I want to invite you to use your imagination this morning. Imagine that you are a network executive. In fact, you possess the power to decide which television shows are produced and aired. As you sit behind your desk--drinking a latte, of course--a man comes to your office to pitch an idea. He wants to hire a handful of antique appraisers from places like Sotheby’s and Christies, rent convention centers in a handful of cities, and invite John and Jane Public to bring their knickknacks, collectibles and attic treasures in for appraisal. And the real exciting part is the fact that the appraisals will be captured on film.

What would you think? Can you imagine anything more boring than watching a stuffy old expert pontificate on the lacquer finish of a grimy piggy bank? Who in his right mind would buy such a show?

Of course, someone at PBS did--and The Antiques Roadshow was born. And it is one of the modern miracles of television. Today it is the most watched show on public television. Millions of folks tune in week after week to watch people just like you and me discover that the bowl Aunt Bessie gave them for their wedding or the picture they bought at a flea market is a rarity worth four--maybe even five--figures.

What gives the show its drama--aside from the hope that we will see something we possess being appraised for thousands of dollars--is the fact that the people featured do not recognize what they have. To them it is just a piece of the scenery or another interesting oddity collecting dust. Having seen it around the house for years or having paid little or nothing for it, they don’t realize its value.

I wonder if the same can’t be said about us and the faith we possess? Do we realize the value of the kingdom of heaven? There are signs that suggest we don’t.

For example, on any given Sunday only 43 percent of the people who identify themselves as Christians gather to worship God. Even if you eliminate all the folks who cannot go to church--folks who are hospitalized, homebound, working or in jail--the number still falls well short of 50 percent. Can you imagine less than half of the Dallas Cowboy’s season ticket holders actually attending the games? Even in their worst season, that wouldn’t happen. Those seats in Texas Stadium are too valuable. Yet most of those who declare Jesus as their Lord and Savior appear to take for granted the faith and the opportunity to thank God for life and grace.

Or consider the fact that less than half of all followers of Jesus Christ regularly read the Scriptures that contain his teachings. We say we esteem the Bible. We say it is authoritative for life and faith. It remains the most bought book in the world. Yet only about 40 percent of Christians report reading it at least weekly, and even fewer say they study it. Maybe familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe we figure it has nothing to say we haven’t already heard. I don’t know. But whatever the case, such numbers suggest that the handbook for the realm of God is rarely turned to for wisdom and comfort. It appears more like a rare book to be viewed through glass than a guide for life.

Then there’s our reluctance to share the faith. We have a neighbor who rides Harley Davidson motorcycles. He has bought three over the last few years--one for himself, one for his wife and one for his father. On each occasion, when the opportunity arose, he excitedly told us about them. He shared his enthusiasm for what he had. He did it because he valued those bikes. I am like that with books. I love to talk about my new acquisitions. Others are anxious to talk about their latest CD or rosebush or vacation. What we value we can’t help but talk about.

Yet here again there are signs we don’t recognize the value of the realm of God. Less than half of those attending churches like ours have spoken to a non-Christian or non-churchgoer about their faith.

Maybe like Aunt Bessie’s bowl, the kingdom of heaven has become too familiar to us. Maybe we take our faith for granted. Having inherited it easily and having never thought about losing it, we just don’t realize what it is that we possess.

But whatever the case, the fact is that the invitation to follow Jesus, to share in the kingdom of heaven that he exemplified, is the most precious possession we have.

That was Jesus’ point in two of the parables we heard this morning. In one Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that someone finds buried in a field. It is so valuable that he hides it then goes and happily sells everything he owns so that he can buy the field. Nothing is more valuable.

In the same way, the kingdom of heaven is like a fine pearl. A merchant who finds such a perfect pearl would sell her whole stock to buy it. Nothing is more valuable.

That is the kingdom of heaven. Being a part of the realm of God is so important, so valuable, that the wise prospector or the smart merchant or the humble seeker or any one of us would give anything to possess it. Nothing is more valuable.

It took them a while, but the disciples eventually understood how valuable the kingdom of heaven really was. There is an interesting ending to the Gospel of John. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, Simon Peter announced that he was going back to work--not the work of Jesus but back to fishing, back to his old life of early mornings mending nets and tending to family. He was going back to what he valued most. And the others said they would join him.

But after a fruitless night of fishing, they saw a figure on the beach. It was Jesus, but they didn’t know it. He asked if they had caught any fish. And when they told him "no," he told them where to drop their nets. Of course, when they did they found their nets full to overflowing. Suddenly, Peter realized it was Jesus. Later that morning, Jesus would ask Peter--and in effect the rest--if they valued the kingdom of heaven enough to tend to God’s people, to give their time and talents to God‘s work. And they did. They happily abandoned everything that had once been precious to them--their jobs, their religious heritage, their social standing, ultimately even their freedom and lives--so they could invest themselves fully in the realm of God.

In Jesus Christ, we have been forgiven our sins. We have been reconciled to God, ourselves and each other. We have been given a world-wide family that shares our values and our work. We have been called to an adventurous life of serving others and sharing good news with the world. We have been given hope for this world and for the next.

In Jesus Christ, we have become citizens of no less than the ever-emerging kingdom of heaven--the realm of God.

How much is that worth? It is worth more than all the buried treasure and fine pearls in the world. Nothing is more valuable.

Isn’t such a treasure worth investing your time, your mind and your voice?