Bethlehem Lutheran Church

We begin a new sermon series this morning- “Heaven on Earth,” and we will be focusing on the signs given to us in the Bible- by Jesus- to look for God at work in our world, and how we can participate in that amazing work. In the process, we know the presence of God- and where God is, there is heaven!

 We’re going to focus on the Gospel reading and the parables there. Any one of them could easily fill our time, but they work powerfully together in showing us God’s Kingdom, how Jesus worked (and works). What’s more, they offer wonderful first steps- small steps, if you will, to how we can live as followers of Jesus today.

 And, we’ll use a saying of Jesus to set up an outline: the last (parable) will be first and the first, last...

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,” says Jesus... And it caught fish of every kind. When it was full, it was pulled up, and drawn to shore, they sat down and put the good fish into baskets, but threw out the bad...

 This parable parallels the parable of the wheat and the weeds we heard last week- weeds and wheat grow side by side until harvest, and then the wheat is saved and the weeds are burned...

At the end of the age, similar judgment will be made by God... It is God’s judgment, not ours, as much as we liketo decide other people’s faithfulness. I have to say that over the years, Lutherans have been especially good at this. There are umpteen Lutheran denominations still, some based on ethnic groups (as I have said, THERE’S a great way to grow a church these days- yep, another boat load of Norwegians arriving tomorrow...)- or based on doctrine, and there are lots to choose from...

I once received a “welcome brochure” from a conservative Lutheran church, inviting my family to worship, but with two pages of single spaced text explaining to me why I couldn’t have communion when I came...

And I remember a young pastor in the years before 1988, when Lutherans formed the ELCA, snorting that he wanted little to do with a large group of Lutherans based in Minneapolis. HIS church, based in New York City had a far superior understanding of church- and it would be a cold day in you know where before he would ever serve one of those OTHER churches... and, of course, here I am. How silly- stupid even...

This parable says “Quit that kind of thinking. Now.” Our job is to work together to proclaim Jesus- to share the Good News of God’s Love in our world. I look at you- folks who have come from all different traditions- or maybe no tradition- and know you have it right: where you and I started is far less important than where we’re going- sharing our Lord and his Good News with the people around us. And I will work with anyone who follows Jesus, whether they’re Catholic, Baptist or anyone in between!

Because it is God’s job to judge, not yours and not mine...

The massacre in Norway on Friday is another horrific example of what happens when humans decide, in God’s Name, who is “in the basket, and who is thrown out,” who is worthy to live and who is not...

If you don’t hear another thing I say this morning, don’t miss this: God does not need our defending... God- the creator of the universe and everything in it, does not need you or me or anyone else- to defend God’s name or anything else about God, for that matter.

It may grieve you to hear this, but again: judgment belongs to God, not to you, not to me, or any person of any religion. And as acts of terror in the name of Allah prejudice people against millions of Muslims, so do acts of terror in the name of God prejudice people against Christ followers- all of us...

2% of the population worship in Norway- those who don’t- even though they are nominally Christian- will, at best, talking about what it means to be a devout  Christian and connecting it to rightwing violence, whether it is fair, or not.

Worse still, is that kind of judgmental behavior- and the whole spectrum of it, from talk to violence, damages the ability of people to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. You and I have been given that “Pearl of Great Price,” that “Treasure in the Field,” to use the next parables.

Do you know what we have in Jesus, the speaker of these parables? You and I are given a loving, eternal relationship with the Creator of the Universe!

In the gift of Jesus, you and I are promised that nothing can take that love away. And again, please note, the promise is not an easy, long life, or riches or fame. Life can- or could well- come crashing down around us, but in spite of it all, Jesus will still be there! Through the best and the worst, Jesus is with you, loving you, holding you.

Think of it: you are so valued and loved by God that in Christ, God became one of us, lived, laughed and cried- even faced the death each one of us faces, and in his Resurrection from the dead, Jesus promises always to be there for you- when you can’t pray, Paul writes in Romans, Jesus’ Spirit prays for you!

When you raise your hands in joy, Jesus is there; when you cover your face in shame, Jesus is there. Breathe your last, and Jesus will be there to welcome you into his eternal Kingdom.

That relationship is there from the moment of your baptism, and God calls you to respond- that’s the other side of these two parables: in order to obtain the pearl, or the treasure, the finders give up all they have- the commitment is total!

So are you and I asked to commit in our relationship with Jesus: it means growing in faith- worshipping regularly, praying, or conversation with God, learning the Bible.

It means living the generosity God shows you and me- in terms of time, talent, and yes, money (careful, Chris, you’re starting to meddle here...) in service to God.

But let me ask you this: those of you who are married: would you, your spouse grow in your relationship if you were partially faithful? Even mostly faithful??? Or if you are a parent- or a child: would your children, or you, grow and thrive with partial commitment to parenting- say 60% of the time?

How can a relationship grow and thrive- bear fruit without commitment?

And when the commitment is there, wonderful things happen: God changes you- you are transformed for the better, and you and I make a difference in our world. And THAT takes us to the next parable: the Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, leavening loaves...

I can remember watching our children at a Passover dinner years ago making faces over the flat, unleavened Matzah, and then devouring the dinner rolls that came later. Yeast changes bread into something very good...

The Kingdom of God changes you and me- and the people around us, too; I’ve seen it countless times, countless ways...

I know a couple I’ll call Harry and Barb, from another time, another place. They were very successful financially; they had great children, and both of them were miserable: he was completely devoted to his business, and utterly alienated from his wife and kids. Both of them were “mostly faithful” to each other- for lots of reasons, and they fought; they were cruel to each other.

They decided to divorce when their youngest left for college. But in the course of pastoral counseling, sought to help with the divorce, Harry reaffirmed- rediscovered, perhaps a better way to describe it, his relationship with God in Jesus. And in the course of that rediscovery, sought to see if reconciliation with his wife and family might be possible...

Barb was suspicious- she had been hurt; she was in need of forgiveness herself, but she agreed to try. And over the course of individual- and joint counseling, she, too, recommitted herself to her faith and her Lord.

After months and months of hard, hard work with their therapist, (who was not me, if you’re wondering. I’m good at a lot of things, but counseling is not one of them. I can, though, connect you to wonderful counselors or therapists if you’re looking...) Harry and Barb reaffirmed their marriage vows, and began anew!

This reached beyond them, of course: their children were thrilled. They, all married now themselves, know that marriages, even those with terrible difficulties are worth saving and can be saved; promises can be kept. They still have a home to come home to on holidays. And they have a good foundation for their own relationships.

Harry and Barb had friends, neighbors and acquaintances who saw the change, the reconciliation, and who found their own marriages renewed: If they can do it, perhaps we can, too...

That’s yeast; that’s leaven, to use the words from the parable. That’s Jesus working in our world, healing transforming... If you were to ask either of them, they would tell you that without Jesus, without their faith, it would have been impossible. But it wasn’t easy- still isn’t, I’m sure, and they are still working hard!

And that brings us to our last parable: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed... It starts off small and grows into the greatest of shrubs... It is a process; it is a movement!

The Kingdom of Heaven broke in with one man, Jesus of Nazareth, and it grew, through his life and ministry, death and resurrection, with his living presence into a Church of billions and billions in heaven and on earth, sharing Jesus, offering shelter and service to all...

When you were baptized, the seed of God’s Kingdom was sown into you. And as you grow, you see gifts develop. You take steps to affirm your faith and learn what it means to follow Christ...

You and I didn’t start like St. Paul, for example- but remember, St. Paul didn’t start as St. Paul either! He was the persecutor, Saul. And even with a spectacular conversion, he took years to become Jesus’ ambassador to the Gentiles...

God calls; God plants: you and I respond, and grow into something wonderful- people who see needs in the world and respond to meet those needs; people who see God at work in the world, identify it, and invite those around to participate in what God is doing!

Let me close with a “mustard seed” for Bethlehem: We talk here about 20,000 new relationships with Jesus by 2020, and while there are obviously numbers involved in the slogan, for me, it is (far) less about the numbers and far more about the relationships!

It is about being open to God expanding our minds- our thoughts, our ideas about how God can use us- from the folks who are here to the myriad of folks beyond our walls who need Jesus- who need the peace, the forgiveness and the meaning that comes from a relationship with God!

It’s about growing the Kingdom of God, as we start new communities, and as we work with existing communities. It is about meeting the needs we see in the communities around us- from hunger to housing, and sharing in the meeting of those needs with whoever would like to participate with us, and then rejoicing together in seeing God at work!

Let me give you two times and places for you to invite people you know to see a difference made in their lives- and yours. The week of August 15th is our annual Habitat for Humanity work week. Bethlehem will be building a new house in North Minneapolis. It’s a great way to share how this community cares about the people around us- and why... You can sign-up yourself this morning in the Gallery!

On Sunday, September 11th, our fall kicks off. I want to challenge you to think about the people you could invite to church- people perhaps new, people wanting their children to have an experience with God- people wanting that experience for themselves... Start praying about who that might be, and for the courage to invite...

See the mustard seed germinate and grow, and grow...

And here is the promise we will make to those who are invited: this is a community that looks for God in the world; it is one where you will be accepted and not judged. It is a community where you can meet Jesus, where you will be challenged to commit your life to him, and see it changed forever for the better, as you grow in your faith...

This is a community where these parables and the Kingdom of Heaven come to life and light- and you can get a glimpse of heaven on earth, wherever you find yourself- for Jesus’ sake, and in his name! Amen.

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