Growing the Kingdom
Thursday, November 9, 2006 -- Week of Proper 26
"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.
Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 991)
Psalm 70, 71 (morning) // 74 (evening)
Ecclesiasticus 44:1-15 (found in the Apocrypha; also called Sirach)
Revelation 16:12-21
Luke 13:18-30
The exhortations of Luke 13 are poignant. Jesus offers a quiet, hidden metaphor for the work of the kingdom of God. It is like a small seed. Imagine it planted in your heart (the garden). There it grows, silently nurtured. It becomes a strong place of refuge, a home for the small (the birds of the air).
Then he uses the image of something unclean, yeast. (remember "beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, their hypocrisy") The kingdom is like yeast that is mixed into flour. So ordinary. Imperceptible. The yeast gives the bread life so that it will bubble and rise. It will become delicious.
This hidden, quiet, modest kingdom is present, active and growing. Traditionally the life of the kingdom is nurtured in things like what is happening now -- the prayer of the morning hours; the conversation with scripture. "Strive" says Jesus. Be disciplined. Let these values of the kingdom take root and grow within you. Let them be mixed throughout your spirit until they bubble to life.
Without that quiet growth and formation, you might be like those who had some intimate companionship with God ("we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets"), but the life did not take root and grow. Do not be presumptuous. Strangers will come from far away who live in this spirit. "Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
Lowell
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posted by Lowell @ 7:33 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
A few months ago, I was talking to a friend about what we thought Heaven would (will?) be like. She said her only hope was that she would still have a chance to learn things, which I took to mean "to grow." The mustard seed and yeast parables remind me of that thought, that is, the kingdom of God is like a seed that grows, or yeast that brings growth and change. A story goes that someone asked Winston Churchill what he planned to do when he got to Heaven, and he replied that he planned to spend the first thousand years or so working on his painting technique.
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