Over the years I have owned several pairs of binoculars. Big ones and little ones. Wide-angle ones and long-distance ones. And, if you know much about me, you might know why I would be into binoculars. A couple of years ago I was on vacation and I had forgotten to take my latest set. And, we were surrounded by beautiful scenery and wildlife, and people kept saying, “Look at that.” Which did not help me a lot. So, the first chance I had to get to an outdoors store, I did so. And, there I found a pair that was so perfect, so much better than anything I had ever used before, that I instantly decided whatever they cost would not be too much. Turns out they cost a lot, but I didn’t care. Their value to me made the cost irrelevant.
Jesus told a couple of stories about finding something – a treasure and a pearl. Both worth everything the finder had. The point is that what was found was so valuable, and the finder was so glad to find it, that nothing was too much to pay for it.
We’ll look at these stories on Sunday night at The Gathering Church. You can find them in Matthew 13:44-46. Sometimes these stories are used by us preachers to make people feel guilty about what they have not given up for God. That’s how to warp and absolutely ruin the message of Jesus in the stories. We’ll do our best to get what Jesus was giving in the telling of these stories.
Also, as we prepare for the fall, we will begin some “Church Planting Prep.” If you are coming – guess what? You’re a church planter. Next Wednesday we will invite you to fast and pray for God’s guidance on our fall meeting place. Then we will have several regional potlucks in homes on Wednesday night to pray together and enjoy one another.
More on Sunday night.