“The Kingdom of Heaven is like the Mom Wall,” Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

(complete sermon with citations can be found here

and a recording of the service can be found here)

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like the Mom Wall”

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Arlington, MA

Vicar Samm Melton-Hill

It is important to note that there are countless BIPOC women who have been engaged in the work of racial justice for far longer than the examples of white women provided in this sermon. The mission of the Mom Wall seeks to uplift voices of marginalized women and support the leadership of black women. The voices of black women are holy and prophetic.

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"Mothering God, may the words of mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing and acceptable to you." Amen.

This past week, I have been captivated by a storyline in the news, but I couldn’t quite figure out why I was so enthralled by the story, but it seems I am certainly not the only one who has been drawn into it.

Since the death of George Floyd, there have of course, been an incredible amount of protests and unrest across the country and in a number of cities and the same has been true for Portland, Oregon. This past week, the protests intensified as the police and federal forces increased their presence in the city, resulting in a series of unjust arrests and violent tactics used by both the police and military. In the wake of yet another viral video of police brutality, more and more people continue to join the protests downtown.

A woman by the name, Beverley Barnum, who goes by “Bev,” said that it was one of those violent videos that pushed her to join the protests. But, you should know something about Bev. She isn't exactly the person I would expect to be on the front lines of these protests. There is a picture that depicts her at the protest, linked arms with other white middle-aged and older women, all of which are wearing yellow, have face masks neatly tied, wearing bicycle helmets for protection, and holding flowers in their hands. This line of women call themselves the “Wall of Moms.” They have been dubbed the simply the “Mom Wall” on social media because they place themselves at the front of protestors, standing between the army of police and military, linked arms in an effort to protect those protesting behind them, who they note are also often much younger than them. They have become a sensation, you can hear about them from NPR to Twitter, to Facebook, BBC, and TikTok. They even inspired eventual formation of the “Dad Pod,” which in addition to being a wonderful pun, they work to do the same as the moms.

There is something about this image of the Wall of Moms that is captivating. Something about the moms, their stoic presence and determination feels sacred. One tweet mentioned that their involvement in the protests is so breathtaking because it’s almost as if to say, “wow, you really made mom so mad she had to come all the way out here.” Nobody wants mom mad at them. It’s important to note that these women follow the black leaders of the movement, showing up and doing what these leaders ask of them. They are faithful followers of the movement.

In a recent interview, you could hear the ways in which the protests were challenging Bev. She shares that, “Before the killing of George Floyd and the federal response in Portland, [she says] wasn’t an activist — but rather “stuck in my own little world.” Many of the mothers she speaks with share the same story.” She has a similar story to so many other white people in the past few months. So many of us, that live out here in the suburbs, can choose to stay in our own little world if we wanted to.

While this whole story is wonderful in and of itself. Her explanation of why she is protesting is just as powerful. Bev says that, “Mothers have a responsibility to protect human rights, Mothers run to help when they see someone drowning or falling off a bike and the same idea applies to police violence against Black Americans.” She says that, “Here in the suburbs, we’re so focused on serving our families that sometimes we forget that the entire world is our family and as mothers, we have a responsibility to look up and pay attention and do something.””

Her words can resonate with most of us, not just those who are mothers. Bev, like so many other leaders of the movement, have challenged us to think about the status quo differently. To think about “protest” and justice differently. I have no idea what religion Bev is or if she is religious at all, but I must say, those words of hers, could have been taken right out of our Gospel message for today.

In this reading from Matthew, we hear a number of parables from Jesus as he speaks to his disciples. Over the last couple of weeks and in the coming weeks, we hear a number of parables or stories from Jesus. But, this week we have a series of five parables in rapid succession to one another.

We could easily spend all of our time together on any one of these parables. We hear this refrain, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” over and over again. He says:

• The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field...

• The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened...

• 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...

Jesus uses these familiar, everyday images for his audience to describe the Kingdom of Heaven to his disciples. Perhaps for us it would sound differently. The kingdom of heaven is like those white puffy dandelions that spread throughout your yard. Or, the kingdom of heaven is like glitter form your kid’s art project that never seems to leave the house. Or the kingdom of heaven is like finding that missing sock behind the dryer that you’ve been missing for months. Or the kingdom of heaven is like selling all of your possessions, dumping your 401k and donating your retirement funds, to follow and serve the people of God. Well, that last one seemed a bit more extreme than the others, but I think you get the point.

These images are completely familiar to us, but their messages remain relevant. In a very abbreviated version, the first parable speaks of a small seed that spreads like a wild and invasive weed, grows into a large shrub, and welcomes birds and animals, perhaps symbolizing the ways in which a small seed can grow into a home to many.

The second, tells the story of a woman who takes a tiny bit of yeast, permeates, lights, and expands our world and the kingdom of God. Then we get two parables that speak about the priceless nature of God’s kingdom and love, a love so great that is worth sacrificing everything for. And then lastly, we get this different kind of parable, with a bit of a different tone in which fishers catch fish of every kind and then sort out the good and the bad, followed by Matthew’s explanation.

This is of course a very abbreviated version, but in short, we hear from these parables three things about the kingdom of God. First, we learn that it is unexpected, second, the kingdom of God is present all around us, and third, it is worth our whole lives and everything familiar to us. These are of course, important things for us as Christians to know.

But, I believe if we zoom out from these little parables and see them instead as a string of stories connected to one another, that first message, that the kingdom of heaven is unexpected, becomes much more complicated. As a collection of stories, Jesus’ message about the unexpected ways in which we encounter God is reinforced and emphasized more than at first glance.

We notice that Jesus tells these stories that all include very ordinary people. There is the farmer, the woman baking, the land owner, the merchant, and the fishermen. These are not stories of kings and emperors, or of the wealthy and privileged, or the religious elite. The assumed unexceptionlism of the people reinforces the message: the kingdom of God is found in unexpected places and through unexpected people. It is not always as flashy as we might expect it to be, but it’s there.

I wonder if we can be challenged together today to look at this passage a bit differently? Pastor Annabelle Peake reminds us that, “When Jesus spoke these words, he was speaking in the shadow of the Roman Empire. This was an incredibly powerful and unforgiving empire, ruling the lives of not only Roman citizens, but also [of enslaved] and conquered peoples, crushing rebellions and dissenters underfoot. Speaking of the kingdom of heaven as opposed to the kingdom of Rome was radical and dangerous. Remember, part of Jesus’ sentence leading to the crucifixion dealt with him being a king and having a kingdom – something seen as a direct threat to Rome.”

There’s an added layer to that initial message: the kingdom of God is present here and it challenges the empires that surround it. The kingdom of heaven challenges the status quo. It is radical. It challenges the very systems we find comfort in and even benefit from. Even the people at the center of these stories, disrupts the disciples' understanding of who they thought would be part of the kingdom of heaven.

In other words, to say that God, or the kingdom of heaven is present all around us, found in unexpected places, isn’t just a fluffy message in which Jesus reminds us that God is present in the dandelions in our yard, or can be found in our day to day lives. But, instead when we recall the context of Jesus in Rome, the message comes across as much more transformational, demanding, and exciting.

Speaking of the kingdom of heaven as opposed to the kingdom of Rome is risky and uncomfortable. In each of these parables, the person in the story does the opposite of what society would expect of them. A farmer is self-imposing the invasive mustard seeds into his field. The woman prepares leavened bread that will not be useful by the day of the sabbath. The merchant sells all of his possessions for one, single, pearl. All of these actions are opposite to the customs of their communities. Others would have looked at them and said, what in the world are they doing? Jesus’ audience would have been surprised to hear that these minor people play such a large role in the kingdom of heaven.

Understanding what Roman culture expected of these ordinary people and then learning that they do something different, the opposite even, is the string that connects these parables so intimately to one other. One writer says that, “These parables elevate convention-subverting persons and items to describe discipleship in the empire of the heavens. Whatever else they mean,” whether we agree on their interpretations or not, all of “these parables hint that God’s empire—and therefore good citizenship in God’s realm—is fundamentally different from Rome’s.” He goes on to say that, “The kingdom of heaven disrupts. It afflicts the comfortable, rattles cages, and turns over tables. The kingdom of heaven is not about business as usual, but is about a new economy [a new system] of God’s justice that doesn’t make sense to the way of the world.”

These parables offer a direct challenge to us today. We may not be citizens of Ancient Rome, but we too, have our own “empires”? What are some those empires we faithfully pledge allegiance to? What cultural or societal norms control our lives? What are we afraid to do because of what others may think of us?

There are the somewhat obvious answers. Both as a society and as individuals, we are controlled by money and wealth. We are controlled by others' expectations of us. We are victims to our own fear and anxiety.

But, then there are those other empires, those ones that are a bit harder for us to name and reconcile. What other empires are at play in our lives? Is it an unwavering nationalism? Racism and white supremacy? Sexism and misogyny? Consumerism and the constant need for material goods? Is it a desire to keep the peace, a form of respectability politics, a desire not to rock the boat? We could go on and on, listing the boundaries that this world places on us.

These are not easy questions. They are difficult because they go against so much of what we have learned from society. Yet, as Christians, we are called on to challenge the status quo, to challenge these things we have been taught, to self-reflect on those things that we hold dearly to our hearts and ask if they are harmful to others?

The story of the Mom Wall and Dad Pod of Portland, Oregon, one of the whitest cities in America, is not a place where I expected to see one of the greatest fights for racial justice taking place in this country. I think so many of us have been captivated by this story, because there is a radical element to it, a surprise of who is standing at the front lines, people, moms and dads, that are quite ordinary fighting for the justice they believe in.

In response to this passage one theologian challenges us by asking, “What if a society resembles the empire of Rome much more closely than it does the empire of heaven, expressing in its policies and budget the values of social inequality and redemptive violence?”

I’d even ask, “What if the church, my school, my government, my banks, what if these resemble the empire of Rome much more closely than it does the empire of heaven. What happens when policies and financial budgets uphold social inequality, despite what their mission statements may say.

He goes on to write that, “helping [people] to adjust or be balanced to fit into a sick,” or unjust, “society is not the work of the gospel,” but helping people to challenge that society, is the very nature of the work of Jesus.

I carry with me not only the words of Jesus, but also the words of Bev. “We have a responsibility to protect others, to run to help when we see someone drowning or falling off a bike.” Running to help someone who has fallen off a bike is much easier than standing on protest lines, but the idea still applies, we are called to recognize God in all of us, to challenge the big scary systems and empires in our lives that Jesus points us towards recognizing. “We have a responsibility to look up and pay attention and do something.”

Amen.

Image: Posted by Twitter use @redfishstream.

[Jesus speaks about these things, but it is also a radical anti-empire story because of its position within the context of the Roman Empire.]