All things that have life change and grow with time. The human body regenerates itself; nature blooms anew every spring, even after the long, snowy winter we had, the earth has come fully back to life. The life of a community or town or city changes and grows over time as well.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is trying to help the people understand the kingdom of God. Jesus tells them that God’s kingdom is in their midst and that kingdom is anything but static. God’s kingdom is alive and therefore grows with time. He uses the image of the man who scatters seed and goes about the rest of his life. The seed takes root, sprouts and grows, and ultimately yields the harvest. Just as that growth is imperceptible and is only really experienced at harvest time, so is the kingdom of God at the end of time.
Jesus goes on to use another image from nature. He talks about the mustard seed. Again, it is an image of change and growth. The smallest of all seeds grows into a shrub large enough to shelter the birds of the air. What we see here is that God’s kingdom is in our midst. It is alive and growing until the day of completion at the end of time.
Jesus also tells us that the kingdom of God lives within each of us, first as that tiny mustard seed. With time that seed which is also alive, grows and matures within our hearts prompting us to do good, to live well, and to help others along our journey.
These are the ways that God’s kingdom manifests itself in our lives and how that kingdom grows and grows until the day of divine harvest.
And so as we tend our gardens and flowers and lawns these days, may that be a reminder of that mustard seed growing in our hearts and making the kingdom of God present in our midst.