Hiddenness of the Kingdom

One of the most remarkable truths that Jesus taught is the unexpected hiddenness of the kingdom of God. Jesus made clear that the kingdom of God was going to save and rescue this world precisely by virtue of its being so very different from the powerful, flashy, showy political kingdoms which otherwise capture our attention.

The kingdom of God, Jesus said, looks small, even tiny. It looks foolish. In fact, the kingdom can even disappear completely the way a seed gets buried in the soil. It takes 750 mustard seeds to equal one gram. Drop one of those little wisps into the dirt and you won't even be able to see it. The same is true of yeast in dough: once it's mixed into the water, flour, and oil, the yeast disappears—you could not separate it back out again (much less locate it) if you tried. Yet these tiny things have great effects.

The kingdom is not what you expect in terms of political clout. The kingdom of God is not about gleaming capital cities studded with marble colonnades and soaring executive mansions. It's not about some fierce army plowing under opposition by sheer dint of its power. Compared to all of that, God's kingdom looks as insignificant as a grain of mustard or a packet of dry yeast. But the kingdom can change hearts. It can change the world. It has changed the world. So how many life changing moments have you had recently?

A grieving widow had received an invitation to drive to Vermont to visit her kids and grandkids but she never made this trip alone. Some friends from Boston were visiting and offered to drive home part of the way. However, their plans changed so our dear friend was faced with the decision to make the drive alone. She found the courage only to discover that her kids had to get back to work on Tuesday. It appeared she make the trip for nothing. But it seemed her older brother who lived in a nearby town caught wind that his sister was stranded. Instead, he took himself out of work and invited his older sister to go hiking in the Vermont mountain trails. This spontaneous act of kindness brought much joy and healing to his grieving sister. She enjoyed great comfort from her brother who took note of his sister’s grief. She described her adventure as a great relief and enjoyed taking their daypacks and hiking 4-6 miles a day. On the trail they just talked about everything and she never felt lonely or sad.

The kingdom simply means we find ourselves in a moment in which we might be asked to do the impossible-like take the extra days to spend with a family member, or go walk the dog or help a neighbor shop for groceries. The kingdom is here but it's modest. It's hidden. It's quiet.

The kingdom of God turns out to be utterly surprising in nature. How many times do I walk into the woods and get a glimpse of nature that I never noticed before. But you have to go slow and not be in a hurry. But once you embrace this quiet moment of bliss, you have accepted the invitation to live in a kingdom lifestyle. To do so becomes very contagious to those around us, which is why I can’t wait to start taking folks with me on journeys into the woods.

Immanuel watches over us as we reflect: And a highway will be there, it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.” (Isaish 35:8).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who extend themselves to be quiet acts of your loving faithfulness. Help us to let the Kingdom grow and leaven in its own quiet, humble way so that people’s hearts will be changed by our gestures of acceptance and openness. Special thanks to all our Sonshine nurses who care for the sick and bring a special blessing and healing to all their patients and family members. You are the best!

You Need To Go Home

I was visiting a beautiful family who are preparing today to entertain 60 family and friends for a Fourth of July picnic at their home. On Friday, we were cleaning up the yard and helping to strain the seaweed floating up the side of their dock. Unbeknown to any of us, a worker from their truck farm came with a weedwacher that sent grass-clippings flying all over the sidewalk and into the water after we had just cleaned. The lady of the house kindly asked this eager beaver to be more watchful and keep the clippings out of the water. No sooner did she have this discussion then he pulled his ear protectors back on and proceeded to rip up the grass as the wacher sent clippings back into the water, on the dock and into the patio. My friend firmly went up to him, looked him straight in the eye and said: “You need to go home.”

The yard was a complete mess and we looked at one another wondering where did he come from? All we could do was head for the garden shed, get out the brooms and pans and sweep the mess away off the patio, the walks, and the dock and strain the shore again. I wonder if Jesus had moments when he went up to an apostle who was botching up the message and said: “You need to go home.”

Sometimes we are so exhausted that we are not thinking straight and it results in making lots of mistakes. Our intentions are good, but we are not listening very well because we have so many burdens on our mind.

A good friend was having another miserable day at his construction site, where everybody seemed to working at a snail pace despite the deadlines he had in his mind. To get away from this mess, we convinced him to take us for a boat ride on the lake to see the sunset. As we were heading for the lighthouse and the sun was setting, a coast guard boat came along side for an inspection. He has never been inspected in his life in 50 years. Instead of panic, he just slowed the boat and welcomed the guardsmen aboard to perform their drill. He had all the required flares and whistles, took his required boat courses in the 60's before any crew members were born and passed the inspection with flying colors. He wondered to himself what else could go wrong?

We could only laugh with him as the Coast Guard boat sailed off into the sunset. Instead of a yoke that was too heavy, he is loved by family and friends who were there to remind him that in times of trouble we need to “come to the Lord.”

Don’t you know that Christ is fully aware of what is going on in our lives at all times? We often do not acknowledge his presence. What we need to do is to tell Him our troubles, not so much for His information, but for our own benefit, to bring to our consciousness the fact that Christ must be present in our lives.

Immanuel watches over us as we reflect: “Do not be far from me, my God; come quickly, God, to help me. “ (Psalm 71:12).

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who feel exhausted and burnt-out from the burdens of life. In that moment, help us to know that we are never alone and that you are our side to give strength and courage. May we remember to come home to the Lord whenever we feel washed-out to find rest from all our burdens.