Matthew 6:9-10, 13:44-46

In the annals of the Old West there are many legends of lost gold mines that even today lead people into the barren desert regions in an attempt to strike it rich. The desire to find this treasure can be so great that it will motivate people to invest everything in the search and in the end endure starvation, dehydration, and even death. One of the most famous old west legends tells of Pegleg Smith's lost gold mine. Pegleg was a tough mountain man who also traded furs and rustled horses. Pegleg picked up some pebbles that he found on top of a butte in the Colorado Desert. He thought they were copper, but he later discovered they were gold. That discovery sent many people out into the desert looking for that butte. Pegleg himself went back in search of the gold. He didn't find it, either, but his story still entices people to go in search of the wealth that may still be on the top of that butte, wherever it is. Other people over the years have claimed to seen the spot, but no one seems to be able to find it a second time, so the search goes on.

Human beings are natural treasure hunters whether that treasure is in the desert or buried at sea. Some look for treasure in the lottery or in a game show. Would-be actors try to strike it rich in Hollywood, and are willing to sling burgers or wash cars while they search for their opportunity to strike it rich. Undocumented aliens risk their lives in search of the treasure called the American way of life. We are all searching for something. Something that will complete our life. Truth. Goodness. Justice. Affection, security, love, attention, recognition, success. Something that will calm our restlessness, ease our pain, and in some way, put the pieces of our life together. Like the man who found a treasure buried in a field, like the merchant in search of fine pearls, we will invest all we have in our search. And when we find it, our joy will know no bounds.

Jesus says that he has the treasure map. And if we follow him, we will strike it rich. This treasure, he says, is worth everything we have. It's worth investing time, money, and effort into acquiring it because it will bring us fulfillment like nothing else could. What is it? It is something called the kingdom of God.

"Your kingdom come," we pray. The words flow easily off the lips, but what is this great treasure?

The word kingdom might better be translated as kingship or reign. So, God's kingdom is not a specific place or country, but a state of being. God's kingdom exists every where that God rules.

But isn't that everywhere? After all God is God, and God is sovereign over the whole creation. But what we have to remember is that God gave to human beings a terrible gift. That gift is free will. So, even though God is sovereign, people have a choice of whether to obey God or not.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus uses parallelism that is often used in Hebrew poetry. Parallelism simply means to say it a second time in different words. The first line introduces the topic, and the second line restates it or amplifies it. In Psalm 46, for instance, it says, The Lord of hosts is with us; then it goes on to say, The God of Jacob is our refuge.

So, in the Lord's Prayer, we pray your kingdom come. Then, to emphasize the point, we pray, your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven. What is being said here is that God's kingdom comes when God's will is done.

If you've been with us from the beginning of this series on the Lord's Prayer, you have already heard me say more than once that this prayer isn't for everybody. It's a prayer that is intended for the disciples of Jesus Christ to pray.

It's for those whose goal and intention of life is to follow

him.

And when we pray your kingdom come, your will be done, what we are asking for is for God to rule in our lives. The kingdom of God comes to us when we surrender to God's leadership. This can be a very intense struggle, because the human will is strong. We have our plans. We have our desires and our feelings. We want what we want. And sometimes what we want goes in the opposite direction of God's will. Even Jesus himself, as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene before his arrest, struggled to say yes to what he knew lay ahead.

A pastor was shaking hands with people as they left the church and one new couple greeted the pastor saying "We listened carefully to every word you said." The pastor thanked them and said "I hope to see you next week." "Oh, we won't be here next week," they said. "We're going to another church next week to get a second opinion." (parables, 17.3.2).

With preachers, as with physicians, you can get a second opinion. But God's opinion stands.

It’s not easy to surrender, because God's will sometimes seems upside down. The kingdom of God is a place where the meek inherit the earth, the poor are blessed, where the last are first. But when we do surrender, God's will turns our life right side up. It is when we are within God's will the pieces of the puzzle finally start to come together.

The good news is that God wants us to find this treasure. God wants to be found. God has left so many clues that you can't miss. I recently read that the reason an atheist can't find God is the same reason that a burglar can't find a policeman. (parables, 17.8.1)

Take another look at the two little parables and you’ll see that the kingdom of God actually pursues us. In the first parable, the kingdom of God is like a treasure that we find. But in the second parable, the kingdom of God is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. We are the pearls, God is the merchant who wants desperately for us to be a part of the kingdom.

To God, you are like a fine pearl, or like gold. God is the one who seeks and finds and then pays the price. And even while you are looking for the treasure that will fulfill your life, God is looking for you--God is pursuing you because you matter to God.

In that respect God is a little bit like Irving Berlin. Irving Berlin wrote some of the most popular songs in American history, like "God Bless America" "Easter Parade" and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas." One time in an interview Berlin was asked "Is there any question that you've never been asked that you would like someone to ask you?" The composer said that yes there was one. Here it is: "'What do you think of the many songs you've written that didn't become hits?' My answer would be that I still think they are wonderful." Like Irving Berlin, God has an unshakable delight in what God has created. Each of God's children is wonderful in God's eyes. Whether they're a "hit" in the eyes

of others or not, God will always think they are wonderful.

God chooses to love us. God chooses to pursue us.

What's left for us is to make a decision. Because remember, even though God paid the price, we can still say no thank you to the kingdom of God.

During a flight on a commercial airline, the flight attendant asked a passenger if he would like dinner. The passenger asked, "What are my choices?" The flight attendant

answered, "Your choices are 'yes' and 'no.'"

When it comes to being in the kingdom of God, our choice is the same. Yes or no. But remember, God has already made the unswerving choice to love us and to pursue us. Jesus paid the price on the cross.

The meal that we are about to partake is more than bread and grape juice. It's an invitation to say yes; to surrender to the will of God, to say and to mean the phrase, your kingdom come, your will be done—in me.