Lamp Light

Jesus said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”

He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. Mark 4:21-34 

We have had some very dark and stormy days of late. When the winter sets in, the lack of light can be felt very deeply. Our bodies and spirits can be overwhelmed by the gloom. In this northern world, we can feel stuck and grounded with the lack of light and abundance of cold. 

Jesus tried to explain the Kingdome of God, both the present and that which is to come, by telling stories that drew pictures everyone could relate to. We all know what lacking light feels like, what a blossoming garden and full trees look like. Those images are promises for our present and future, and we are invited, where we can to be light in others' darkness, blossoms in desolations and protective shade when folks are in need of safe harbor.

Today, I ask God to help me live as the light, fruit and safety that folks need today. May we live out the kingdom of God by sharing the gifts we have been given - generosity, compassion, justice and love.