Chapter Thirteen Friday, December 10, 2010
“What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew, became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches. What shall I compare the Kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Luke 13:18-12
It is Friday! I hope your week has been wonderful as we begin to look to the weekend and another opportunity to gather for worship as the Wilson family of faith. Breathe deep; good things are on the horizon because we have been invited to live as Kingdom people.
In many ways the Kingdom of God was the primary focus for Jesus during his brief time on earth. It was the central theme of his preaching, and he unfolded parable after parable to help the people of his day capture some insights into the nature of the Kingdom.
When it comes to an explanation of the Kingdom, I am so thankful that Jesus chose to use parables rather than deep theological language. What if he had said, “The Kingdom of God is a transcendent yet eminent and invisible universe that is realized when the grace of God is activated by the faith expression of an individual believer who is then radically and universally transformed through the concomitant gifts of a Trinitarian God who happens to be my divine parent while I stand in my authoritative position as the second person of the triune divinity.” Oh, really?
I am so thankful that he spoke about mustard seeds that start small and then grow to a magnificent size. I rejoice that he said the Kingdom of God is like yeast that works throughout the loaf. I can get my head around that kind of Kingdom language.
Personally, I actually find the Kingdom parables to be very challenging. Here we are, just two weeks away from the celebration of Christmas. The neighbors have decorated their home, the stores are full to overflowing, the air is crisp, and the tree has been prepared to receive brightly colored gifts. But I thought the Kingdom was about yeast and mustard seeds? Maybe we should stop and take a second look at our preparation.
Have our lives and activities taken the form of yeast that allows our faith to work its way into the whole loaf of our life experience? Are we demonstrating faith that takes the mustard seed approach when we develop relationships with others? Are we living this Advent season as intentional Kingdom people?
Maybe it is time to get started on a Kingdom journey!
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