Today we continue thinking about inviting, welcoming, and connecting with folks here at church. Last week was inviting and this week the focus is on welcome. This is already our strong suit; we enjoy welcoming people. When given the frame of welcome, our gospel reading becomes very interesting. Jesus has a habit of teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven in paradoxical parables. Apparently contradictory stories that rely on telling us what the Kingdom is like. Jesus doesn’t tell us about the borders and history of the Kingdom of Heaven, like it’s an earthly country. He doesn’t give us a map through the physical world to get there. Jesus makes clear that the Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom in the heart, a kingdom that is more like a fraternal organization than a sovereign state. But even that doesn't do justice to Jesus' teachings, because he doesn’t give clear instructions so we know how to act as part of the Kingdom. He doesn't teach exactly what to do in God’s Kingdom, nor does he give us magic words to make the Kingdom come into our lives, to make God’s reign present with us.
Jesus teaches what it will be like when we are already doing and saying things that make the Kingdom of Heaven known and present all around us. His parables are about vibes and relationships, not what we normally associate with the rules of a Kingdom. In today's gospel reading, we have heard five such parables and a sixth simile that describe those who teach about the Kingdom of God. We have the mustard seed, the yeast, treasure in a field, a fine pearl, and a net full of fish. Images of working through a whole society so it is changed: yeast goes into the whole and brings it to life; the net pulls out everyone and sorts them until you only have the good. Images of price: the pearl and the treasure are of great value, that cost everything to possess. And an image of growth; the mustard seed starts small and becomes so big it welcomes all.
As we learn about the Kingdom, we become those who bring new and old understanding out, setting them together to make God present in the lives of others. Because the Kingdom is a place of radical welcome that cannot be understood with a single image and is not explained by a single interpretation. The Kingdom of Heaven goes out to enliven the world, enlivening it with a dusting of the divine, which mixes its way into everything and raises it to new heights, like yeast in the dough. It goes out like a net into the sea, drawing in the good and bad alike, sifting and sorting out all that would destroy us, so we can come before God without fear. The Kingdom has hidden value, which we can’t see on the outside. Each of us contains a deep well of that value, a hidden royal treasure, a gospel seed, within us. A pearl of great price that we search for and willingly lose all to gain. The Kingdom is not measured in the worth of this work, not in gold or silver, jewels or crypto; it is worth more than anything we could possess.
It is also the smallest seed planted in the most unexpected place, our hearts, that grows to become the biggest tree. It might be helpful for us to think of our greatest trees here in Maine, as we don’t have mustard trees. Think of the mighty white pines, starting from a tiny pine kernel; they grow so tall the tops are lost to sight. They give shelter to so many birds, food to the animals in pine cones, and give us shade in the heat of summer. A white pine that shaded the fire pit at Camp Bishopswood came down in the storm two weeks ago. When it’s rings were counted, it was over 120 years old. Trees don’t become great overnight, but they do inevitably grow until only what insurers wonderfully call an “act of God” can stop them.
Such is the kingdom of God; it starts small, and over years grows and comes to provide for many. At first its value is unknown because it is so small. Only as it grows is its worth revealed when it becomes fully what God has called it to be, sometimes over a very long time. The seeds of the Kingdom are words of God, planted in the hearts of those who believe. But seeds need a place to grow. Somewhere they can be sheltered by the larger trees that break the brunt of the world's storms. That is why we gather as a church, to be the forest of God, in which seedlings can grow into trees of the Kingdom. We gather to grow together. From my vantage point at the front of the building, I see each of you growing. I can also see the forest our community forms, not just the individual trees. Many of you are not seedlings but are strong pines of this forest, in whose shelter saplines can grow, safe from the storms that threaten them. It is in the context of being the Kingdom on earth, growing together, that we welcome people into our gathering.
Our Sunday ushers, who greet and welcome us each week, have one of the most important roles in our community. They settle the seeds in our hearts, lovingly patting down the earth so it can grow in this time together. In the ancient church, the role of doorkeeper was an ordained job, like being a pastor, and was one of the most important roles. For 300 years, the Roman government persecuted the church, and it was the doorkeeper's role to only let in those whom the church could trust. They knew everyone by name and would let the clergy know if someone was struggling or failed to show up when they were expected. As more peaceful times came around and churches were legalized and worshiped publicly. The doorkeeper role evolved into the keepers of the whole church building, not just the doors, which were left open at all times as a sign of the church's freedom to welcome. This, however, resulted in some new problems, as livestock frequently wandered into the churches to find shelter. So the doorkeepers were given sticks to round the animals out of the church in time for services. They became known as wardens after the stick they used to ward off the animals. They processed in front of the crucifer into service, stick in hand in case they had missed any wildlife that needed moving. In our church, we call our version our warden, the leadership president.
To welcome people into the Kingdom of Heaven is the greatest role anyone can have in the church. It is our baptismal calling. We are all to guard the church from all that would make it impossible for strangers to enter in and worship with us. And if you want to be a leader in the church, you need to start with welcome. So think about signing up to be an usher, for they get to offer the radical welcome of the Kingdom of Heaven; they are the ones with the opportunity to transplant the seeds of God’s love into everyone's hearts as they join the church community in which they can grow. And don’t think it's just on ushers to welcome; yes, they lead in welcome on Sunday mornings, but it falls to all of us to guard each other with loving welcome. The forest only has strength and shelter for the sapling because it stands together. We are all to foster the radical welcome of the Kingdom, to pursue it at all costs, for there is no greater treasure than to be planted in the house of the Lord with those who love and serve God, by lovingly welcoming one another. Amen.