Trinity Church in the City of Boston
Proper 12 Year A
July 26, 2026
1 Kings 3:5-12
Psalm 119:129-136
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Good Morning, Trinity Church!
What a gift it is to be here again. For those who might be visiting with us today, I have recently returned from a three-month sabbatical and I am so thankful for that opportunity for rest, renewal, and return. I am deeply grateful for all those who filled in the gaps while I was away. THANK YOU.
AND it is good to be home.
Home with you, praying, worshiping, listening and learning what you have been up to since the Easter season and as we plan forward. The 50 days of Easter were full of celebrations here and I will admit I missed being present with you in those moments.
Never fear, much like your celebrations, my time away was full of learning new things (such as learning that if you have to drive the George Washington Bridge, the best time is at 2am when it is empty!), visits with loved ones, reading books that needed reading and I was able to achieve one of my more whimsical goals of eating blueberry ice cream at Sarah’s Scoops and seeing the Guardians of the Seeds in Booth Bay, Maine.
The Guardians of the Seeds, for those who might not know, are these large wooden figures found in the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Booth Bay. There are 5 of these giant troll-like figures in various poses and each has their own name and role in the planting[i] and care (guardian) of the seeds. The trolls are primarily constructed from recycled pallets and other recycled wood. Each face is a different story of salvaged wood – for example, Lilja’s consists of salvaged floorboards, and Roskva’s was salvaged from a Danish transfer station.[ii]
The artist, Thomas Dambo, saw something ordinary in discarded wood and how it could be transformed to share a message of creation. Each Troll’s identity has an essential role in guarding the seeds and their growth.
The trolls’ eyes dance with delight and soulfulness. Their poses are contemplative and whimsical. Many selfies were taken by all ages as we gazed on these unique wooden creatures right in the middle of a forest path. Ordinary materials transformed into something much larger to invite you into wondering about the many parts of creation, where humanity has successfully and unsuccessfully cared for the earth.
As my husband and I walked the path with our map, outpaced by younger children and assisting older ones with taking photos, we found that we all were curious as we moved along to see what the next troll will appear and to read about the moment of the planting process on which we could reflect. On a gorgeous sunny day, we were thankful for the shade and the joy of the companions (wooden and flesh alike) on the way.
The incredible genius of the sculptures and invitation to wonder for a moment came to mind as I came to the Gospel this week.
Today we have a richness of parables. 6 if you count all of them. A path of sorts from who are we in the story to culminating in understanding our the task for us to do.
As my colleague Brandon spoke about 2 weeks ago with the Parable of the Sower of the Seeds, this is a new grammar, the kingdom of Heaven vocabulary that we (as the disciples, too) have to learn, lean into, and are invited in to hear deeply.[iii]
Brother Jamie Nelson from Society of St John the Evangelist recently wrote, “Parables create space for wondering and for wrestling with God. Parables invite further seeking – they don’t set up tidy answers to regurgitate on command. Parables plant the seeds of the kingdom.”[iv]
Think about that phrase, “there is no tidy answer.” We, and the original disciples, live in a messy and broken world. These parables reflect on God in the midst of our messiness and brokenness, the actions of a loving God in the Kingdom of Heaven.
A God who is present in the ordinary elements of seeds, yeast, treasures, pearls, fish, AND scribes. While God is in the extraordinary, God is very much in the day to day moments, the ordinary.
The parables tell us of a God who plants seeds whimsically and knows that the smallest of seeds can grow into the most gigantic of shrubbery, providing for more than just its own needs.
A God as the barely visible/invisible yeast that transforms and gives height and levity to what it is added too.
Both illustrations of the ordinary smallest of things becoming and transforming beyond imagination.
Moving from ordinary transformations, we receive two more illustrations emphasizing how much is this kingdom worth. The merchant who is willing to sell everything for the treasure and for the pearl.
Parables often illustrate a world that contrasts the practical to illustrate the expansive nature of God’s common sense, or “sense for the common”- you and me- as the treasure worth forsaking all things.
While Matthew is the only Gospel to include the parable of the yeast, the treasure, the pearl and the fish in this way, the gospel writer does so to emphasize that Jesus not only teaches this way, Matthew writes to highlight that Jesus is embodiment of these teachings. These parables are part of the rough map to understanding the impractical love of God.
God so loves humanity that he believes that each of us, no matter how small, can -working together- change this world. We are mighty, though the world might say otherwise.
God loves humanity so intensely that God would give up everything to be in relationship with us. We see this in the incarnation- God made flesh- to dwell among us. Jesus, human in every way, living, teaching, dying on our behalf. Sending his own beloved Son to be one of us, God’s desire is to restore us in relationship with God fully.
We are that pearl, the treasure claimed by God.
Jesus is praying, teaching, and healing each day to, in human form, teach this message as living parable of the kingdom of heaven.
At the end of our reading today (and last parable in the series but not the entire gospel) we are given the imagery of sorting of the fish. Similar to my colleague Kit, who preached on the parable of the sorting of the Weeds and the Wheat last week-[v] I am not sure that I could tell if a fish was bad or good- they are all pretty smelly to me. The emphasis of this parable is not that we are to sort, rather that God invites us to be the net casters collecting everything and similar to the final parable, be like the scribes too, to bring the new and old forward to all.
We are called to share the delight of being found with those we encounter, knowing that God has that love for them, too.
Now back to those trolls of Maine, The Guardians of the Seeds, and their creator, Thomas Dambo, remind us that with the ordinary we can create, learn, and share a message that seems too good to be true.
A message that the kingdom of heaven is here for us and for all to be a part of, a space of invitation and being found. A space where each person is treasured and empowered to engage with the call to be a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
We know this message of love from the words and life of Jesus, those who have gone before us and in looking at creation as we, too, are guardians that invite others into the story as they encounter God in their midst.
Understood? Clear as mud? The disciples said yes
(I am pretty sure they still had questions! I still do!)
Here is the reassuring news, We may get turned around, what we find may be surprising, AND there are companions on this path with us. We continue in this pattern of prayer and worship together so that we might support each other in prayer, to better understand one another, for solace and for encouragement and we will keep doing so as we see and hear the seeds of the kingdom planted through hands, hearts, and scripture that gird our loins for the world we live in.
Jesus kept his heart steady and was distracted neither by fame nor fury.
He kept teaching, living, loving, being with those in community.
May we keep steady, pursuing that which will help us, not harm us;
what will dignify us, not destroy us.
And live our lives like Jesus, lived with the deepest love.[vi]
Amen
[i] https://www.mainegardens.org/events-exhibits/giant-trolls/
[ii] https://www.mainegardens.org/visit-faq/
[iii] https://trinitychurchboston.org/sermon/kingdom-grammar/
[iv] https://www.ssje.org/author/br-jamie-nelson/
[v] https://trinitychurchboston.org/sermon/57452-2/
[vi] Paraphrased from the prayer at the offered at the end of this Commentary https://www.spiritualityofconflict.com/readings/263/eighth-sunday-after-pentecost
"I will with God's Help" 