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Tue Jul 19 10:51:32 EDT 2011

         Treasure and Trash
                        excerpted from Preaching the Parables, Cycle A by John R. Brokhoff

According to Jesus, there is nothing more precious than the Kingdom of Heaven. In the parables of the treasure and pearl, Jesus taught that the Kingdom is even more valuable than gold or jewels. How much is a person willing to give to possess the treasure and pearl of the Kingdom?

                        Once there was a childless king who was dying. Anxious to choose a successor, he called for applicants to be considered. The first prospect said, "I have strong legs and sure feet. With them I will visit every home in the land. I will give my feet to the kingdom."

                        Another applicant said, "I have strong hands, They are fit to do the work of a king. I offer them to the kingdom." A third claimed, "I have many talents and am more gifted than any other man in the realm. I feel I should be king so badly, that I will give all my riches to the kingdom."

                        At last a crippled little dwarf came to the bedside of the dying king and said, "Sir, my feet and hands are crippled and useless. I have no talents and I am poor. So, all I have is myself, but I will give it to the kingdom." It was he who succeeded the king.

                        What it means to give oneself to the Kingdom was expressed by Hannah Whithall Smith: "I have tried keeping myself and have failed and failed most grievously. I am absolutely helpless. So now I will trust Thee. I give myself to Thee. I keep back no reserves. I present myself to Thee as a piece of clay to be fashioned into anything Thy love and wisdom shall choose."

                        Context

                        Context of the Church Year

                        We are in the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost Sunday. Today we conclude the consideration of the parables in Matthew 13. This Sunday's gospel lesson gives us three parables of the Kingdom of Heaven: hidden treasure, pearl of great price, and the dragnet.

                        Context of the Pericope

                        The gospel lesson consists of three parables and Jesus' concluding statement of the seven parables in Matthew 13. Two of the parables (treasure and pearl) are twins dealing with the value of the Kingdom. The third parable (dragnet) is a twin with the parable of the weeds discussed last Sunday. Because of the similarity of themes in the parables of the weeds and net, we will not involve the net parable in this study.
                        The parables can be seen in the context of treasure and trash:
                        1. Treasure - the treasure in the field, the pearl of great price, the good fish.
                        2. Trash - the possessions sold to buy the field, the sale of inferior pearls, the bad fish.
                        3. Understanding - what is treasure and what is trash. (vv. 51-52)

                        Context of the Lectionary

                        The First Lesson. (Exodus 3:13-20) This lection is the fourth in a series on the ministry of Moses. In response to Moses' question, Yahweh reveals his name as "I am" and promises to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and to take them to a rich land.

                        The Second Lesson. (Romans 8:26-30) For four Sundays the second lesson is taken from Romans 8. This is the third selection. Because we do not know how to pray, the Spirit prays for us. Moreover, in everything God works for the good to those who love him.

                        Gospel. (Matthew 13:44-52) This is the last of a series of three selections from Matthew 13. The pericope contains three parables dealing with the Kingdom of Heaven.

                        Psalm. Psalm 105:1-11 All praise and thanks to the Lord for his faithfulness to his covenant by giving Canaan to his people.

                        Prayer of the Day. As God's ears are open to our prayers, we pray that our hearts and minds would be open to his Spirit.

                        Hymn of the Day. "O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth."

                        Context of Related Scriptures

                        Job 28:18 - Something more precious than a pearl.
                        Isaiah 65:1 - God waits to be sought.
                        Matthew 6:19-21 - Where your treasure is.
                        Matthew 6:33 - Seek first the kingdom.
                        Matthew 19:21 - "You will have treasure in heaven."
                        Matthew 25:18, 25 - Hiding money in the ground.
                        2 Corinthians 4:7 - Treasure in earthen vessels.
                        Ephesians 3:7 - The unsearchable riches of Christ.
                        Philippians 3:7-11 - The surpassing worth of Christ.

                        Content

                        The Twins

                        Occasionally parables come in twos as though they were twins. Some of the twins are the lost coin and the lost sheep, the friend at midnight and the unjust judge, the weeds and the dragnet, and today we have for consideration the twins, the buried treasure and the pearl of great price. They are twins in that the theme is the same in both parables....click here to read the rest of the sermon

                                    Free Children's Sermon from CSSPlus             

Heaven's Pearls
                                    from CSSPlus (Children's Sermon Service...Plus)

                                    Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever been shopping with someone? (let them answer) Some people spend a long time looking at all the choices. Maybe they can't find exactly what they want, so they don't buy anything that day. But when they do find something that is just right, they can be filled with such happiness. Jesus told a story about something that fills people with happiness once they find it.

                                    Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is the best place God ever created. It is filled with love to begin with and everyone in it is filled with love. Secondly, it is a place of no trouble. It is also a very beautiful place where everyone is healthy and without worry.

                                    Jesus told a lot of stories about the kingdom of God. He told the fisherman one kind of story that they would like, he told another story to farmers and still another one to merchants or businesspeople. He wanted everyone to know what a special place it was.

                                    One day he had a group of people together that liked jewelry. Do you like jewelry? (let them answer) There was a shop owner, maybe a jeweler, who was always on the lookout for the perfect pearl. Do you know what pearls look like? (let them answer) That's right and do you know how they are made? (let them answer) Pearls come from oysters. A pearl usually begins when something has gotten into the oyster's shell that does not belong there. Day after day the oyster works to get rid of it, in the process it helps the pearl grow. Some of the pearls that come from oysters are the most beautiful pieces of jewelry in the world. I brought along a string of pearls (show it) so that you can see how beautiful a real pearl is.

                                    Jesus says that when a jeweler sees the perfect pearl, it fills him with happiness. He rushes home and gathers all of his valuables so that he can buy the perfect pearl.

                                    The reason Jesus tells this story is so we know how perfect the kingdom of heaven is. It is worth more than all of the money in the world, more important than all of the jewelry in the world, and it is worth more than anything else in the world.

                                    So the next time you see someone with beautiful pearls, I hope you are reminded about the jeweler who sold everything he had so he could buy the perfect pearl. As Christians we will give away everything else for being with God in the kingdom of heaven...view this children's sermon on the web

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