REFLECTION

This is not the time or place to discuss what Paul meant by pre-destined - or Calvin's double pre-destination - an anomaly which unfortunately can still hang over our part of the Reformed family.

As it was once advised 'if you are worried about being pre-destined/elect or committing the unforgivable sin then you are the least who needs to be concerned'. In other words, those of us who are doing our best, even under the most trying of circumstances, 'are not far, if not already, part of the Kingdom'.

So it is to those Kingdom parables we turn. Each of the five mini-parables are gems in themselves (not just the one about the 'pearl of great price'!)

If you have time in the week set a time to think about each one in turn over Monday - Friday and here a few tips to help you.

The mustard seed. So the smallest thing can be multiplied in the Kingdom of God. Just think about those small things you have done or do - each is multiplied, so do not dismiss it as nothing - you never know where it will lead. This is a true story. A passenger on a plane found themselves seated next to Mother Theresa of Calcutta. During the flight she ask the man 'What do you do?' He began to tell her he had been promoted - hence the plane journey and that he and his wife were excited about moving to Hong Kong and all they hoped to do. Somewhere along the line he said they were Church-goers. Mother Theresa listened patiently then asked 'What do you do for God?'. The man was dumbstruck! On the family settling in Hong Kong he approached the minister (from whom I heard the story) and said, 'I am here to serve the church in any capacity - from toilet-cleaning to serving the destitute, I am here to serve God'. The minister too was dumbfounded! Yet that simple offer was taken up and using the man's skills and contacts the community work of the church, which was beginning to wane, was revitalised and is the noted feature of the church. Which highlights the birds in the parable, 'The birds of the air' was a poetic way of speaking of other nations in the Old Testament. This is about the Kingdom of God being bigger than the church and wider than our imaginings the Kingdom as it grows can encompass 'all the nations of the world'.

This theme continues with the woman with the yeast. If you have ever made bread you will know that compared with the amount of flour very little yeast is needed to make the dough rise and 'live'. The yeast gives life to the flour and that is part of being in the kingdom - giving life to the community and world in which we live.

Then we have the two parallel parables of the treasure and pearl. They are very obvious in many ways - but look again. The pearl was being searched for and when this amazing pearl was found every other pearl paled into insignificance and they are sacrificed for this one outstanding specimen. However the treasure is stumbled upon and having been discovered the finder hides it away, goes to find the fields owner - offers a great deal and goes back and digs up the treasure. I don't think this parable stands up to our laws about finding treasure - but that aside. This is more about discovering the Kingdom of God and how different people do that. Some are seeking meaning and purpose and life and see in the life of Jesus the end of their particular phase of searching. Others stumble across faith but having done so again find something that is of the greatest value in their lives. So what does this say to the church? That we need to find all sorts of opportunities to share our faith, willing to engage with those who are searching for meaning and purpose but also being open to those who 'stumble' into our orbit as individuals or as a community and showing the treasure we find in following Jesus ourselves. There are so many ways to discover the Kingdom of God we need to be open and encourage those who we encounter who are seeking or finding faith for themselves.

Finally, perhaps the most disconcerting of the parables the fish in the net. Yet this links in so much with my first few sentences about some who concern themselves about who may or may not be pre-destined. In this parable the net is cast wide and all sorts of fish are caught. It is not until the catch is landed that the fish are sorted that there is any sense of selection. Note also the selection is not up to us! It is not our place in the church to pre-judge ourselves or those who find us by searching or stumbling into faith; thank goodness! All we are called to do is to live as true to our calling as we can and to willing to live by Kingdom values as we seek to be disciples of Jesus.

Therefore 'If God is for us, who is against us?'

Let us therefore live in a confidence 'that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

Amen