Scripture Readings
Writing in Babylon shortly after Israel’s deportation in 587 BC, Ezekiel
has many chapters about Israel’s failure to keep faith in God, leading
to their exile. But God keeps his promises: He will restore his people
to Israel. A remnant will survive and return to Zion. But the people
must repent and submit to the sovereignty of God. The Psalm looks
forward to when “the just” “will flourish in the courts of our God”.
Paul has described his sufferings to the Corinthians. He accepts that
while we are in our mortal bodies “we are being given up to death” “so
that Jesus may be made visible in our flesh”. We should have confidence
in the Lord: whatever problems we face in our earthly lives, we look
forward, “longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling”, our future,
resurrected body which is waiting for us.
In Mark’s gospel Jesus describes the kingdom of God in parables.
Examples of transformation surround us, seeds and larvae being amazingly
transformed. We may think the kingdom of God is “somewhere else”, in
heaven, rather than on earth. But Jesus’ parables do not suggest this,
and in the Lord’s prayer we ask every day that God’s kingdom come “on
earth, as it is in heaven”.
Psalm Response: It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
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