And it’s a good thing, because God’s kingdom is unfolding
in
ways that are so beyond our
comprehension!
In our reading from Ezekiel this Sunday, the prophet wants
the people to understand that only God can restore their destiny: I, the
Lord, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree… The people of Israel are having trouble
believing this message; in exile, their faith in God is waning. But the Lord reassures them: As I,
the Lord, have spoken, so will I do.
God is looking after God’s
kingdom, and if the people focus on where God has planted them, they will
prosper, because God who is ever faithful will be working in their life: The
just one shall flourish like the palm tree, Psalm 92 tells us, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow… It’s all about faith, and faithfulness.
In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus uses parables to help the crowds
understand the kingdom of God, choosing images of seed sown and the growth that
results. The process of cultivation may
be a mystery – through it all the seed
would sprout and grow, he knows not how – but the result, in the end, is tangible; likewise, we may not yet be able
to see the fullness of God’s kingdom, but that kingdom is growing all around
us, all the same, and growing within us as God works within us. We may not think much of our gifts, but they
do produce… so long as we walk by faith,
as Paul tells the Corinthians. Sight can
leave us blind to what faith makes apparent; the more we believe in and are
attentive to God’s power at work in us, the more physical sight fades in
importance. If we allow faith to guide us, it will one day bring us home to the Lord, home to the fullness of
that kingdom we cannot yet comprehend.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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