Thursday 21 January 2016

Psalm: Psalm 17

Background

Here we have two illustrations of what the kingdom of God islike. Two illustrations that leave Google searches filled withdescriptions of farming for people who are not farmers and ofexactly what mustard seeds are like and their position in theunderstanding of that age for people whose only knowledge ofmustard is a jar labelled Colman's.

What I don't see so much in the Google results is muchdescription of what the kingdom of God is like.

From these images I'm seeing the kingdom of God as a place wherethe otherwise unnoticed, insignificant start is noticed, love andnurtured; where the smallest and least important produces abundancethat is celebrated; where the small, vulnerable, fragile istransformed into large and fruitful; where the death of a seed inthe ground is key to new life and growth; where the growth of oneis not at the expense of others.

I can't help but wonder what illustrations of the kingdom of Godwe are using today? What are our equivalents of seeds andplanting?

Maybe there is something about fractals: "A fractal is anever-ending pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns thatare self-similar across different scales. They are created byrepeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedbackloop." So the huge beauty from repeating something that starts verysmall and insignificant?

Or maybe the flourishing of a human child through love, care,education and hope from a helpless baby to an adult transformingthe lives of others?

Or the kingdom of God is like the small changes we are able tomake being added to others, being transformed from insignificant toworld-changing signs of hope?

Or the kingdom of God is like acts of love, justice,reconciliation and peace that start small and end transforminglives and communities?

The time we are living in (the time that follows the death andresurrection of Jesus) is often described as a time when thekingdom of God is come in part but is not yet complete. Surely thenwe should be full of stories, illustrations and examples of wherewe see the kingdom of God both here and coming. Where are they?

To Ponder

• What illustrations of the kingdom of God are most powerful inyour life? Why?

• Where is the kingdom of God visible today? What does it looklike? What illustrations describe it?