Retailers are not always perfect judges of what will sell in any given location or during a particular season. Seeing literal truckloads of new merchandise arrive on a regular basis as a store manager, I caught myself wondering what the buyers were thinking on more than one occasion. The ceramic monkey candleholders are a good example. The daily joke in one store was another store's best seller. The silver-plated cigar holders tarnished three times over and were reduced to a dollar before they sold because they predated the cigar smoking craze. Worst were the masses of candles that hung around so long, dented and dusty, that they lost their scent. All of the above, and multitudes of unnamed souls, ended up in clearance.

But chickens are another story.

Walk through almost any home interiors or decorating store and you are bound to discover a whole separate division dedicated to chicken-themed merchandise. Even if you are not a decorative chicken aficionado, take a peek at what the human imagination can make of one small bird. There are chicken statues in all shapes and sizes, some standing alone in a relatively natural-looking state, some gathered together in small groups, destined to spend eternity dressed as human beings from the 19th century. There are chicken bookends, door stops and dinnerware. Dishtowels, vacuum cleaner covers and tablecloths all have their place at Chickenland central. Do you own a set of chicken salt and pepper shakers? Does your friend have a piece of chicken serveware? Chances are good that either you or at least one or two of your friends have brought home a buddy from the piles and miles of product available in this motif. Because, as my friend who still works as a retail manager pointed out, "You don't see many chickens in clearance."

After pondering that bit of wisdom for awhile, my mind moved on to considering where we place value in our culture, and how interesting it is that we value chickens as a decorative tool in our homes. Further along in my thought process, I recalled all the parables Jesus told to help the disciples, and the crowds that followed him from place to place, understand the concept of the kingdom of heaven. How do you convey something so vast and glorious, yet so poignantly real and available to a people all but crushed by the brutality of the Roman Empire? Jesus? answer was to wrap this beautiful jewel in stories that allowed its brightness to both shine, and be held dearly to their hearts. So, in one of those parables, Matthew's gospel tells us, "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who in finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:45-46)

Perhaps there is a connection to be made, and a new parable to write for our modern culture to grasp the idea of this thing called the kingdom of heaven. Perhaps the kingdom of heaven is like a woman in search of fine decorative chickens, who in finding one chicken of great value, went and sold all that she had and bought it. Perhaps there is no greater treasure. Perhaps that is why you don't see many chickens in clearance.