Reign In Me

31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." 33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened." 44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;"

(Matthew 13:31-33, 44-47)

In Jesus' parables, recounted in Matthew 13, the kingdom - or reign - of God is seemingly small, even insignificant, yet has great potential to touch all people with life-giving transformation which yields immeasurable joy. We tend to think of this kingdom as something that we hope to experience later - that it will be wholly separated from our current lives, and the mundane will be replaced with the extraordinary. But Jesus' examples of God's reign were entirely mundane and ordinary: the mustard seed produced an extremely common plant, the yeast was already in the baker's possession, the places where the treasure and the pearl were found were only special because of what was hidden there, and the fishing net was a fixture in communal life.

God's reign is hidden in each of us, waiting to be revealed in our everyday interactions: our encounter with a delivery person, a moment speaking with a neighbor or co-worker, engaging with family members. These moments can seem like impediments or distractions from greater, more important work, but they are the very opportunities for us to share God's love and grace even as they are often the most challenging or tedious parts of our day. God's reign is revealed, not only in grand, special events, but primarily as we recognize every moment, every encounter, as precious and worthy of our yielding to God's will and God's way.

4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually. 5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, 6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. (Psalm 105:4-7)