Jul 28 2002
Desire Is Good
Moody First United Methodist Church
Rev. Eddie Smart
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-46
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The kingdom of heaven is like…The kingdom of heaven is like. You know, it’s tough to describe something that defies words. So how did Jesus do it? One way was through parables. This 13th chapter of Matthew is one parable after another about that which defies description - the Kingdom of Heaven.
The coast guard was out searching. They were out all day searching for John F. Kennedy, Jr. They found pieces of his plane and feared the worst. It was July of 1999. We were remembering November of 1963, and soon to be 3 year old John John standing there saluting as the casket of his father passed by. This crash another tragedy in the lives of the Kennedy’s.
Jamie Hargrove dies in a car crash, leaving behind a young son. In western Pennsylvania coal miners are trapped and rescue attempts are set back. At the airport, the security is tight, but you wonder, “Is it tight enough?” There is the need for a new cabinet position called “Homeland Security.” The collapse of a bonfire at Texas A&M still makes the news. Families remain devastated. Children are abducted from coast to coast. A FedEx plane crashes in Florida. Four army wives killed by their husbands at Fort Bragg, N.C. in a six week period.
Life is tough! We need something to help us get through it.
Will Willimon tells the story of asking seminary students why they think they have been called to ordained ministry. He says it’s not unusual to hear an answer like, “I like working with people.” This drives Willimon to the question, “Have you met the people you’ll be working with? Some of them are not all that nice.”
You know people are different, and sometimes that produces stress, anxiety, nervousness… Even conflict, prejudice, hatred, or violence. People are different, and we have a hard time relating to each other sometimes. In our annual conference there will be the opportunity in September to come together to address the issue of diversity within our society, and how to remain faithful in the midst of diversity.
People are different and circumstances are difficult, SO we are easily stressed. We need something to help us get through this tough life.
The Kingdom of heaven is like… the Kingdom of heaven is like…
John the Baptist said the Kingdom of heaven is near. Jesus repeatedly said the Kingdom of heaven is here. The kingdom of heaven has been described as “Already now” as well as “Not yet.” The kingdom has come, BUT the kingdom will come.
Our son-in-law, Will, is a sports nut - he loves baseball - worked for Rangers. He says he wants Matthew, our grandson, to be a left handed pitcher. They don’t have to be very good to make big money in the Majors, according to Will. My father-in-law said, “If Matthew becomes an athlete, Will will get to heaven early.” You know we can be a part of the kingdom early.
Some years ago the Texas Rangers lost in an afternoon game. They were ahead 6 to 4 in the top half of the 9th. Their ace stopper, John Wetteland, was pitching. The first two batters get home runs & the game is tied. In the tenth, Arizona goes ahead to win. Johnny Oates, the manager at that time, was asked if he was concerned. I loved his answered. He said, “Concerned, that’s too strong a word.” This is only a game. The tee shirts missed the point. Life is NOT baseball. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom.” Desire is good. If we desire the right thing.
Carol Marie Noren tells this story. Several times in recent years I’ve had the opportunity to stay at a cottage in the Yorkshire Dales, owned by a retired British Methodist minister. On my last visit, I noticed a barbecue pit had been constructed in the garden. My host, proud of his latest home improvement, turned over the oblong brass plate that serves as a cooking surface. To my surprise, I saw an engraved inscription that began, “Sacred to the memory of this faithful Methodist, a lifelong member of our chapel, twice chairman of the property committee.”
When I asked where my friend had gotten this brass plate, he said, “Oh, I picked it up from the rubble of a church that was demolished a few years ago. Somebody bought the place for the land, and tore down the building. You know, this thing does a super job on hamburgers.”
As someone who loves beautiful old churches and is grateful to those who built them, I felt the painful absurdity of the situation. But I also wondered whether this congregation had chosen to invest in memorials instead of ministry to the lost souls in their neighborhood; if their treasure was their favorable location rather than desiring a better country, that is, a heavenly one (Heb 11:16).
They sold the field with the hidden treasure that was to be available to any who passed that way, and so their legacy to the world was a hamburger grill.(1)
I have noticed churches tend to describe their history in two ways, the buildings they build, and the preachers they’ve had. I long to read a church history that reads: In 1957 we started a children’s choir, teaching our children to praise God. In 1965 we helped to establish The Blessing Club, providing food and clothing to the needy. In 1973 we joined others in creating the ministry to latch-key children. In 1978 we invited 500 people to our church to meet Jesus Christ. In 1984 we took a mission team to Mexico to build a church. In 1999 our youth went to Oklahoma to help victims of tornados. In 2002 we celebrated as 100 people came to FUMC to profess their faith in Jesus Christ.
The kingdom that arrived with Jesus did not include the triumphal victory so longed for by the Jews. It arrived secretly like leaven, inconspicuously like a mustard seed, or like a small pearl of great value that can be hidden in one’s pocket.
We pray “thy kingdom come,” and it has, it is, and it will be. The kingdom of heaven is like… The kingdom of heaven is like… The kingdom of heaven is like a few things that are around us, and yet like something far more than we can imagine. To desire it is good.
1. Noren, Carol Marie, True Value, Pupit Resources, Vol. 27, No. 3, July, Aug, Sept 1999 17-18.