FOUNDRYcast

We all want to find something. Especially something of great value. I remember when a good friend called and told me he found one of my favorite vintage guitar amplifiers on the side of the road...and then gave it to me. I freaked out, lost my mind and many other explanatory adjectives. It was something I could never really afford on my own. And I lugged that GIGANTIC app into places it was never appropriate.

This week our message is all about treasure. It comes from a few short verses in Matthew, two different stories, and is part of a larger teaching of Jesus on the kingdom of God.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

These three short verses are big. They dig deep into our motivations and intentions. They help us have a conversation about value, worth and what we do with what we have.

No one likes to fail. Failure means many different things. There are ways we can positively spin it, by learning what doesn't work and what we can't do, but failure is never an anticipated outcome. And for some people, forgiveness means owning failure and all the emotions that come with it.

This week we are digging into a story of forgiveness that ends up growing and growing. It starts in the gospel of Luke by Jesus answering a question.

Luke 7:41-43 (NLT) 41 Then Jesus told him this story: "A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?"

43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt."

"That's right," Jesus said.

First, the idea of failing in a financial situation is one that frightens all of us. And these aren't necessarily small numbers. The larger sum is equal to an entire years wage. Add typical 1st-century interest rates, we are talking the equivalent of nearly 18 months of wages.

But Jesus puts the whole conversation not in one of debts and repayments, but in a conversation about love.

Groundbreaking stuff.

But the larger truth lies in the idea of forgiveness, and the story is much bigger than these two verses.

Forgiveness of debt is the closest parallel in the New Testament to for us to understand the operation of the forgiveness of sin. Forgiveness is a gracious release of indebtedness to God. And the ways that we interact with this world based off of forgiveness matters deeply.

Forgiveness Isn't Failure.

It's actually starting at something that matters.

The degree that we are able to enact forgiveness will be the degree to which we will be able to comprehend forgiveness.

So come be part of the larger story and find your own place in this story of Jesus.

What is your favorite story? We all have the ones we love to tell. The ones our friends know, the ones that tell about what's important to us, and the ones that tell stories about how we became who we are.

Jesus taught in stories.

He taught what was important and what was complicated in stories. We call them parables, but Jesus told stories that created a world we can identify with and find ourselves in. We are all characters in his stories.

We are starting our conversation about Jesus and His parables with Matthew 13. This is the parable of parables. Jesus opens up and explains things, tells why stories matter and what it means to hear these stories.

Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. 2 A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. 3 He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

"Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn't have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand." Matthew 13:1-9

Stories create an environment. Join Foundry as we talk about the environments each of us create in our daily life.

Have you ever thought something was simply too much?

What about too big?

At Foundry, our vision statement is Jesus is Big Enough. But what exactly does it mean for us to live into this phrase? We all hit situations in life where things get rough. It can get easy to be overwhelmed. For others, we have a hard time letting Jesus be big enough.

This week in worship we are talking about how Jesus navigates us through the terrain of life and brings us near the heart of God.

John 1:6-18New Living Translation (NLT) 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him.11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.

15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.'"

16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.17 For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.

These are the words spoken by a man named John the Baptist. He tells us exactly how Jesus is big enough. John speaks about what it means for each of us to be near to the heart of God and how it changes everything.

Have you ever yearned for your grandmother's biscuits? What about the smell of your grandfather or another family member as they come home from work? I remember mine always smelled like oil, sanitizer, and gold bond. Yes. That's a little odd. But he was a steel worker and each of those smells was the fabric of life. Those smells made up my roots.

Roots are important. They ground us. They help us understand what it means to be stable. When things get a little wild…we always have our roots.

This Sunday, Alan Johnson will be bringing our message. Alan is a member of Foundry and is the director of the Wesley Foundation at ULM, one of our strategic ministry partners. Alan will be talking about us getting back to our roots.

Back to our Roots

We will look at two passages this weekend.

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

These words of Paul are familiar to us. We spoke about them this spring during our series on Colossians. Paul tells us about how Jesus gives us that root system we need.

We will also be talking about the story of Josiah. He was the last great king of Israel. A boy king who stood in the face of idolatry and called God's people back to him. You can read Josiah's story in 2 Kings 22 and 23.

This week we are diving into one of the oddest, most controversial and downright WEIRD books of scripture. Revelation is a testy piece of scripture. It is full of obscure references, fantastical imagery, metaphors, political speech and visionary experiences with God. Many times, it is understanding how to read such a book that is opposite from a style of communication we are used to that keeps us from actually applying it into our lives.

Revelation is a combination of the wonderful and the weird.

For some people, it is the litmus test for faith. For others, it is the last book they want to read or hear about in worship.

But Christianity can't be Christianity without embracing this as part of the story of God and his people.

This week we are reading a brief section from chapter 19.

19 After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting,

"Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. 2 His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants." 3 And again their voices rang out:

"Praise the Lord! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!" 4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, "Amen! Praise the Lord!"

In this passage, we meet many characters. It is the story of these characters and their actions we learn about the world, ourselves and what Jesus desires for us.