An Absurd Abundance --- Pent 8A

On a regular day, a walk to the Halifax waterfront, is a lovely experience.  It is just like the Theodore Tugboat  cartoon portrays; the harbour is full of working ships and boats. There are the tugs: Hank, Emily, George, and Foduck.  Other ships that the tugs interact with are: Phillip and Philmore the Ferry Twins, Pearl and Petra, the Pilot Boats, Northumberland Submarine, Rebecca the Research Vessel, and Bluenose the Sailing Ship.  There is Guysborough the Garbage Barge and visiting ships like, Kingston the Cargo Ship, Queen Stephanie the cruise ship, and Canso Colossus the supertanker. The episodes happen in the Big Harbour.  The main focus of the tugs, is to always make the Big Harbour the friendliest harbour in the world, and to always do a good job with their work related tasks.

This weekend is different.  A walk on the waterfront is a barrage of extra ships: tall ships with masts towering over the docks, large crews on and off the ships, people milling around everywhere; plus single and family sailing crafts of all varieties; and lets not forget the power boats and adventure kayaks.

The tall ships festival is like the reading from Matthew.  The kingdom of heaven is like, and again the kingdom of heaven is like, and again the kingdom of heaven is like…and yet, again, the kingdom of heaven is like.

On a regular day, each of us goes about our every day routines and tasks. We set to work amongst and interact with the people who live in our neighbourhoods.  Ideally, we take our faith into the world and live Christian lives that demonstrate compassion and justice.  Each of us is expected to love our neighbour, to spend some time in prayer, and to read scripture or a daily devotion. We go about inviting others to church and to experience God’s love.  We go about sharing --- loving to tell the story of Jesus and his love.  The main focus when leaving this church, is to always make the Big Harbour (where we live) the friendliest place in the world, and to always do a good job with our work related tasks.

This weekend is different.  The scripture reading for today is meant to be a barrage of extras! The parables are to inundate the senses and overwhelm us, just like the masts and rigging of the tall ships.  The extra ships in the harbour, is extra work for the tug boats. And it becomes obvious to them the necessity and importance of their daily work. The scripture today is meant to pull disciples into action.

Many parables are thrown our way: now remember that the parables from past weeks have just been told to the crowds --- the parable of the sower and the parable of the weeds among the wheat; today Jesus continues first with the parable of tiny mustard seed that grows into a big shrub, then the little bit of leaven that leavens the whole loaf; followed by the parable of the treasure in the field, the pearl of great price, and the net full of fish.  As if one parable was not enough to describe the kingdom of heaven, one is added upon another in rapid succession.  How could one ever keep up and digest the parables enough to come up with a meaning…unless, the point of the first entry into the parables is the feeling of being overwhelmed with the sheer vastness of the kingdom of God?  Perhaps the point, as one commentary read, is “the absurd abundance” of the kingdom of God.

Counter to the expression and understanding of the religious tradition of Matthew’s time, wherein the tree of life (big and beautiful) is the symbol of God’s kingdom – not a straggly mustard shrub; where it is unleavened bread that is holy --- not loaves of rising bread.  The parables are about changing perspectives, describing the kingdom as beyond expectation, beyond description, beyond understanding…and the parables suggest that God’s kingdom constantly changes through the ages; growing bigger and bigger.

It is interesting to note that Jesus leaves the crowds and enters a house with the disciples before explanations are given about the parables and before the parables about the treasure, pearl, and fish nets are given.  It’s as if there was a message here, just for the disciples; just for us.  The point of the message is the “what next?” As disciples, as faithful followers, what now?

While away on vacation, Tim and I attended a conference. At the conference, the guest speaker, Brendon Burchard gave a keynote address focused on people being successful.  His take was that success in life is completely about the relationship one has with fear.  Brendon claims that the people whom you consider to be courageous, put-together, and successful have one thing in common; all of them address fear head on.  It is not that their lives are perfect, or that there is no fear in their lives, rather, they have developed methods to be in relationship with their fear.   One method, true to all, is practicing faith.  Faith is taking a step, or a movement, from the current place to another.  It means not becoming a slave to fear, or stagnant.  It takes a step of faith… knowing that one will be different as soon as the step is taken. It is sacrificing the person I am in this moment, in faith to be changed to the person I will be in the next.  It is choosing to face the fear of the unknown, rather, than, letting the unknown change around me and by doing so increase the fear already present within me.  Sacrifice and action is succeeding; facing fear is faith lived into the future.

The disciples have illustrated facing fear and living faith into the future. Perhaps this was the point Jesus was making with the parables told specifically to them.  They were like the man who found a treasure, who discovered the pearl, and were willing to give up everything for it– leaving their fishing nets, their jobs, their families and friends, their time and resources--- by sacrificing, and taking a step, the disciples gained the treasure, the pearl; Jesus; the incarnation of the kingdom of God.

Our what now, is moving, with a little more sacrifice and bigger steps of faith, to take on fear face to face. It is living faith as modeled by the disciples after Jesus death and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

I am not sure how many of you would guess this, but, I am afraid of people.  What I mean by this is that I am by nature shy.  I get nervous around people when expected to talk or do anything other than watch.  I am fearful around people because I am an introvert and am not keen on sharing my feelings or thoughts.  People tire me out. You can imagine that much of my time being a pastor takes me outside of my comfort zone. 

I had a woman in the church office, not so long ago, who wanted to pick my brain.  This woman is an artist by trade and is deciding on her next project or purpose within the community (she just moved to a new area, so is starting from scratch). She came to me to confess that she has a low self-esteem and needs some direction in how to accomplish the creative ideas she has.  She said that she came to me because I, in her eyes, am successful, especially in putting creative ideas into action.  She didn’t realize that the success she interprets, is a daily ritual of staring fear down.

I do all kinds of things to face fear --- each one requires taking a step of faith.  The thing with fear is that it never goes away; it is the demon on the back so to speak.  Ever present, it requires practicing faith; moving a step just because if I don’t fear wins.

Facing fear, for me, includes visualizing the future.  I practice conversations with people before I call them on the phone or knock on their door. I picture myself standing here preaching.  I imagine myself working a room during a social time or fellowship hour.  I contemplate invitations extended to neighbours and others I meet to events or Sunday services.  This is all before conversations, preaching, interaction, invitations happen.  I consider this to be part of my daily work as a diligent working tug boat in God’s harbour. I step through fear in faith into the vastness of God’s waiting kingdom. By doing so dispelling the darkness of fear in myself and hopefully with those encountered beyond my fear, and perhaps theirs as well.

Today we are inundated with the absurd abundance of the kingdom of God.  If we can feel the sensation of being overwhelmed by the expanse of God and God’s kingdom; adding to the parables of today all we have learned here over the years in our every day work – prayer, grace, love, forgiveness, hope, faith, joy, endurance, justice, mercy, peace, repentance, wisdom, community---- we have an exorbitant treasure too big not to share. And so big, that staying and standing in fear takes more energy than stepping out in faith! 

Your main focus when leaving church this morning, is to make the Big Harbour (where we live) the friendliest place in the world, and to always do a good job with your work related tasks; in doing so fear is abated and the kingdom shines in absurd abundance.