Pastor Simon Elliott from The Big Table Church joined Bec and Asa on Drive for a brand new segment: Simon Says. Simon is a local writer, designer, pastor, runner, and father of two. They discussed the parallels between sourdough and the Kingdom of Heaven.

It Starts with a Starter

Pastor Simon brought in his very own sourdough starter from home.

“It doesn’t take too much to make a sourdough starter,” began Simon. “You need flour, water and this magic, golden ingredient called time.”

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like Yeast

Matthew 13:33 was written on his sourdough jar.

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Matthew 13:33

He proudly presented his starter as he explained its origins. “It is about 20 years old. I got it from a friend in Mount Lawley, who got it from a friend who lives in Inglewood, who got it from their friend in the hills.”

“Then, from me,” he continued, “It’s gone to Como, Willeton, Gooseberry Hill, Scarborough and Brisbane.”

Generations of Influence

He dovetailed this into a story of a woman, who, through the nature of sourdough starters, inherited an ancestor’s DNA.

“The woman was a little bit dubious about the validity of the sourdough starter. So she had a DNA test done on the sourdough starter and sure enough, found great, great, great grandmother’s DNA in the sourdough.”

Simon noted that it was like a little piece of grandma in each recipe she made with the sourdough starter.

The Message Through Parables

He referenced Jesus’ words and the impact of his actions, spanning thousands of years.

“When Jesus was on earth 2000 years ago, he gave a whole lot of word pictures about what kingdom of God looks like.”

Jesus described the indescribable by comparing lessons to different things.

“It’s upside down to our world. And he describes it as a pearl of great price and as a tiny mustard seed that grows huge.”

Legit Starter

Simon then referred back to the parable in Matthew 13.

“And he says yeast, or leaven. But when we think yeast or leaven, we think instant. But this is legit starter, which isn’t this instant stuff. It’s the full deal.”

Simon continued with the metaphor of sourdough with reference to the Kingdom of Heaven.

“In Matthew and Luke, he says, the kingdom of heaven is like starter, that a woman hides in the flour until it works all the way through.”

Simon said he likes to make sourdough on the weekend, with two kilos of flour, which gets him four loaves of bread. If we were to compare this to what the woman in that the illustration uses, it would take a lot of patience, forearm development and a lot of purpose.

The Product of Patience

“Here’s my thought,” said Simon, “Jesus compares his kingdom to this woman and her starter because it’s not an instant result. It’s the product of time and patience and something magical and golden and spiritual called fermentation. And the biggest thing we can learn from that is just how wide-reaching and gradual the kingdom of heaven spreads through us.”

He added that there is an encouragement in this. “It is not an instant yeast that just rises up quickly and then falls in a heap. But it’s a journey and it’s a process.”

Bakers, Athletes and Parents

Like athletes, we prepare for the journey. the process is about turning up time and time again, mixing talent with passion.

“Parenting your kids in this lifetime involves love and passion and intent that you’re working through your kids. It is in your relationships with your neighbours, with the people you’re in deepest community with. It’s about the long haul, not the quick wins.”

Simon concluded with an encouragement for us to catch ourselves throughout the week as we go about the ‘slow work’ of mixing in goodness, do not lose heart in the slower process.

“Great things happen by turning up.”

Check out the full chat with Pastor Simon Elliott below.