*Somehow, the text was deleted before publication, so I am re-posting.
“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." - Matthew 13:45-46
This parable has often perplexed me. Earlier this year I preached about each of us being the pearl of great value that God seeks. God will go to any lengths to find us and to save us. But the imagery of God buying us with Jesus sits wrong with me. God is not transactional; we are. Jesus came to live among us so we might understand that God is relational. God does not demand something in return for creating us and sustaining us in love. God wants us to understand that God's healing love is already present within us. "Your faith has made you whole."
We do not need to achieve some metric of success in order to be the pearl of great price. It is already true. The abalone does not set out to create this beautiful shell; it is its very nature. And although some people do buy and sell these, this beauty is free to all who take the time to seek it. (Please leave it for others to enjoy).
I found this beauty while I was talking with a dear friend about the joys and challenges of the priesthood, particularly in a pandemic. I told her that the story of Mary and Martha kept popping up in my consciousness. Jesus telling Martha "you are worried about many things." Well, yeah, Jesus, there's kind of a lot going on. But Jesus speaks in love, not to criticize Martha or make her feel worse, but to awaken her to her enough-ness. To relieve her of burdens that are not hers to carry. To help her discern whether these toxic expectations are external or internal.
God desires fullness of life for us, that we might grow more completely into the beautiful pearls we are created to be. How might we live in 2021 in joyful response?