SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2023 | AFTER PENTECOST - Proper 12 (A)

Notes

More agricultural themes, so let's look at what is Paul up to first. No mention of slavery and the theology is quite understandable, oof, relief! Grace llove

Revised Common Lectionary 7-30-2023: Proper 12

38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 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.

Mt talk o f the kingdom - intangible, out of the world, not what you expect

Ot solo mon asked for wisdom and he got it - discerning between good and evil x Adam and Eve just took it.

Essentially: give me what I need to do what you called me to.

Headlines Ocean heating up, asylum, DeSantis nazi staffer..

Cite Bargar article - when summarizing

Good morning,

Ready for MORE agricultural parables? Me neither, so let’s start by looking at what is Paul up to…Paul is giving a rest to the theme of slavery and I would say the sentences are slightly less complicated. Yay? I would think so :) We are inseparable from the love of God - there is no escaping it! Not through death, angels, rulers, things presents, things to come, other powers, or anything else in creation - tough, the love of God will chase you down anywhere! Many things in our lives are uncertain, but Paul is sure this is not one of them. And well, I think he needed this assurance for himself as well as without it, he might fall into fear over his earlier transgressions against the early Jesus movement. He sure had been trying to make up for it since his epiphany on the road to Damascus, but can you really undo suffering and death without grace?

The dead typically remain dead and bodily and psychological trauma never truly go away. We must be inseparable from God’s love or Paul would’ve been in trouble! Or to take it further....we’d be in trouble! Acting badly within this world has its consequences that can be typically survived and perhaps even have a turn to something good down the line such as a useful lesson or an opening for new relationships or opportunities. But objectively and ethically, bad remains bad. But God’s grace enters into that and we are shown a way out, if we have ears to listen and our hearts are open! Through Jesus Christ, we can enter into community with God and begin anew.

And the ultimate representation of that is this hard to grasp concept of kingdom, reign of God or as Matthew like to refer to it kingdom of heaven. Just in the Gospel passage today we get multiple parables about this kingdom - not one, two, three…but up to 7, depending how you count it! Well, we know by now that Jesus is not really one to give you a dictionary answer to things, but he is rather one that uses common context, tradition, and people’s imagination to talk about complex theological concepts.

Kingdom of God, in short is intangible, out of this world, and not what you expect! So let’s take a closer look at SOME of the parables, unless you have a time for a whole day seminar. Some of you may have seen the picture that has gone out alongside the email and Facebook post invitation to K. C’s and this Sunday - a lush large shrubbery with yellow flowers on the background of a clear sky. That’s a field of mustard plants in Galilee - he wasn’t kidding, when he said that what begins as a small seed grows into the greatest of shrubs! While it is not quite a tree, it is said yellow flower plants are very pervasive in Israel and most of them are mustard plants. There is again the element of surprise - you see yellow flowers and do you think of mustard? Hardly, so it is with the kingdom - sometimes, it may not seem as much, but then it grows and wham, it can spark so much joy, just like a good mustard!

And it may take a while, just like the yeast - the process is relatively simple, but it requires care and love. And Jesus clearly alludes to the change to come with the kingdom - the bread is to be leavened by a woman as opposed to an unleavened bread of the old covenant. This kingdom is priceless, if only one can find it like in other parables - a treasure that is worth of everything we have and then some.

Yes, I know…it still doesn’t quite address what the kingdom actually IS. The truth is, we will have to wait on that one until it actually comes. In Revelation, we have a lot of images what it might look like - New Jerusalem, where streets are paved with pure gold and there are no nights, for “the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). It is a grand vision that my old testament teacher Bohdan in Slovakia interpreted as what the people of the times considered “the highlights” of a good life, so of course the New Jerusalem would be that, just better! Jesus doesn’t want to discourage this imagination, so I believe that is why he is not too specific about the kingdom! It’s good to dream and hope.

Beloveds, the kingdom of heaven is not quite here, but it is coming - we receive foretaste of it, whenever God’s grace and justice is done here as it is in heaven. Every time compassion and love towards all, but especially the vulnerable and marginalized, is done rather than hatred and violence, a little bit of God’s kingdom breaks into this world. Every time we manage to rise up with hope and dreams for a better world for all, despite all the bad news and bigotry, God’s will is at hand. As oceans heat up due to global climate change caused by irresponsible capitalist growth and generations upon generations are trapped in the vicious circle of violence and brokenness caused by selfishness and ineptness of those holding onto power, sinfully preferring money and influence over community and wellness, Jesus calls us to the hope of the kingdom, giving us the strength for the struggle with powers of this world that want us to give in, bow our heads, and just survive. No, the promise of the kingdom is that whole of creation is not meant to merely survive, but thrive! The small seeds of the kingdom are planted and there is no stopping them, for they are nurtured by God’s love that is unstoppable. No jail, no war, no totalitarian regime, or extremism can change that and we are invited to help with this process, to be the stewards of the shrubberies, hidden treasures, and pearls that make up the kingdom. Nothing can separate any of us from God’s love. Amen.