The Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 12A) – July 27, 2008
The Reverend Monna Mayhall

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

I can remember several years ago, when I very first started going through the process of becoming a priest, a mentor and priest-friend of mine offered me some advice.  He said, “As you’re going through this discernment process and you have these interviews with the different committees, they’ll ask you questions about your theology, the kingdom of God, your faith.  And when they ask you questions, tell them a story.”

My first reaction was, “Why tell them a story when I can just tell them what I think? – And then I thought telling stories would be more fun, but what stories would I share, and what if they are not exciting at all?”  And then I realized that my friend didn’t mean for me to tell them just any story – he meant for me to tell parables – my parables…my stories as a way to share my thoughts and feeling.       

The word "parable" comes from the Greek "παραβολ?" (parabole), which is the term for a brief narrative in which spiritual and moral matters can be conveyed. 

It’s one of the simplest of narratives. It gives a setting, describes an action, and shows the results.  

A parable often involves a character facing a moral dilemma, or having to make a choice, and then suffering the consequences of that choice. It generally relates a single, simple, consistent action, without too much detail…for too much detail would risk losing the single focus.

I learned in the Tuesday morning lectionary study that the word “Parabola” also comes from the Greek, parabole.  Parabola is a mathematic term and one used in engineering.  In my non-engineering understanding, it’s basically a conic section or a curve… and the distances from either side to the one focal point, are equal. 

The St. Louis Arch is an example of a parabola.  With a parabola, the two sides will never meet and they continue on to infinity – but yet there is always only one focus. 

In the gospel for today, Jesus’ parables have one focus…the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus gives us clues about what the kingdom and reign of God will be like…and what it will not be like…but he doesn’t give us specifics. 

His parables can sometimes raise plenty of questions.  And at the end of this sermon, I imagine you will still have plenty of questions…maybe even more than before!                  

 One New Testament scholar wrote that “[Parables are] not always absolutely clear.  [The] purpose of a parable is to strike the imagination, to pique the curiosity, to make the listener reflect and work to arrive at the meaning, but only so that the lesson will be more deeply engraved on the mind.  All of the great themes of Jesus' preaching are struck in the parables. Perhaps no part of the Gospels, then, can better put us into touch with the mind of Jesus Christ than the parables.”

Perhaps this is why we struggle so much to understand the parables, so as to gain insights into Jesus’ mind. 

And it’s not so much just the struggling to understand them – because told in their time, they truly were about earthly things that people listening to them would understand. 

Rather, the trouble with trying to understand parables, then and now, is with our earthly human minds trying to grasp heavenly divine things.  Father Jim Hall, who many of you know, told this parable:

“A parable is like a curve ball in baseball.  The pitcher throws you a curve ball, and you swing…and miss.  You try to keep focused on the ball, and yet at every curve ball, you keep swinging and missing, until finally, you connect with the pitch…and oh my!”

I think it’s like that in parables, and particularly in these parables for today describing the kingdom of God and the end-time.  And not only do we have these parables to help us envision the kingdom of heaven, but there are other descriptions scattered throughout the Bible. 

One says that the kingdom of heaven is eternal life with God.  Another says that there is peace which passes all understanding; there is tremendous joy…There is a new existence, in which we are united with all God’s people.  Not only is the kingdom eternal life, it’s here on earth.  Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is among you.”

That all sounds great and joyful, but my human mind can only handle take a few curve balls at a time – and to try and grasp all that at once would be like a batting against Nolan Ryan.  

So today I’ll just swing at the parables…   

Planting seeds, making bread, trading goods, catching fish – back then and even still today – these are all seemingly ordinary tasks or events.  In and of themselves, one would not think that there’s anything exciting about them.  We saw that happen with the disciples who decided that their daily routine of catching smelly fish wasn’t nearly as exciting as following a complete stranger. 

For many of us, it may seem that we move through each day in a dull routine – we get up and go to school or work - or we stay retired or we stay in bed – maybe we take care of things around the house – take care of children – do chores – cook meals – eat meals – pick up things - drop things off – check emails – send emails – go to sleep ….and as Jackson Browns sings, “We get up and do it again.” 

And yet regardless, within what might seem like a mundane ordinary routine, there are glimpses and proof of life –and not just life, but abundant life – The farmer’s planting yields a great tree…the merchant’s trading produces a valuable pearl… and the fishermen’s laboring produces a haul –

The ordinary gives way to the extraordinary.   

We can see the extraordinary in our routine lives revealing the hope and promise of God’s love for us …Whether it’s through people helping people; love overtaking hatred; peace breaking through chaos; acceptance replacing rejection; or wholeness healing brokenness…

There’s proof of God’s unmerited, unfailing grace and mercy in our everyday ordinary lives. 

John Wesley said that “The best parable has always been the life of a human being who is able to listen to GOD and live with Neighbors.”

Even though we are humans with finite minds, and we may not be able to comprehend completely what the infinite kingdom of God is like…we like the disciples can have the faith to understand…and like the farmers, bakers, merchants, and fishermen…we can strive to help bring about the extraordinary out of the ordinary, and in that offer maybe offer hope and promise to those in the slumps of their lives.    

And as we tell our stories and throw our own curve ball parables, may we be solid witnesses to God’s unwavering faithfulness and love. 

Batter Up!