Heaven Is

CALL TO WORSHIP

We look for God in the dramatic. We discover God in the ordinary. Invited by God to slow down, we freshly open our eyes to slowly see God’s life breaking into our awareness, all around.

StF 610 Best of all God is with us.

A GATHERING PRAYER

Loving God, thank you for the wonder of our interconnected universe, sustained and held in being by your love. Tiny seeds nurtured by earth, that grow into great scrubs, sheltering creatures. Barely visible yeast cultures leavening flour for bread. Treasures that make life precious and joyful. Wisdom handed down to us, freshly understood. Your reign breaks in around us in so many ways; help us to see and rejoice. Amen.

A PRAYER OF ADORATION

Father, all time is in your hand, unfolding; we see so little of it in a lifetime, yet sometimes it is overwhelming. God of the kingdom of heaven, you are our haven in life’s storms, our lifeline in calamity; we watch and await your coming in power. Amen.

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Lord, we confess that the concerns of the world weigh us down. We worry about our needs, our wants, how others perceive us. We are so overwhelmed that we fail to riddle the gold from life’s dross. We turn to you, seeking the assurance that your kingdom is with us and among us; help us to discern where it lies, so that we may turn our backs on all else. Grant us the patience to seek you and your ways with the forbearance you show as you wait for us. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

Almighty God, although we take forever, you have forever – you are the God of Eternity. We are slow to seek you, slow to learn, slow to grow in faith; but when we are faltering, you wait sure and steady to forgive us; when we are lacking in trust, you forgive us and persist in working out your ways despite us. Thank you, O God of forgiveness and forbearance. Amen.

StF 132 O God, our help in ages past.

READING

1 Kings 3:5-12

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

Matthew 13.31-33,44-52

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

StF 254 Seek ye first the kingdom of God.

SERMON

We have recently lost our Queen, for many of us like me she has been the only monarch we have know now we have a king.

Charles has enormous boots to fill, Queen Elisabeth may have been small in stature, but her influence spread far and wide. Most counties leaders in the held her in high regard, like her or not even though there have been ups and down she always remained constant.

How does Charles live up to that. Would you like to be in his position.

In our reading from Kings, Solomon at the age of 24 had to take over from his father David the great hero the great second king of Israel loved by the people and loved by God ruled for 40 years.

So, when God asks the young Solomon what gift he would like. What would you ask for?

I’m sure my reply now would be different today from when I was 24 the age that Solomon was when he became King. I don’t think I would have the wisdom to ask for a discerning heart, what a request from this young man, would you not be tempted to request wealth? Maybe have a strong army?

But he comes to God humbly thanking him for his provision for his father David and his own position as King of his people.

He asked for the pearl of great value, he asked for the discerning heart and was blessed by God.

I believe we human beings have a perception problem. We often think we have the proper perspective on an issue when in fact we are way off.

There's a story about a company Director: He and his wife were driving along the motorway when he noticed that their car was low on fuel. Not wanting to pay the price for fuel on the motorway he got off the at the next exit and soon found a small petrol station it only had one fuel pump. Once full he asked if there was a loo, he was told yes just around the back. So, he went to use the facilities.

As he came back to the car, he noticed that the attendant and his wife were engaged in conversation. The conversation stopped as he paid the attendant. But as he was getting back into the car, he saw the attendant wave and heard him say, "It was great talking to you."

As they drove out of the station, he asked his wife if she knew the man. She readily admitted she did. They had gone to school together and had dated steadily for about a year.

"Well, you were lucky that I came along," he bragged.

"If you had married him, you'd be the wife of a petrol station attendant instead of the wife of a company director."

"My dear," replied his wife, "if I had married him, he'd be the director and you'd be the petrol station attendant."

Yes, we often think we have the proper perspective on an issue when in fact we are way off. Jesus understood this that very often us humans to get it wrong. Especially when it comes to things spiritual.

How can you explain the unexplained, describe the indescribable? This was the challenge facing Jesus as he painted a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven to the people and to us today. So, Jesus resorted to telling parables, earthly stories with heavenly meanings. Instead of trying to tell it like it is, Jesus told it like it might be:

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, a little bit of leaven, a treasure hidden in the field, a pearl of great price, a dragnet of fish.

He said the kingdom of heaven is like:

I. LIKE A SEED.

A tiny seed. A mustard seed to be precise. Why did Jesus choose such a small item to represent something so large as heaven?

He did this because even though the Kingdom of Heaven is enormous, we are so often blind to its presence. Do you hear the irony in Jesus words? The KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like a mustard seed. Many of you have ever seen a mustard seed, and you know what a ridiculous statement this is. They are really small.

You can literally hold thousands of them in the palm of your hand. Yet it grows into a very large bush. Large enough for birds to build their nest among its branches.

What is Jesus saying?

He is saying, “God is at work, even though our human eyes often fail to see what is happening.”

(Pass round a bag of the seeds) if you wish, take a few seeds. I want you to think about the seeds and what they can become: ‘Mustard plants can grow up to six metres high and wide. At the time of Jesus, Pliny the Elder a Roman naturalist wrote that they were valued for being good for the health with their pungent taste. They were also seen as a weed. Once they were sown, it was difficult to stop them, because the seeds germinated almost at once. As you think about the Gospel reading, notice how the images described affect your heart. Is it not this small seed of faith that grows within us?

As Christians we understand that things, we can’t see have real influence, but we live in a society that loves bigness. We are overwhelmed by huge social problems such as world hunger and children in crises. As a result, we sometimes overlook the tiny seed problems that are at the root of so many of these difficult situations.

Sometimes it takes just a little bit of patience to work with people. Sometimes it takes just a little bit of love to redeem a situation. Sometimes it takes just a little bit of grace to bring about healing.

In truth The Kingdom of Heaven, the rule of God, is now but not yet here still to come, present but not complete, it is small like a mustard seed but within it offers us a glimpse of what is to come.

In the world today we hear everywhere the chant, the mantra that “bigger is better," Those who do this might want to pay attention to the parable about the power of a tiny mustard seed.

C.S. Lewis says, “The best thing about Christianity is that nobody could have guessed it." We have our Messiah born in a stable. We have our King ride into town on a donkey. We crucify our Lord on a cross. We convert the world with a handful of fishermen and a couple of tax collectors.

Never underestimate the impact of the little. In a drop of water there are tides. In a drop of blood there is a host of red and white cells. In a seed lies a mustard tree, where all kinds of birds can find rest.

Jesus himself said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there' and it will move. For nothing is impossible with God" (Matthew 17:20). Let those who have ears to hear, hear!

II. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS SILENT, LIKE LEAVEN IN BREAD.

During lock down I decided to try making my own bread, I must admit it must have been something a lot of people wanted to try as I found it hard to find the things I needed in the supermarket.

With Karon’s help I started baking bread for the first time, if you have baked your own bread have you noticed?

Yeast does its work silently. A small amount of yeast placed in dough makes the whole loaf rise. It is not with a loud bang, or a drum roll.

Isn’t that how heaven is revealed to us with silent deeds of love and mercy, through God’s people. How silently God is at work in the world.

Jesus said, “The hypocrites love their pretty prayers prayed standing in the synagogue or even on a street corner. They have their reward. But when you pray, go to the room, and close the door, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will listen to you”. It is in the silence the Kingdom of God is given. And in our noisy world we would be smart to spend some time listening.

III. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS SURPRISING, LIKE A BURIED TREASURE THAT A FARMER FOUND IN THE FIELD.

In his joy he went and sold all that he had and bought the field. In Jesus' day, the safest place to keep your money and your valuables was in the ground. You didn't put your treasures in a bank; you buried them in the earth.

The only problem was that you had to remember exactly where you left them. One person's forgetfulness in this story becomes another person's fortune. It is not the luck of the discovery, but the wisdom of the farmer that is the point of this story.

He sold all he had and bought the field that held the treasure. It came as a total surprise.

We can however spend our time digging for treasure in the wrong places.

There is a storyteller who tells this story. He was visiting a family when he found himself alone in the living room with an old greyhound dog, a dog that the family explained once raced professionally. So as Fred tells it, I took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with that old dog. “I heard you retired," said Fred to the dog. “Is that what they told you?" replied the dog. “Well, I didn't retire; I spent 10 years running around that track, day after day, race after race, chasing that rabbit. Then one day I got close enough to get a good look at the thing. It was then I discovered that rabbit was a fake. I had spent my whole life chasing a fake rabbit. I didn't retire, I quit!"

If you are tired of ploughing the same old ground, chasing the same fake rabbit, enduring the same routine, wake up, be alert, watch! The Kingdom of Heaven, the greatest treasure on earth, may be closer than you think.

IV. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS PRICELESS, LIKE A FINE PEARL.

Third, Jesus said that heaven is like a merchant in search of pearls; on finding the one pearl of great price he sold all that he had to buy it. This time it is not about a hidden treasure, not found by accident but a pearl sought for and found on sale. The merchant finds the precious stone. His response?

That’s the important part. His response tells us the meaning of Jesus’ parable. He sells everything he possesses in order to possess the pearl.

A commitment of the whole heart, that’s what heaven…the Kingdom of Heaven requires of its followers. I love this parable because Jesus does not say the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl of great price. He says those who seek the kingdom of heaven are like this merchant giving all they have to find it.

V. THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS MIXED, LIKE A NET OF FISH.

The problem with fishing is that you never know what you might catch.

Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, let down in the water capable of dragging anything in its way to shore.

It’s not our place to decide who is welcome and who is not.

Not our position to pass judgement on others. Ours is to share ourselves showing love and grace to those we meet.

The Kingdom of God is mixed. It is not up to the fish to do the sorting. The angels do that at the end of the day.

It is not our place to decide who is welcome and who is not.

It is the Kingdom, said Jesus.

It is all about the Kingdom.

It is small like a mustard seed, silent like leaven, a surprise like a treasure found in a field, and as priceless as a precious pearl. While it may be mixed fish down here, wait for it, watch for it, work for it. It is worth more than everything you have. Amen

OFFERING DURING HYMN

StF 341 All for Jesus

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION

God, we thank you for teaching us the things that matter, the things of true value. We praise you that the treasures of your kingdom are hidden beneath the every day, and sometimes the drama, of everyday life; and that they are often there in small ways that, if nurtured, grow in abundance. Thank you for your pearls of wisdom and your seeds of faith. Let your Kingdom grow among us. Amen.

Lord, you took so much care to describe your kingdom in ways everyone could understand, including us. Your kingdom come, O Lord. Your will be done. We pray today that you will pass on to us that gift of making ourselves accessible. Keep us from being a stumbling block to those who would seek you; from using language that puzzles; from actions that confuse; from anything that keeps us apart from your people around us. Your kingdom come, O Lord. Your will be done. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

For ever and ever Amen.

StF 545 Be, thou, my vision.

BLESSING

Loving God, thank you for your reign breaking in, all around, for those with eyes to see. May the light of your love be focused within us. May we create space in our hearts to treasure it. And may we be of service to your love, now and always. Amen.