A Poem a Sunday

Pentecost 8 – A

July 30, 2017

Matthew 13:31-33; 44-52 - NRSV

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 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.”

The Parable of the Yeast

33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with[a] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

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Three Parables

44 “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.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Treasures New and Old

51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Footnotes:

a. Matthew 13:33 Gk hid in

A Poem a Sunday

Pentecost 8 – A

What Now?

Thy Kingdom come…

Really now?

A pesky mustard seed,

that ancient weed

invading the crop?

A little yeast,

from the Middle East

invading the bread?

A hidden treasure

one cannot measure

for a famine field?

A pricey pearl

worth all the world

from the fisherman?

Thy Kingdom come…

Really now?

Invading the way things are?

Upsetting the apple cart?

Turning worlds upside down

with reckless abandon all around?

A disruptive force, the coming Kingdom,

invading our lives and creating freedom

that shows us nothing more to lose.

When God comes near

dare we refuse:

the change,

the new,

the call,

the truth?

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