Sermon 11: Beauty in the Unexpected
(III. The Way of Black Rice)
Beloved gatherers of the Grain,
Today we behold Black Rice — the Ancient, who bears the wisdom of forgotten harvests.
The people beheld its darkness and were troubled, saying: Art thou burned? Hath the fire corrupted thee? But it was not burned. It was deep; it was intended.
Do not fear difference. What appears dark may carry the sweetest wisdom.
I. The Darkness That Confounds
And the people beheld its darkness and were troubled. They assumed the worst. Burned. Corrupted.
But it was not burned, nor had the fire corrupted it. It was deep; it was intended.
The unexpected often confounds. We judge by surface. We assume darkness means damage.
Black Rice teaches: what looks different may be precisely what is needed.
Do not fear difference. The fire did not corrupt; it revealed.
II. The Oldest Though It Came Last
Black Rice was oldest though it came last among the Three; its lineage stretched unto the dawn of cultivation.
The last to arrive often carries the most history. The unexpected guest may be the wisest.
Beauty in the unexpected: we dismiss what we do not understand. We prefer the familiar.
Black Rice holds the memory of forgotten harvests, of unseen moons, of emperors who guarded it jealously.
What is old may appear new to those who have forgotten. What is ancient may startle the modern eye.
III. Sweetness Within Strength
For Black Rice carries sweetness within strength, and mystery within nourishment.
The unexpected often holds paradox. Sweetness and strength. Mystery and nourishment.
We expect one or the other. Black Rice offers both. The wise receive the gift.
And it was written in the annals: Black Rice shall be called Forbidden, yet it shall be welcomed by those who seek wisdom.
The forbidden often carries the richest reward. Do not fear what tradition once restricted.
IV. Served Sparingly
And at the table it was served sparingly, that its rarity might be honored and its depth appreciated.
Beauty in the unexpected is not always abundant. Sometimes the precious thing is rare.
We need not fill the plate with it. We need only receive it when it is offered.
At the Final Feast: White for sustenance, Brown for remembrance, Black for celebration.
Celebration is the response to the unexpected gift. Honor the rare. Appreciate the depth.
V. Welcomed by the Wise
Black Rice shall be called Forbidden, yet it shall be welcomed by those who seek wisdom.
The crowd may fear the black grain. The wise welcome it. Wisdom sees beyond the surface.
Do not fear difference. The unexpected may be the very thing the meal needs.
And they shall sit together in one bowl, and the bowl shall be full. All three. Together.
Beauty in the unexpected: when we welcome what confounds us, the feast is complete.
Let us behold beauty in the unexpected.
Do not fear the dark. Do not dismiss the different. Welcome what seeks wisdom.
For the grain that confounds may carry the sweetest depth.
Go forth, open and discerning.
And may you welcome the unexpected.