Jesus keeps telling his disciples that the kin-dom of God (or realm, reign, etc.) is like a whole bunch of interesting things…a pearl, leaven, a sower, seed, yeast, treasure, a merchant, a net, a landowner … huh? Now we are all thoroughly confused. What is it?? It is a place where all people are fed in body and spirit….a place where all people are free and respected….a place where compassion reigns over competition and negativism….a place where forgiveness and grace count for more than accomplishments and winning….a place that belongs to children and the young….a place where there are no weapons of destruction….a place where attributes like skin color, sexual orientation, gender expression, language or dress are interesting, but do not define people. Rather, it is the quality of their hearts. Maybe it’s even a place where the diverse, the wild, and the puzzling are valued as just more manifestations of the images of God.
Of course, the realm of God is not a “place.” It is to be built and cultivated inside of ourselves individually and communally. The realm of God – which is a world changed by daring compassion and justice – is not a thing for which we can create blueprints, cost estimates, and then go out and build it. Frankly, anybody can do that. What we are called to do as God’s people, as brothers and sisters, is to continue and expand the work to heal a hurting world. If we are not doing that, then we are not working on the realm of God.
Blessings, – Pastor Carol
