Heaven is Doing - Matthew 13 - Proper 12A

Heaven is doing

Tony E Hansen

Sermon based upon Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52; Romans 8:26-39, Psalm 119:129-136

Opening prayer

Hope everyone had a great week of RAGBRAI - even if you didn’t ride! While I enjoy riding bicycle, riding 400 miles in a week does something.  1) you do get tired 2) some days are better than others and 3) there are many potential “off-ramps” available to you: rain, storms, a flat tires, oppressive heat, cramps, and dehydration (just a few.) 

Yet, we persevere because we need to continue - to make it to the next town, next hydration stop, or the goal. (Pickles help!) Why would anyone do this?

There is community that shows up in bicycling that is quite unique. For instance when someone suffers a flat, there are usually people willing to stop and help. When it is hot, you see it in every person, and people will offer water to someone who is clearly showing. All along the day’s route, you see pop-up stands with people offering to sell a pickle or lemonade. 

(Yes Pickles help to ease cramps and sore muscles. )

Especially during RAGBRAI, people of different faiths, different politics, different fitness, different goals all are visibly sharing a path, occasionally see a uni-bike or someone riding backwards. Not only riding together but also having beverages or camping next to each other without judgment. Even outside of RAGBRAI, cyclists do this. 

What does that sound like to you? Glad you asked.

Perhaps that is something similar to what Jesus preaches?

That community reveals aspects of today’s parables and Romans.

Matthew’s lesson gives us a handful of parables. A mustard seed that grows into trees; woman hiding yeast in flour to make bread; a guy buying a field with hidden treasure; a merchant finding a pearl and sells everything; net cast into the sea bringing up all and then separated. Subversive and provocative - some mystery - so much here.

Who wants to be a caught fish?

For many of us who have grown up hearing some of these parables as “reasoning” to separate people - what is good and what’s evil - rather who - followed by litany of poor examples of “why.” 

Yet, the parable is more than separation because that net pulls up everything and anything. People have presumed a selection that happens here but wait… what if I was one of the fish that just wanted to live another day but instead got pulled out of the water? How lucky are those fish? 

They might be dinner for someone - Hope I am tasty…

Why do we go to judgment first instead of being selected? Someone judges, someone gets the good stuff and “they” get that over there. Something like the two kids at gym class picking their teams. The athletes get picked first whittled until they get to “those” people - you know like me, the scrawny and not-terribly-gifted-in-athletics. The only reason why we even get to play is because the gym teacher says all of us get selected. Interesting…?

That might be a point here. All of us get selected. All of us were born and are now hearing (or reading) these words. All of us came from nowhere to be here today and now. All of us have dreams and going about our days: riding bicycle, swimming in a lake, making surprise bread or otherwise. All people are brought into this world, and it is up to us how we choose to live because heaven is more than clouds.

The parables reveal aspects of heaven. It is intention, it is surprise, it is comforting and caring. It is searching and is collecting. Heaven is doing. 

For all the talk about judging, we read this gorgeous bit from Paul. Our lesson from Romans 8 is veritable soothing, “All things work together for good…[for] those who are called to his purpose.” All children are called to God’s purpose - to belong - not to the marketing slice, not the commercial enterprise, and definitely not the evil war machine. 

God’s purpose is much bigger and that purpose includes you and me. That belonging invites you and me into using our gifts that we have to share with each other - doing. For some the gift is making bread, repairing bicycles, building nests, fishing, sharing stories, or reminding us that we all are God’s children. 

Do, share and live in this way - and then, there is no need for judgment.

“If God is for us, who is against us? …Who will bring any charge against God’s people for it is God who justifies." Let judgment be with God not us. You are invited to be healed from the broken world and to be victorious through the divine.

Our broken world wants to tell us differently. That is somehow ok to leave people out and not care - or rather, only care for myself - because no one else will. 

How wrong they are. For God cares and is knocking on your door to invite you. God wants you. God selected you.

It is not for us to pass judgement, or to condemn because that belongs to God. Instead, Christ brings us to together whether in a large thousands of riders, small rural congregation, queer people with many questions, parents raising children, children caring for parents, or addicts finding their ways in AA. Great people, small ones, downtrodden and poor in spirit, God is for us. That is the Matthew theme with pastoral frame in Romans.

God plants us as small seeds so that we turn into trees providing nests, safe places, to make families. God cares for us so that we might care for others and the planet around us. God selects you to grow and to share - to be part of the heaven doing what God wants us to be.

Ride a bike and see all that God has given to us in the great world in all of the conditions that God presents. Help a fellow out who needs help. Laugh with people. Have dinner with people and hear stories. Set goals and achieve and learn along the way. Ride backwards if that is your goal. Offer a pickle. Offer help.

Walk in that world! 

Be in that world! 

Do in that world and you will see everything that God has for you - that is indeed good.

Thanks be to God, Amen