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Sermon Notes from Sunday, July 27, 2008
Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
Prayer of the Day:
Jesus gives us a comparison of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. It’s compared to a mustard seed, yeast, hidden treasure, a fine pearl, and a fishing net. It’s a start for understanding the Kingdom of Heaven, even though its fulfillment is outside the realm of earth. The Kingdom is here and yet not completed and so we can’t fully visualize it. But it is a beginning of an understanding for us.
The tiny mustard seed becomes a bush. It grows from a small, insignificant seed into a sturdy plant. The Kingdom grows within us making us into a person of faith capable of being a strong and supportive human.
Yeast works its way through the whole body of dough, giving it a new body, a new taste and lifts it all up to new heights. As the Kingdom works within us, the same thing can happen as we lift up others and bring flavor and joy to lives.
Hidden treasures and fine pearls are no comparison to the riches we have already received with the Kingdom of Heaven. We may not fully realize how rich we are until something threatens to take away that Kingdom. Then we may cling to the faith even through persecution.
Just as a net draws in the fish, so we may be drawn in to the faith. That can come about because of someone's life story or someone's witness. And just as we are drawn in so we can spread the net even further and draw in others.
There are so many ways that we can be made aware of the presence of the Kingdom of Heaven. But this is just the start. There will still be the fulfillment of that kingdom. There is nothing on earth that compares to what is still to come. Rest assured, though, that what Jesus has finally prepared for us, in His Father's presence, will surely make us leap for joy. AMEN.Darrell Vetter