Focus on the Community

"What does God's imperial rule remind me of? It is like leaven which a woman took and concealed in fifty pounds of flour until it was all leavened."

Luke 13: 20b-21, SV

I am a baker, in the odd time I have to spare for a hobby. I was preparing a starter late last night when I realized the truth of this parable; the simple truth. With slightly over 2 teaspoons of yeast, I can raise three loaves of bread. Almost 7 cups of flour, a cup of milk, butter and fruits, and only 2 teaspoons of yeast is sufficient to leaven the whole loaf.

Seminary taught me to focus on the impurity of the yeast in that parable, and that focus is still sound. But there is practical wisdom in the teaching, too, and sometimes practical wisdom is precisely what we need. Only a little leaven is necessary, to leaven the whole loaf; or a whole lot of flour.

A reminder, then, to Pastor Dan, and to all of us in the church and the ministry, that our numbers do not matter, that the quantity of us is not needed; it is the quality that counts. Old, dead, stale yeast will not raise the bread from cracker to loaf. A large amount of yeast would simply spoil the dough. Only a little is ever called for; only a little is ever needed.

And the result is always wonderful. Without the leavening, and just a little, and never more than that, there is no bread.