Thoughts for the Day

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’

Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions:... "As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near'. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment."

(Lectionary, New Revised Service Version)

Thoughts

Before the age of five I got whooping cough twice, and as an only child I became used ro amusing myself. My Dad created a huge rope swing from the attic that swung out over the stairs which was great fun, but mostly in those days without television and online games, I read books. By the age of three or four I was reading fluently, and read the lesson in chapel one day. My favourite books were the now denigrated books, by the Enid Blyton, and in particular 'The far away tree'. I loved the quaint creatures who lived in the tree, but especially the notion of a land that appeared at the top of the tree. Anyone climbing the tree could enter one of these crazy lands, but if you stayed too long the land would move away and you might get stuck there for weeks.

Everytime I have looked at this passage from Matthew's Gospel I am reminded of Jesus' words "The kingdom of heaven has come near." There is a real sense of God's Kingdom being close by, but if we're not careful we might miss it if we're not careful. We have to catch it somehow rather like the world in the imaginary story, but this times it's real.

In a world torn apart by war and terror, it feels sometimes as though this is hell. But the point is that God's Kingdom is here now with us. Wherever men and women proclaim the good news, give aid to others, support each other emotionally, and show forth love to anyone, then God's Kingdom is present among us.

Father-God,
help us to show Your love to others
in anyway that we can.
Help us to care for the lonely and unloved.
Help us to feed the hungry.
Help us to succour the sorrowful.
Help us to support the weak and confused.
Help us to nurture the young and elderly.
Help us above all to show Your love to all in need,
knowing that in dong so we bring Your Kingdom
nearer each day.
Amen.