The Kingdom of God Is Like...
A reading for Thursday, March 20, 2014: Mark 4:21-34.
"With many such parables he (Jesus) spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.."
The Kingdom of God is a difficult concept for us to fully understand. It doesn't fit neatly on a bumper sticker, or a sound-bite on television. It's greater than that. Jesus taught using images that would provide glimpses of the Kingdom of God. Jesus used parables.
Jesus would say, "the Kingdom of God is as if..." or "what can we compare the Kingdom of God."
It's almost like the Kingdom of God is a piece of art placed in the center of the room, and we are invited to walk around it looking at it and trying to describe what we see to others. Our perspective depends on where we stand in the room, where the light source is, and even who else might be with us at the time. We don't fully understand all the artist had in mind, but try our best to describe the truth of what we see at that very moment.
Whoops, another image of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps that's all we have?
Today is the first day of Spring. After a very long winter for so many of us, we awaken today to something new. I spent a few minutes yesterday walking around my yard looking at the flowers and the trees. Suddenly there are buds, and new growth. Where there was nothing but brown and gray, suddenly there is green again. There is nothing I have done to create any of it. It has just appeared. An amazing gift of life that has just appeared in the blessings of God's grace.
Jesus might say... The Kingdom of God is like the coming of spring. We are so grateful.
"With many such parables he (Jesus) spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.."
The Kingdom of God is a difficult concept for us to fully understand. It doesn't fit neatly on a bumper sticker, or a sound-bite on television. It's greater than that. Jesus taught using images that would provide glimpses of the Kingdom of God. Jesus used parables.
Jesus would say, "the Kingdom of God is as if..." or "what can we compare the Kingdom of God."
It's almost like the Kingdom of God is a piece of art placed in the center of the room, and we are invited to walk around it looking at it and trying to describe what we see to others. Our perspective depends on where we stand in the room, where the light source is, and even who else might be with us at the time. We don't fully understand all the artist had in mind, but try our best to describe the truth of what we see at that very moment.
Whoops, another image of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps that's all we have?
Today is the first day of Spring. After a very long winter for so many of us, we awaken today to something new. I spent a few minutes yesterday walking around my yard looking at the flowers and the trees. Suddenly there are buds, and new growth. Where there was nothing but brown and gray, suddenly there is green again. There is nothing I have done to create any of it. It has just appeared. An amazing gift of life that has just appeared in the blessings of God's grace.
Jesus might say... The Kingdom of God is like the coming of spring. We are so grateful.
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