The Parable of the Dog: A Sermon
The Rev. Deacon Sarai T. Wender
Sunday, July 30, 2017
The kingdom of heaven is like...
As a camp nurse, each summer for the past ten years, I believe that I have been given a vision into the kingdom of heaven. I have captured it in the glistening eyes and beaming smiles of sweaty, sticky kids at Grace Point. I have heard it in their singing every morning. I have felt it in their genuine conversations and concerns for others ~ and I have experienced it in their voices ~ every night ~ as we all breathe the words of Compline ~ Together. And, I have witnessed it in the reflection of tea lights resting on dried magnolia leaves that campers release on to the lake ~ carried by a prayer and a dream ~ on the last night of camp ~ where there are quiet tears shed for their not wanting to leave such a place. ….. And time stands still.
We are surrounded every day with glimpses into the heavenly realms. ~ Just as Jesus used the ordinary things of the past to invoke imagination – we too are invited to look for the extraordinary that is hidden in plain sight... Like flowers and stained glass. Every sunrise and sunset. The innocence and laughter of children. The handshake extended in kinship with others. The giving of food to those who are hungry. Crashing waves on century old granite. Simple Bread and Simple Wine. The depth of life as seen in the eyes of loved ones. And, of course, Our Puppy Dogs! J
My dad, Ed Tucker, passed from this earth 24 years ago - with his dog, Penny, lying next to him on his bed - and time stood still.
The Rev. Deacon Sarai T. Wender
Sunday, July 30, 2017
The parables of the mustard seed, the leaven, the pearl, the hidden treasure, and the fish. The “Old school parables”, if you will. The ones which may be the most familiar to some of us.
For me, these six parables that Jesus told to the crowds (you and me), are the ‘bedtime stories’ of the Gospel. They have a calming effect in their wonderment of what the kingdom of heaven is like. These stories are told with hope and a ‘happy ending’. More importantly, they extend the invitation to engage in the disciple’s - as well as our own - imaginations…
The kingdom of heaven is like...
Writer, Madeleine L’Engle, said that, “Jesus was not a theologian. He was God who told stories.” Stories are the compound of poignant truth and vivid imagination. Stories can transport a person into places beyond their current circumstance. Those conditions of men (and women), if you will, which include unrest, sadness, uncertainty, and fear. Stories have the ability to elevate people into places of excitement, anticipation, and hope. Stories have the ability to give that sense of empathy to a person’s situation and lift them up into New Life. That Life that is beyond what they could have ‘ever asked for or imagined.’
The kingdom of heaven is like...
Stories hold our culture together. When we share our stories with one another they remind us that we are not alone in the life. That we, in fact, are Brothers and Sisters in this place - working through our own personal trials, questionings, and searchings - together...
So is it any wonder that Jesus tells us stories and Parables to invite contemplation into what the realm of God IS like? Not what the kingdom of heaven…. ‘might be’ or ‘could be’ or ‘may be’ like……But, what it IS…..Then, Now, and Everlasting….
The kingdom of heaven is like...
Recently, I read that “Jesus transforms human life not by scaring the hell out of people, but, by helping us to SEE the heaven that is close at hand.” I LOVE THAT ……
For Jesus ~ God’s realm is not some esoteric kingdom in the mist. These parables are common stories about ordinary people, a tenant, a farmer, a housewife, a fisherman ~ doing everyday things. This is hardly an ‘exalted’ vision of God’s Kingdom…..
These are Simple stories ~ with Simple truth ~ ……
The realm of God is NOT a place ~ it IS a condition. It is here and now– close at hand. That feeling of total and complete peace and Light. Where time stands still ……
Think back in your lives ~ Have you felt that sense of total peace and time standing still?
The kingdom of heaven is like...
As a camp nurse, each summer for the past ten years, I believe that I have been given a vision into the kingdom of heaven. I have captured it in the glistening eyes and beaming smiles of sweaty, sticky kids at Grace Point. I have heard it in their singing every morning. I have felt it in their genuine conversations and concerns for others ~ and I have experienced it in their voices ~ every night ~ as we all breathe the words of Compline ~ Together. And, I have witnessed it in the reflection of tea lights resting on dried magnolia leaves that campers release on to the lake ~ carried by a prayer and a dream ~ on the last night of camp ~ where there are quiet tears shed for their not wanting to leave such a place. ….. And time stands still.
The kingdom of heaven is like...
We are surrounded every day with glimpses into the heavenly realms. ~ Just as Jesus used the ordinary things of the past to invoke imagination – we too are invited to look for the extraordinary that is hidden in plain sight... Like flowers and stained glass. Every sunrise and sunset. The innocence and laughter of children. The handshake extended in kinship with others. The giving of food to those who are hungry. Crashing waves on century old granite. Simple Bread and Simple Wine. The depth of life as seen in the eyes of loved ones. And, of course, Our Puppy Dogs! J
Those unspoken (or ‘spoken’ words) which dogs speak to us with their eyes. The unadulterated joy they express in our joy. Their running and playing ~ almost as a dance. And, of course, their smiles.
Our dogs sense our sorrows. Not to mention ~ Love. That unconditional “God Love” which dogs have the capacity to give.
My dad, Ed Tucker, passed from this earth 24 years ago - with his dog, Penny, lying next to him on his bed - and time stood still.
That, my friends, is a glimpse into the kingdom of heaven.
The kingdom of heaven is like...