This Life and the Kingdom of God

We continue into the long season of ordinary time with the third Sunday of Pentecost. From the lectionary offerings for this Sunday, we will hear 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 and Mark 4:26-34.

1 Samuel tells of Samuel’s deep grief over Saul and God’s movement to choose another king to replace Saul. In short, God leads us on a journey in which looks can be deceiving. Physical appearances may mislead us, and social presentability may cause us to miss people with deep commitment to living life with God.

In the reading from Mark, we hear the familiar metaphor of the kingdom of God as the scattering of seed. Jesus tells the parable of the mustard seed, how such a tiny seed turns into a huge shrub that attracts birds and critters of all kinds. What a great image of a kingdom that grows and cannot be stopped, but a strange image too, as the shrub Jesus describes is one that would take over a garden and would not be desirable for planting.

Again, we will meditate on God’s word and approach the holy mystery that is this life and the kingdom of God being brought out in our very midst