‘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. ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ 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.’ Matthew 13:44-52
As a child I loved a treasure hunt and, in many ways, I still do. Whether it is solving a word puzzle or reading a mystery hoping to solve it, I enjoy the process of the hunt and the joy of a solution. Closure and resolution are in themselves a treasure. We often want immediate solutions and rewards, yet these are, as my professor used to say, "fast and dirty are just dirty." Our gift from God is the treasure of love, which takes time, hard work and much prayer. Even the oyster is irritated the whole time they are making a pearl. May we be ready to so the hard work of love so we can now our treasures.
Gracious Creator, you paint the sky with color
you give us the gift of love and community
you shower us with blessings and abundance
and make us your children here on earth.
We want all our rewards immediately
we don't want to be put out or irritated
we bristle at the work of building community
and get angry when we don't get our way.
Help us to be patient and loving people
who trust that our work will bring blessing
as you provide and complete the work
of bringing love and redemption to the world. Amen.
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