Friends,

This Sunday we turn to the gospel according to Matthew and Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of heaven. “The kingdom of heaven is like …”  That’s how Jesus begins these parables. How would you complete that line? I must confess my immediate answers are less than faithful: like Fenway Park singing “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth inning with the Red Sox on top of the Yankees, or a day game at Wrigley field after the Cubs clinch the pennant. 

(cont.) Here’s what Jesus has to say:

                “The kingdom of heaven is like …

a mustard seed someone sowed in a field; it is the smallest of 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 nest in its branches;

yeast a woman mixed in with three measures of flour until it was all leavened;

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.”

A mustard seed, yeast, treasure hidden in a field; that’s what heaven is like according to Jesus. What on earth does this mean? It seems the kingdom of heaven is something small that can grow into something big, something insignificant that can change a whole batch, something precious yet hidden and worth selling all you have to get it.

When I consider the story of the Stewpot, these parables come into focus for me. The Stewpot began with Bob Lively’s concern to feed folks living on the streets around our church in 1975. When Dr. John Anderson brought the concept to Session for approval, he was asked how much money he had to allocate to it. He had a little over $900 in his Pastor’s fund, so they told him, “When that’s gone, it’s done.”  The first day they fed 19 people.  Within two weeks, it was 100. Helen Parmley from The Dallas Morning News saw a line wrapping around the church and called to find out what was happening.  John told her about The Stewpot and she ran a front-page story detailing the ministry. Within a month, over $10,000 had been donated to support the ministry.

Today we are serving over 2,000 meals a day at the Bridge. While the media has been reporting the many challenges facing this new endeavor, the meal service has not made headlines. Yet we’ve served every meal—over 100,000 in the first 50 days, with the help of over 2,500 volunteers. In addition, The Stewpots many other programs have increased demand with our social workers seeing over 70 people a day, helping them get identification, benefits, and other things they need to get out of homelessness. The budgets for the food service and other work done by Stewpot approach $3 million. 

This sounds a lot like a small seed that grows into a great tree offering a place for God’s children to come and rest in its branches.  According to Jesus, that sounds a lot like heaven. Thanks be to God for mustard seeds like these!

Hope to see you Sunday!

Joe