You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, ...But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God. The people of Israel lived with a very tangible faith. Early on, God had revealed himself to Moses in a burning bush. Later, he came to his people on Mount Sinai, and he taught them how best to approach him - through a very calculated system of animal sacrifice and purity. Everything could be measured, everything … [Read more...]
Grace
The Kingdom of Extravagant Grace
“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like”... So begins our gospel reading for today, and it seems to me like we have heard these words dozens of times in the last few months as the Lectionary goes through the gospel of Matthew. The kingdom of heaven is like someone who sowed good seed. Like a mustard seed. Like yeast. Like a treasure. Jesus’ ministry begins with John the Baptist proclaiming that the “kingdom of heaven has come near”. And Jesus’ own teaching is packed with references to the kingdom … [Read more...]