Sunday 26th July, 8th Sunday after Trinity

Today is a day of celebration. A celebration of the sacrament of baptism. Today’s candidate is a youngster, following our very recent double baptism of two young men. God’s Kingdom, God’s church – God’s people is growing here at the Priory. Alleluia!
The parables in today’s gospel reading from Matthew liken the growth of God’s Kingdom to two very common things; to yeast and to a mustard seed. Two tiny things which are apparently insignificant, until they’re given the right surroundings to grow (which will take some of us back to experiments in biology, at school). Once those tiny things are given food, and light and warmth, off they go, growing; leavening bread – remember all those recipes that say ‘set aside until the dough has doubled in size’? or, in the case of the mustard seed, growing into something the Bible describes as a ‘tree’, big enough for birds to nest in its branches.
Through Jesus, we are the food and light and warmth that allows God’s love to blossom in faith, growing, strengthening and becoming the next generation to grow the Kingdom. And Paul’s letter to the Romans encourages us that nothing can separate us from God’s nurturing love, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
And so, like Solomon, we pray for wisdom for ourselves, and for others, as we each journey on our very own, unique lifepath. Each one of us created in God’s image, growing God’s Kingdom.

Every blessing,

Philippa