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I know... skipping again, what can I say?? When they have services out at the Athletic Fields, they don't stream them. There is just a live video Pastor Matt does ahead of time on FB. My plan was to watch it and blog it. That would have happened either Tuesday or today, and this one tomorrow, but as things have gone, the other one continues to wait. I'm on a 24 FB ban right now for a post I can't even see... ;p Anyway, I've had an unusually busy month already. Rob took me out for an early birthday dinner at Margarita's on the 4th after having a swim at a local hotel pool where he has a membership. Then on Wednesday, he and his friend Heather took me up to a White Mountain attraction called Polar Caves. It takes around 1 1/2 hrs to get there. I had been in the area before, but never gone there specifically. The glaciers created caves in the face of a cliff and they've set up trails and stairs so people can walk through them*. It's really neat!! One of these days, I'll catch up more on my "Days in the Life" page and post pics of that and other local walks I've been on. Not to mention pics of my BF, Mike... That could be cool being that we've been "official" since March, right?? LOL So then I had my granddaughter Thurs-Fri so Carissa's husband and FIL could fix her car. Rob and I took her to the hotel pool and watched movies when we got back. I was going to make Tacos, but forgot I was out of shells, so Nachos served the purpose with Tortilla Chips. :D Saturday is my major housework day, and even then, I didn't get started on that until around 4 pm... So then Sunday, I was able to go to Church in the morning and then Mike arrived early afternoon so he could see his daughter for her birthday, and be here for at least some of mine!! We met up with her at a local park and had a great time in spite of the fact she didn't have the baby with her bc his father had caused trouble for her. The story was happily rectified on Monday when she was able to get him back, Praise God!! It made her birthday turn out better as well as mine, knowing she will prove worthy of keeping Takoda. Prayers for God's best in her life. For my birthday on Monday, I had Mike drive to a special walking trail I love that includes my favorite spot in town. It's in the woods beside a brook. Again, when I have more time, I'll post pics. By the time my parents joined me for my birthday dinner, Mike had gone home. It was nice to have Carissa show up for a couple of hours and hang out before she had to get Brandi from her father's place. We ended up watching some episodes of The Carol Burnett Show on Pluto as a conversation buffer between me and my parents. Continued prayer for my mother's attitude toward Mike*. Also pray for Brandi's father's family as they just lost his paternal grandfather. Brandi loved "Ggpa" dearly and we're all thankful that he was able to make a wooden toy box for her when she was born. She'll treasure it always. Tuesday, I was just trying to catch up on my "downtime", as I'm mostly introverted. Yesterday, I had a dentist appointment at 11:30 and then couldn't come home until after 3:00 because the City had shut the water off for the balance of the day. A book in the park is a many splendored thing, to adapt a phrase... I only wish I had caught a picture of the pair of Basic Black Hawks I saw while sitting there!! So anyway, here I am on Thursday afternoon, yapping away while you're all waiting for the Bible lesson... LOL --- Okay, onward!!
If you've been reading my blog long enough, I'm pretty sure I've mentioned having "black thumbs" when it comes to plants and gardening, so rather than focusing on seeds for my message intro, I'm going to ask how many of you out there have baked a loaf of bread... Since the "messiness" of the last few years, that number is probably higher than it might have been 4 or 5 yrs ago. It hasn't changed my own answer, however. I don't really eat a lot of bread these days. The only time I've actually tried making any was back in HS, for our Family Living Class*. I succeeded in creating a whole wheat brick... LOL Pretty sure the yeast was too old and water not hot enough, oh well... Lessons learned, right?? And speaking of lessons, it's time we dug into this one... Turn with me to this week's passage --
Matthew 13:31-35
New International Version
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast 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.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[b
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As those of us who grew up in "Church World" understand, the phrases "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Kingdom of God" are interchangeable. Some might say that membership in the Kingdom of God will lead into the Kingdom of Heaven later, but that's a moot point. The true point is that "The Kingdom", however you want to look at it, exists anywhere that Jesus is in charge of a human heart. The earmarks are things like peace, justice, and a flourishing life. (regardless of finances, potentially) Sin, brokenness, and illness have no foothold there. Just look at how many times Jesus speaks of the Kingdom being "at hand", this is a clear indication that it's within our reach*. We just need to acknowledge it and respond accordingly. It is also clear in Jesus' teachings, and in this one particularly, that The Kingdom is grown in, and increased by powerful, subversive love.
The World has it's definitions of greatness. We are all too familiar with them, right?? In Sports, we look to the most skilled players/competitors. In Business, the chart should graph up and to the right. Entertainment has amazingly talented singers and/or actors/actresses at the tops of the lists. (depending on your tastes) But when we apply these "lenses" to the Kingdom of God, we limit Him beyond imagining*.
Parables overcome these limits in several ways --
They bring clarity to deep concepts. The ways of God's Kingdom are so different from those of the World that Jesus needed to use analogies from everyday life to help people understand what He was getting at. And this is why those analogies still hold up today, so that we can understand and embrace these truths as well.
They invite wonder. The ideas brought out by Jesus' parables are so profound that people tend to spend considerable time thinking them through and having their hearts so touched as to bring long lasting renewal and change.
They invite people to question what they've been taught, whether in Church or home, if the lessons have been wrong. Even in political concepts, if needed.
They expand people's imagination for truth and love, which is after all, the very Nature of God.
Jesus didn't tell these stories to impress anyone. He didn't need to, the stories brought their own impressions of beauty as people thought about them later. The immense power and love of God was meant to be shared with the World through the Israelites in a show of surprising power, but they had gotten so wrapped up in the World's ideas of power and greatness that they missed what God was trying to do in them and through them for the good of all.
When God called Abram out to establish a new society, He didn't call one of the most powerful or influential citizens of Ur. He called an essentially "unknown", seemingly insignificant man to start His New Nation. God told Abraham, as he became later, to look at the stars and sand for an idea of how vast his "family" was going to be*. If we look literally anywhere in the Bible, we will notice that God's plans are always carried out be seemingly insignificant people or things*. All Israel could see as "greatness" was overcoming Rome. They were chasing "Empire" rather than trusting God's plan.
God's plans were so much bigger than that!! That's why the image of the Mustard Seed was so suited to them. The smallest seed turns into the most important tree in the garden. It creates not only a lightly spiced condiment for food, but safety and shelter, and shade for birds, animals, and people as needed. In the Kingdom of God, the smallest things turn into the largest/most important. He seeks to take our "Yeah, but..." ideas and carve them out to leave only what resembles Him in our lives. Much like the old joke about the boy who asks the sculptor how he carved the marble elephant. The sculptor simply replies, "I just take it and carve away anything that doesn't look like an elephant!!" :D Like the Israelites, if we get too caught up in the World's pursuit of greatness, we will miss God's best. We have become part of the faithful remnant God uses to spread His love to the World. And that's where the Israelites missed it. Their vision was only for themselves. God's plans are Global in scope. Israel was supposed to be the "Mustard Tree" of God's safety and provision to the World, but they refused to look through anyone's perspective but their own and botched the whole thing*.
Pastor Matt brought out the point here that even those who have gone to school to become Church Leaders have been taught wrong. They've been sold a, "bill of goods", so to speak. They've been taught that the "yeast" is the whole point. The Word of God is all that is necessary to fix any problem. They don't realize the intense amount of work involved in kneading the dough so that the yeast will be fully effective. The literal violence of pushing, stretching, and punching that goes into it. But that's what it takes for the "influence" of the yeast to change the nature of the dough and make it into something that will rise up and feed the masses. Yeast is subversive in it's effect, just like God's love.
There are two ways in which people will react to the idea of personally affecting change in the World --
Dominance -- The compulsion to overpower, manipulate, and control is just too strong for some. They are so entwined in the World's system that they use it in an attempt to effect change for God. These people have no imagination for God's ways; they feel personally responsible for their own efforts toward what they feel are Kingdom goals and priorities.
Removal/Abdication -- These people are in denial of any responsibility to the Kingdom other than their own lives. The Amish are an entire "subset of society" unto themselves because they don't believe they are powerful enough to effect change, so they just keep to themselves and don't even try. They seem to embrace James 1:27b to the extreme. They don't want to "dirty themselves" by associating too much with the World, when what Jesus commanded was to "mix thoroughly without harming yourself". We are the "yeast" in the dough of this World. We are supposed to be the greater influence without "staining our reputations" in God's eyes. And that's an important point, because, the eyes of others matter nothing in comparison to His*.
Both of these perspectives may be considered "ditches" to the smooth surface of the road God's wants us traveling on*. God's fullness of truth and grace specifically requires that we don't make demands, attempt to control others, or abdicate our responsibilities in The Kingdom. Love goes down the middle of the road in order to subvert the powers of the World. His love is unleashed through forgiveness. Just remember the punishment Jesus went through ahead of His death on the Cross. He stood silent in the face of His enemies because He knew the end result would be worth the torment He went through on our behalf (and theirs). After all, forgiveness is at it's most powerful in the face of mistreatment. It's literally the only thing the World has no answer for!!
The fact is, both of these "ditches" are influenced by fear. One, that it's all up to us; and the other that nothing can be done, so why try... Ultimately, it is impossible for anyone to make us not love them. Love is a choice only we can make. It should not be dependent on the behavior of others. If we are to overcome the fears and dominating behaviors of the World, we need to love, because that's the only thing that will work.
The Kingdom of God challenges the notions of dominance and greatness by shaping the "loaf" of this World with us as the yeast. We just need to remember that we are helping God in His mission, it isn't completely reliant on our own efforts. Conversely, we need to be willing to help, knowing that God's power is able to overcome anything that dares stand against it. As parents, we are shaping the future in and for our kids. Does this mean we ignore Higher Education or Sports?? Absolutely not!! The point lies in tying those things into God's plans for them. After all, He wouldn't have given them special gifts and talents if He didn't want them used to His glory, now would He?? We are all "missionaries*" in our own lives, God's "faithful remnant". Look for the small and "insignificant" things in your life, and you will discover the very paths God wants you to travel "down the middle" of -- God Bless!!
Footnotes --
Polar Caves is actually celebrating 100 yrs of hikers this year!! Cool in more ways than one!! lol
Mom's attitude toward Mike... see other recent blog posts for more on this.
Family Living Class -- I attended a small, private Christian School. We didn't really have Home Ec. by the time I reached HS. (they had it for a year or 2 when the school first started in 1974) On Mondays, it was Bible Class for Jr./Sr. girls, with an emphasis on being a good wife. On Thursdays, it was a Home Ec. Class of sorts. The Church kitchen was too small for our class, so the teacher brought samples of something she chose, and gave us all recipes to take home and bring back signed by a parent that we had tried them. (I still have the wooden recipe box from her class) :)
Kingdom of God "at hand" -- mentioned 162 times in the New Testament, covering both "God" and "Heaven"!!
We limit God beyond imagining -- again, recent blog posts also speak to this...
Abraham's vast "family" included all believers by the time Jesus was finished. This emphasizes the point that Jesus came for ALL and not just the Jews. Stars and sand greatly outnumber the members of the Jewish nation!!
Seemingly insignificant people or things -- babies hidden in baskets (Ex. 2), talking donkeys (Num. 22) (one of my favorites), fish (Matt. 17:27), etc...
Israelites "botched the whole thing" in not following God's plans -- don't misunderstand me here, I fully support Israel as a Nation blessed of God as stated in Gen. 12, "I will bless those who bless you..."
God's perspective is more important 1 Sam. 16:7 -- man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart
"Ditches" -- later Sunday afternoon, I messaged Pastor Matt about the quote I've come to embrace from President Eisenhower when he spoke of the best policies being found in the middle of the road, because either extreme is in the ditches.
"Missionaries in our lives" At the beginning of the service, Pastor Matt had a couple speak briefly on their missionary work as they head to Romania to serve Ukrainian Refugees. Pray for God's direction in the details of this work.
Music -- No rights, ever, I promise!!
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