Opening Prayer:
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Through dreams and visions, O God, |
Increase the number of those who believe in your word |
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 In Matthew, God’s coming reign is like a mustard seed. It is small and hard to see today, but it will grow large and seen by all. How do you recognize the signs of God’s reign today as a mustard seed?
Maybe you have heard the statement, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to a mountain, be moved, and it will be.” But this parable of the mustard seed in Matthew says nothing about faith; rather, it contrasts the present state of the Kingdom and its end. The point of the parable is the contrast between the tiny present state of the Reign of God and its final state—like the common mustard of Palestine, Sinapis nigra, which can grow to about twelve feet high. The same is true for the parable of the yeast. Yeast is most often used as a symbol for corruption, but here Jesus reminds us the yeast is “hidden,” just as God’s realm is hidden in the disciples of Christ’s way. Others are about the surprise and joy of finding such rich treasure, about commitment, judgment and separation.
Romans 8:26-39 “All things work together for good for those who love God.” Why do bad things happen to good people? What has been your experience of this reality?
How many times have you knelt with a heavy heart and discovered you had no idea what to say? Paul is saying that the Spirit is helping us when we don’t know how to pray. We can’t put our prayers into words; but the Spirit prompts with “sighs too deep for words.” The verses mention predestination, and Paul didn’t have a fully worked-out system of predestination. In the Bible, however, being “predestined” does not mean that we have no choice. Paul is clear that we are free to make choices, even to reject God’s love. So the word here means more like God’s longing for us to follow God. Human freedom can disappoint that longing. But to those who respond to God’s call, there is acceptance and celebration in the future.
Closing Prayer:
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God, in Jesus Christ you set your holy reign upon this earth. So let its coming be like the mustard seed that grows into greatness, |
and like the leaven that mixes with the grain |