Grace & Peace, y'all

At EFM the other night we were doing Theological Reflection on the passage from Matthew 13:44-46 (you know, about the Hidden Treasure in the field and the Pearl of great price).

I have long heard this parable preached as relating to our discovery of The Kingdom. However, the thought process within our EFM group is sometimes unconventional, to say the least. Anyway, one of our Mentors, in referring to John Claypool's take on this parable blew me away. He offered up Claypool's thought that possibly the field with the hidden treasure and the pearl referred to us, ourselves; while the man finding the treasure/pearl was God. To me, yet another description of Grace.

I've heard it said "all preachers only have three sermons" and that each time they speak is only a conceptual modification of one of those three sermons previously given. Were I "of the cloth," I suppose one of my sermons must would be on Grace. Having come to know the concept it seems I now see God's Grace everywhere and focus on it, often to the exclusion of other facets of the Faith. Perhaps that's why I was so taken with Claypool's image. But then, conservative as I am, I've never been accused of being conventional.

Grace & Peace, y'all.