We are not exactly in the position of the young Solomon at Gibeon but we do, as parish, stand at a point of change and perhaps, renewal and a few reflections are in order about where we should be going; about what matters-and perhaps what should matter- in our parish life; and so, about what sort of leader we want as our next Vicar.
We are not “little children” as Solomon calls himself -although he’s old enough to have married Pharaoh’s daughter recently. Collectively, I hope we as a parish, are beyond teenage turmoil, but not beyond considering and debating what Christian maturity might mean for us. This interregnum is surely a fitting time to do so.
Wealth and fame as opposed to wisdom may seem rather remote concepts when considering parish life and they are of course presented in our reading almost caricature terms which make them seem rather far from any choices we as a parish may be facing.
Wisdom is, however, very much a current and endangered idea. In Isaiah and elsewhere Wisdom is seen as standing by God as he creates the world and the link between cosmography- or the way creation works- and morality, is common theme in the Old Testament. The basis of our ethics is a consciousness that we are fellow creatures both with our animate neighbours and in the inanimate world around us. Equally it is greed and envy- the bedfellows of excessive wealth and the desire for the fame it may bring, that lie at the heart of much unethical behaviour or unrighteousness.
This is not an abstract debate, but one of huge practical significance before us now. The leaders of the most powerful nation in the world have put the pursuit of wealth as their guiding principle. Respect for the natural world, and indeed much of the human world, is a dangerous distraction from the pursuit of that objective. We are not free of this pernicious trend. Distressingly, for example, university recruiters encourage young adults to make choices pursuing wealth over wisdom. “Come to university to earn more”- not to be wise; it’s a message as illusory as it is immoral.
There are other implications of wisdom and wealth may be relevant- and challenging, for us as a parish. First, wisdom is something which comes gradually and grows slowly taking in ever wider considerations; wealth and fame are usually the objects of urgent desire; the fashion is to get rich quick but both wealth and fame are inevitably ephemeral; sooner or later they fade. In our desire fpr easy answers and instant gratification, we miss miss the full potential of what we, as humans made in the image of God, may be.
Wealth and fame also have an introspective aspect to them; they generate both admiration and envy from others, even if that is not the intention of the wealthy individuals or famous communities. Wisdom on the other hand is extrovert; the truly wise choices are those that will promote the happiness (or reduce the unhappiness) of everyone- not just ourselves.
These observations about wisdom versus wealth, may, I hope, assist our thinking, not because either is likely to be and express objective for the parish and guidance for any priest seeking to lead us, but because whether we look in on ourselves or look out to the world and whether we look for short term solutions or longer perhaps harder but solider answers, should be a major influence on our thinking.
By happy coincidence this is also the message-or one of them- in our Gospel reading. These odd comparisons of a mustard seed and a small amount of yeast are not immediately obvious ways of looking at the Kingdom of Heaven, however, I take the point of them to be that even small attempts to establish the Kingdom have effects and influence beyond the expected.
A little easy research reveals that Jesus is not here talking about the bushes which produce the mustard we might put on our ham sandwich. The standard mustard bush is about a metre tall and would not bear many birds for long. The mustard tree however is a substantial if not huge tree on which birds might easily perch and it’s common in dry areas such as much of the middle east. Its seed is indeed tiny compared to the tree.
Yeast or leaven is generally seen as a bad thing in the Bible. This has always surprised me as I make our bread and love the smell of yeast making my dough rise. I’m also quite keen on fermented grape juice. I suppose yeast is thought bad as it could be seen as corrupting the pure dough of just flour and water or making the freshly pressed juice of grapes fizzy and sour. But as that corruption, in the end, has such delicious results, it’s odd to see it as bad. And in this parable, it is not bad.
The point of both parables is that even tiny amounts of kindness and love, even the smallest attempts to establish justice and peace, can ripple out promoting growth and invigorating a community as it does huge quantity of dough. This is however a natural miracle which takes time, as it takes time for the mustard tree to grow. We should not expect instant results; although in fact even the slightest kind gesture can have a remarkable effect.
The lesson for us as a parish now is that our decisions and our policies and the leader whom we choose to help us bring them into effect may seem, well, parochial and introspective, but in fact will have influence and implications well beyond our own experience. They may take time to mature but we are not dealing with the ephemeral but the eternal -whatever that really means. It’s a daunting challenge, but equally an encouragement. Our deliberations matter, and if we get them right, they will grow like the mustard tree and rise like a magnificent loaf of fragrant bread.
Amen