Seeds in Trinity

For the last few weeks, we have been pondering how our understanding of God as Trinity shapes our response to God and how we live in this world. It is easy to get lost in all the theological complexities and give up. Most of us do. Most of us also make assumptions about how the three persons relate to each other. Last week we explored the traditional image of a non-hierarchical relationship within God of mutuality, generosity, compassion, completeness, wholeness, shalom, and aroha. This is love. And we are invited into this relationship at the heart of God, to pay attention to this way of being and to allow that to shape us and how we relate to others.

All of which sounds great, until we start applying that to some of the issues and people we feel strongly about. And then it gets much harder. This kind of relationship calls into question all my certainties and opens the possibility of seeing the world in different ways. This is what the reign of God looks like. Some might call that metanoia – repentance – mind blowing stuff. And sometimes that is too hard.

This week in our reading from Mark Jesus addresses the commonly held views about the kingdom of God - a return to the golden age of David! Instead Jesus offers his first big block of teaching, shaking his hearers loose from their certainties with seedy parables. The kingdom of God is like an invasive but useful weed. A pretty unimpressive weed at that, but big enough to provide shelter. The seeds of the kingdom or reign of God grow even when I don’t know what is happening and can’t take part. Because we are not in control. That’s a relief really.