what looks like a little strength turns out to be great strength! Try this activity showing the impact of just a little strength. An adult makes two fists, stacks one on top of the other, then extends his/her arms until the elbows are as straight as possible. Now, with the child’s hands open, a child should place his/her fingertips on the back of the adult’s fists, then give a very quick push sideways in opposite directions. The adult’s goal is to keep the fists together. The child tries to knock the fists apart using just fingertips. Due to scientific forces, the adults’ fists will separate. Read Matthew 13:31-34[Matthew 13:31 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man takes and sows in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up it is larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the birds flying about come and nest in its branches.”
33 And he told them yet another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with a bushel of flour, then waited until the whole batch of dough rose.”
34 All these things Yeshua said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without using a parable.]. What was the impact of something little in these parables? How do you find this true in your faith? How can your family live out this truth in the world?
-------
Dan Entwistle
Dan Entwistle serves as a Managing Executive Director for Church of the Resurrection.
What surprises me is the surprise of the characters in this parable.
Everyone seems to have been unaware of their fate, and caught off guard by the pronouncements of the king. Some, of course, were pleasantly surprised (the sheep), while others were mortified in their surprise (the goats). But they were all surprised by the proclamation. None had been clear about the implications of their own behavior, nor how it would ultimately point them toward their fate in the parable.
The righteous “sheep” asked “when did we?”
In truth, the righteous weren’t earning or expecting a reward at all. The gift was a surprise to them, a freely-given grace. They weren’t climbing their way into heaven. But they unwittingly found Jesus, unexpectedly, in the eyes of the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned.
This is a parable, and with parables we should be a little cautious about stretching things too far. The primary message is clear and relatively simple. When we see and serve those in need, we are actually serving Jesus. And in doing so, we will discover the essential role of compassion and service when our hearts are laid bare before God.
But for me, today, there’s at least an echo of another point, which is that the kingdom of God will be a surprise. Jesus will be found in surprising faces and unusual places. When we’re on track, our righteousness will be accompanied by a confidence-softening humility. And when we’re missing the point, we may be the last ones to discover how badly we’ve actually missed the point.
So where will you find Jesus today? Where will he find you? Let’s find someone surprising to love, and let’s be surprised by the results.
Everyone seems to have been unaware of their fate, and caught off guard by the pronouncements of the king. Some, of course, were pleasantly surprised (the sheep), while others were mortified in their surprise (the goats). But they were all surprised by the proclamation. None had been clear about the implications of their own behavior, nor how it would ultimately point them toward their fate in the parable.
The righteous “sheep” asked “when did we?”
- When did we see you hungry and feed you?
- When did we see you thirsty and give you a drink?
- When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you?
- When did we see you naked and give you clothes to wear?
- When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
In truth, the righteous weren’t earning or expecting a reward at all. The gift was a surprise to them, a freely-given grace. They weren’t climbing their way into heaven. But they unwittingly found Jesus, unexpectedly, in the eyes of the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned.
This is a parable, and with parables we should be a little cautious about stretching things too far. The primary message is clear and relatively simple. When we see and serve those in need, we are actually serving Jesus. And in doing so, we will discover the essential role of compassion and service when our hearts are laid bare before God.
But for me, today, there’s at least an echo of another point, which is that the kingdom of God will be a surprise. Jesus will be found in surprising faces and unusual places. When we’re on track, our righteousness will be accompanied by a confidence-softening humility. And when we’re missing the point, we may be the last ones to discover how badly we’ve actually missed the point.
So where will you find Jesus today? Where will he find you? Let’s find someone surprising to love, and let’s be surprised by the results.
• Tim Mathews and Amy Rusk and families on the death of their father Paul Mathews, 5/25
• Family and friends of Sara Magill on her death, 5/24
• Debbie Coppola and family on the death of her brother-in-law Dr. Eugene Guthery, 5/22
-------
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment