End of an age

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. Matthew 13:47-49

This is the last day of May 2010. And it is Memorial Day. And it is a time when certain things are coming to an end and other things are beginning. Anniversaries, graduations and new eras and jobs starting. And evidence that once was is no longer viable. New models of living are emerging, but they will have to be built, dreamed and inhabited. They will have to find flesh and sustenance in a new age. Today, I feel a need to say good bye to May and the former things and begin again to renew the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Things have come full circle for many of us and it is time to imagine anew.

Jesus used parables because he stands as the door from one era into another. Full nets, pearls of great price, and a invaluable field are the images Jesus uses. Things will never be the same and somethings have to be given up to enter a new way, a new relationship with the living God.

Today, I a simply asking God to help me to dream into this new era and to let go of those things that need to be dismissed for the new age to come. May we remember that God is in the midst of us however hard these transitions might be. May we invite God's imagination and live with courage as we enter this new age together serving the people of God where ever we are planted.