LIBRARY – The Sourdough Parable

There was a woman who wished to bake sourdough bread to feed her family.
She acquired a small lump of starter—a living mixture of flour and water passed down from a friend—and brought it home with joy.
But with the busyness of life, she forgot to feed it.

Each day, the starter sat unfed and neglected as she tended to other things.
Soon, it became sluggish, then sour in a way that was not good, and finally it stopped rising altogether.
When she tried to bake with it, the bread was flat and hard, and no one wanted a second bite—not even her.
So she began again.

This time, she rose early to feed the starter with care, giving it flour and water daily, watching as it bubbled with life.
It grew strong, alive, and full of power to leaven a whole batch of dough.
Only then did she divide it, giving portions to others who wished to bake their own loaves.
And so, from a small jar in her kitchen, many were fed.

by Michael Wilhelm
found on Facebook and based on Jezus’ shortest parable, shared by many of his disciples:
“To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”