“God’s Vision is Much Greater than our Own”
“God’s Vision is Much Greater than our Own”
Reflection by Krista Moore for Churchill Gilford UCC based on Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
Sunday July 30, 2023
Introduction to the Scriptures:
Jesus is teaching the crowds. But they do not understand. So he uses many parables to describe the kingdom of heaven – as something small and hidden until a later time when the righteous will live in peace and those who do evil will be sent away. It’s a hard lesson. The disciples are listening and watching Jesus to figure out what he is teaching them.
Let us be the ones who listen and hear what Jesus is saying. Think about the lesson in your own life – How can we recognize and choose God’s teachings over the power and corruption of this world? Will we have the patience to plant a seed, to do our part, and watch the kingdom of heaven grow?
Sermon:
1) Bad News in the Bible:
It wasn’t easy for Jesus to teach them. The people were angry at the Romans for taking over their land. And people were worried about their own survival. They wanted a savior, a mighty warrior to come and help them fight back. To give them back their land. To heal their diseases. To give them hope in an age of moral and ethical corruption.
But Jesus had another message. He couldn’t tell them straight out – I’m not going to save you from the Romans. I’m not going to be an earthly King of this world!
No. My kingdom will not be a wealthy and powerful nation dominating all others.
My kingdom will be like the smallest seed in God’s garden. A mustard seed. Hardly valued at first. Seen as less than. Insignificant. Or yeast – the smallest ingredient needed to bake bread. Or a pearl hidden at the bottom of the ocean.
But then it grows, or it is discovered, and over time it has tremendous value and impact.
Why is Jesus talking about hidden and small things? The people may ask. Why is he comparing his kingdom to a mustard seed? Isn’t our Messiah going to be a King like David and rule over all in this world?
2) Bad News in our World:
If I were Jesus, I would not want to rule our world either. At least not as it is now.
Two nights ago we went to see the movie Sound of Freedom. It is not an easy film to watch, but I highly recommend it. The movie was finished 5 years ago. But No major studios would distribute it. Then Angel Studios, the same makers of The Chosen, a crowd-funded series about Jesus and his disciples, finally found a way to get it into theatres. Now I see why.
It is a true story about human trafficking. Crimes against children who are sold into slavery all around the world. Unspeakable acts of evil. Hard to fathom. Hard to talk about.
Truth is like that. It is difficult to hear. Difficult to see. Hard to believe. These children are so small, vulnerable. Innocent.
A mustard seed is also like that. Tiny, insignificant, hidden. It is so small it could roll out of your hand, and you wouldn’t be able to find it. Like these children who were taken from their families and hidden away. A cop from California decides to put himself in grave danger, and rescues a little boy, only 6 years old. He wants to do more. His boss does not support it, so he quits his job and goes all the way down into the depths of Columbia to rescue the boy’s 11-year-old sister.
We might be tempted to think, “What can I do about that? I can’t save all those children? Or I can’t stop the powerful from dominating the nations and causing war?”
That would be depressing, if it were all up to us – like a tiny seed buried in the ground. What can we do about it? It’s nothing. But it is not all up to us. And it’s not nothing. With God’s help as the Gardener, tiny seeds grow into great trees that shelter many. In other words, we can make a difference.
3) Good News in the Bible:
Jesus knows how we feel.
We may see war and death, poverty, and crimes against humanity and even children And think how can we make a difference? But Jesus has a secret. He’s sharing it in a parable about a mustard seed and yeast, treasure and a pearl, and a net to catch fish. He knows how to take something seemingly small and
insignificant and make turn it into something magnificent. He sees its hidden value. He knows how valuable we are. He is building a kingdom not like the powerful and mighty on earth. His kingdom is based on gentleness, truth, honesty, courage and compassion, humility, kindness, and love.
You may think, what’s love got to do with it? How can love overcome evil?
But love doesn’t make us weak, it makes us strong. Jesus says in another scripture, the meek shall inherit the earth. He also says, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. And that we must be innocent like little children (and as wise as foxes) if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven.
So back to Song of Freedom.
A father of six decides to risk everything knowing he may never return to his family. He goes to Columbia to rescue another man’s kidnapped children who were sold into sexual slavery. His compassion and righteous anger are so strong, that he thinks of them as his own. And he says, “God’s children are not for sale.”
To him, the smallest are the most valuable. Like a pearl worth risking everything for.
The kingdom of heaven is like that. The smallest things are the big things. God sees everything we do. God knows what is possible. He put us here for a reason. We can all make a difference.
4) Good News in Our World
The truth is – words have power – love has power – hope has power. The people of God – WE – have power. And we are not alone. God is our source and our gardener. God planted us here; he waters us and puts us where we need to be. He grows the garden. He even takes care of the weeds! (or the evil in this world). (thank God).
It is difficult to hear this story, but we all know that life is not all sunshine and rainbows. There is evil in this world. We pray for our children and our children’s children and all the children of the world.
Although it was difficult to watch, this movie also gave me hope. Jesus says in another passage, that all that is hidden in darkness will be seen in the light. That nothing that is hidden shall stay hidden. When God shines a light on something and it is no longer hidden, then the world takes notice. Then they see what is important. And defend what is valuable – like innocent children – the most precious and valuable of all.
Jesus also tells us not to worry. God will take care of what is considered evil. Our job is to listen and pay attention and do our part, what God put in our heart to do.
We all have a role to play in bringing about the kingdom of heaven on earth. It isn’t always easy, but it is worth it.
At the end of the movie, I learned the man and his friend, had the courage and determination to find what they were looking for – the most valuable thing in the world. The two siblings were saved, and then 120 more children. This was made 5 years ago, so let us hope and pray that many more have been saved since then.
We can also make a difference. One way we can do our part is to watch a movie like this and be aware, tell others about it. (By the way, this movie is outselling Mission Impossible and Indiana Jones – the biggest summer blockbusters). A little mustard seed of a movie that was hidden for 5 years, crowd-sourced without Hollywood, is growing steadily. Never underestimate the power of God!) The good news is, God has a plan. God uses us to do good things in the world.
We can’t always stop harm from happening. But we can raise awareness and stand for goodness. We can advocate. We can use our voices, hearts, and minds. We can speak truth to power.
But sometimes we underestimate ourselves. Or we’re afraid to rock the boat. To say what’s on our minds. We don’t want to get political or offend anybody. I know I’m guilty of that.
But God planted a seed of truth in our hearts. Our conscience, our innate sense of right and wrong. And when we hear it, we know it. It stirs things up. It makes us want to do something about it. To help people. To do the impossible. Like build the kingdom of heaven on earth, despite the challenges.
Jesus planted words of truth, compassion, courage, and wisdom like little seeds in our hearts, to combat our worries and fears. To help us overcome thoughts of defeat, death, darkness, and despair. Jesus gives us new life – abundant life – in the spirit.
He gives us his Light.
And yes, he gives us power. Spiritual power.
Spiritual truth runs deeper than we can see with our eyes or hear with our ears. Like the deep roots of the mustard tree.
That’s why Jesus speaks in parables. What we see deceives us. We see problems bigger than ourselves. They seem insurmountable. But we are not alone.
God sees US – the people of God – like the good seed, the mustard seed, the yeast, the treasure, the pearl. And now we can grow and spread words of truth, love, compassion, unity, trust, courage, and hope.
We can have patience to be formed by God, pressed into a precious pearl. A pearl of wisdom, of truth. A treasure of great value. Good things take time. Like the seed buried under the ground, or the pearl hidden in the field. We may not see how it’s possible. We may not think very much of ourselves or feel quite small. But God sees what we can become. And it is awesome!
God knows how to bring us out into the open. So something unexpected can happen. Something glorious!
We can do more than we could ever imagine.
God’s vision is much greater than our own.
God has a plan for all of us.
You may not see it now.
But God has a plan for you.
You are a unique child of God.
You have a special purpose.
You are here for a reason.
And that reason is buried deep inside of you, like the mustard seed in the ground.
But we cannot do it alone.
The kingdom of heaven is a community. It spreads across the earth. We may start small, but we can blossom and grow and share God’s love with all we know.
Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, a treasure, a tiny pearl. It takes time to be discovered, to be developed. To grow and spread across the earth.
At the time Jesus spoke Christianity was not even a reality. The Jewish people were listening, and some Greeks and Romans. No one thought it would become what it is today – with its many denominations, spread across the entire earth. But small things become big things. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. The kingdom of heaven is before us.
Our job is to not be afraid to shine and do our part – even when it feels hard or like our efforts are so small.
QUESTION
So, how can we bring about the kingdom of heaven on earth? How can we make a difference in our family, in our community, in our world? Remember (Krista’s 3 Things)
1. You are valuable, a precious child of God. All children are precious and deserve our love and support. Like Christmas for Kids or Sleeping Children all around the world – ask Ann and Larry about their trip!
2. We are not alone; we have the light of God in us, like hidden treasure. Do not be afraid to shine your light in dark places, or stand up for what you believe in, to defend what is good and true.
3. We can become all God made us to be – with a little courage, and the right community – God is our gardener. Our tiny efforts are like tiny seeds that will grow beyond our knowing. God’s vision is so much greater than our own.
CLOSING
You never know what impact we might have as a community of faith, doing our part to build the kingdom of heaven on earth. Something small can grow quite big! Believe it is possible. Everything we do makes a difference. You are so much more than you know. Don’t be afraid to shine God’s light and spread it around! And watch God’s garden grow.
Let us pray.
Remember these words of Jesus:
You are the light of the world.
The kingdom of heaven is within you.
Do not be discouraged or afraid
for I have overcome the world.
I will give you the strength
I will give you the courage,
I will give you my vision
God’s vision is far greater than your own
Don’t worry. You are not alone
I am with you always
Even to the end of the age.
Amen.