Thy Kingdom Come

July 30, 2023

Rev. Mary Erickson

Hope Lutheran Church

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52; 1 Kings 3:5-12; Romans 8:26-39

Thy Kingdom Come

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

One summer during college I lived at the home of my college roommate while we both worked summer jobs. A couple of times that summer, Linda’s family had gatherings at her grandparents’ house. They lived in a big old farmhouse in Chaska, MN.

Her grandparents came from old German farmer stock. They believed in big, hearty meals and that no one should step away from the table hungry.

Before the meal, there were appetizers. At one gathering, Linda’s grandfather had this huge box of assorted chocolates. He walked around the circle of people assembled in the living room and held out the box for each of us to take some. Linda had warned me, “If Grandpa doesn’t think you’ve taken enough, he’ll just stay there in front of you.”

So I knew not to skimp. I took like, three chocolates, which was way more sweets than I normally would have taken before a meal. Grandpa didn’t move and he said, “You want more, no?” So I took a few more.

Our reading from Matthew is something like that. We hear no less than five brief parables. They’re all small nuggets, like assorted, individual chocolates. And five of them is a lot to digest in one setting!

Chapter 13 of Matthew is a repository of Jesus’ parables. We’ve already heard some of them: the farmer sowing seeds in various soil conditions, the wheat growing with the weeds. And now today we hear these five small parables.

What holds all of the parables together in Matthew 13 is that they’re about the Kingdom of Heaven. They’re kingdom parables, they’re trying to describe the dynamics of God’s realm.

The five parable we hear today are all kingdom parables. In the Lord’s prayer we pray “thy kingdom come.” Martin Luther had this to say about the prayer petition: “God’s kingdom comes, indeed, without our praying for it. But we ask in this prayer that it may also come to us.”

We don’t have to pray the kingdom into existence; it comes on its own. But nevertheless, we pray: come, Jesus, come into our lives with your grace and your Spirit-filled realm.

Kingdom parables. Of today’s parables, two of them are about tiny things. Two others center on hidden wealth. And the final one is about a fishing net. So today I’m going to reflect briefly on all five parables. Like good assorted chocolates, we’ll binge on all five and savor them.

First, the mustard seed. Now, the mustard seed is quite small. It’s smaller than an acorn or a pea. It’s even smaller than a grain of wheat or an apple seed. But a very large bush-like plant can grow from that tiny seed. It grows to be about three to four feet high. That’s large enough so that birds can shelter in it and even nest.

Elsewhere, Jesus comments that you can’t search for God’s kingdom here or there. The kingdom, he says, is “within you.”

God’s kingdom is within you. Like a little seed. That seed germinates and takes root within YOU! Too often we trivialize our capabilities and influence in the world. We think of ourselves as insignificant and incapable. “What can I do? I’m just one person. I’m not rich or particularly clever. I’m not well connected or powerful. So don’t count on me for much.”

When we engage in self talk like that, we underestimate the power of God’s kingdom. It’s not about us, it’s about the kingdom within us, doing its own thing on its own. What you have inside you may be small, but so is a mustard seed! The potential of God’s kingdom within you isn’t something to be minimalized. What becomes of that seed in you is kingdom driven! Don’t doubt that you can become a mighty shelter for others!

On to chocolate number two. Jesus talks about a woman who is making bread. She mixes yeast into her bread dough and works it in. Yeast comes in a very small package. It doesn’t take much yeast to leaven a lot of dough.

Typically, in a Jewish context, yeast is regarded unfavorably. Yeast was eradicated from a house during Passover. Jesus spoke negatively about the yeast of the Pharisees. But in this passage, Jesus uses yeast in a positive manner.

There’s something marvelous about yeast. You mix it into dough and then put the lump away in a bowl. When you come back an hour later, the dough has doubled in size. The little yeast molecules have worked their magic! And it smells so good, too!