Three weeks ago, I moved in with my supervisor and her husband. They have welcomed me with open arms and I am so grateful for the time we get to spend together. Another plus: My way to work couldn’t be shorter as our meetings with the Life Groups take place in the garden ;) Currently, the preparations for our outreach-event “Love Wirral” in the end of July take up most of my time. Being a leader of one of the teams brings a lot of responsibility but also some great fun. My team is placed in a park where we will, over the course of three days, offer some sport and craft activities alongside a picnic, a BBQ and some fairground activities. I am really looking forward to it and will definitely tell you more about it.
But even though, I am busy with planning and organising things for Love Wirral, I still had some time to do other stuff and here’s what:
On the 26th of June, I celebrated my 19th birthday. In the morning I went out for breakfast with one girl from church who was born on the same day! At lunchtime I met up with someone from the Youth Leadership Team and we went to one of our favourite spots in Heswall to have some lunch. In between, I had some lovely Zoom- and WhatsApp-calls with friends and family. In the evening, my host parents had planned a little surprise for me. The whole Youth Team and some other people from church came around for drinks and snacks in the garden. Afterwards, the vicar’s family stayed around for dinner. Their daughter which I got to know quite well, even made a birthday cake for me. I felt really blessed at that day and I am so grateful for all the warm wishes I received, both in England and from Germany.
The week after, I got my first Covid-vaccination and on the 3rd of July, Nora and I met up in Liverpool. We visited the Beatles Museum, took part in the Evensong of the Anglican Cathedral and had some afternoon tea afterwards.
Last Saturday, the vicar’s family took me to Wales and we climbed up Snowdon. The summit is at 1085m and I can now proudly say that I reached the highest point of Wales ;) Apparently, if you catch a particularly clear day, you can even see as far as Ireland from the summit there but sadly, it was quite cloudy on the top.
The weather was really British: we started with sunshine, froze on top, got wet on our way down and had sunshine in the end again. After our hiking tour, we ended our day with a stop and a fish&chips-shop. I really enjoyed this day-trip!
Last Sunday was our last Youth Service and I got to do the talk which you can find below. We weren’t sure how many people would turn up because of the football match but I was really happy that a lot of young people joined us for the service. (And then ran home to be on time for the match :D)
Today, our last conference with Time for God starts (again via zoom). We will talk about our services and have a look into the future. I am looking forward to that even though the thought of me being back home in less than 3 three weeks is still a bit strange...
God’s Kingdom; Matthew 13:31-33
Let me tell you about a kingdom…
It shares many attributes of human governments, yet it is superior to them in every way. It will never be brought to ruin and therefore will forever stay.
Anyone can be a member of this kingdom, there is never ending space As long as you do what the ruler requires, don’t worry about your ancestry or birthplace.
Just prohibiting wrong behaviour, that’s not the purpose of this kingdom’s laws. Moreover, they raise the moral character of the people. But still, no one is without flaws.
Acting in the best interest for others, love your neighbour as yourself: The standards in this Kingdom aren’t really low but it also teaches the people how to meet those standards and how to go with the flow.
The Kingdom’s mission isn’t to enrich its ruler. It will accomplish the ruler’s will, including the promise that those who love Him will live forever. Which is definitely cooler.
Do you know which Kingdom I am talking about? Well, if you listened closely to today’s Bible reading, you might already know that these are all attributes of God’s kingdom. Every time I read something about God’s Kingdom the same questions arise: Where is it? How do we enter it? Why should we want to enter it? What is our role in the Kingdom of God? And where do we experiences Glimpses of God’s Kingdom? Let’s explore some of those questions by taking a look at today’s passage:
The Kingdom of God is glorious, full of wonders and power, right? Well…yes and no. As we heard before, God’s Kingdom is totally different to all the human governments we know. And Jesus anticipated the misconceptions people would have about the type of kingdom he was bringing upon them so he comes and tells us: “The Kingdom of god is like a mustard seed”. A mustard seed? That’s not particularly the first thing I’d compare God’s kingdom to. A mustard seed is not very impressive. It is a very mundane and insignificant comparison to the glorious kingdom. In Jesus’ time, mustard was a common agricultural product that grew quite prolifically. But Jesus says: It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree. Who of you has ever seen a mustard tree? No one? That’s not surprising as there are no mustard trees! Mustard seeds don’t grow into trees; they may become tall weeds, but they are not tree-like at all. So is Jesus lying to us? Of course not. He is just exaggerating to make a point clear: the Kingdom of God is not just like any tree. In fact it is a cosmic tree in which the birds of the air make nests in its branches.” This tree is a link between heaven and earth, a live-giving house for everyone. Knowing this, I think Jesus found a really lovely picture of kingdom life with God.
But where is the Kingdom of God? Firstly, the Bible tells us that the Kingdom of God is currently centred in heaven. It is a real government that God is going to establish on this earth- but it’s not here yet. And we don’t have any guarantee about exactly when it will actually arrive. In fact, Jesus says that “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but My Father only.” Well… that’s great news…what if that takes a while? I mean, it’s already been almost 2,000 years since Jesus spoke those words. It is likely, that we will die before Jesus returns and brings the promised Kingdom. The good news is: Seeking God’s Kingdom means more than just waiting on Christ’s return. In Romans 14:17 the apostle Paul says that “The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” So secondly, God’s Kingdom is already part of our spiritual lives.
How do we enter it? As so often, Jesus is the answer. For He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom through salvation. And Jesus himself gave us instructions on how to seek God’s Kingdom: “Repent and believe in the gospel”. Repentance and believing are the two fundamental steps to enter God’s Kingdom. And yes, we do have to change our “normal” way of thinking for that, to not be against but be for God. When the coming of the Kingdom of God becomes our focus, when we make the decision to live by the word of God, that changes who we are.
What is our role in the Kingdom of God? God’s Kingdom is the central theme of Jesus’ preaching and the fundamental message of the Church founded by Him through His disciples. In fact, God called us “workers for the kingdom of God”. No, the Kingdom of God isn’t here yet, but the focus of Christianity is learning to live as if it already were. The desire to be part of God’s kingdom should affect the things we say and the things we do in life. Every day we’re alive between today and the day the kingdom of God arrives, gives us the challenge – and the opportunity- to make sure we are living up to the standards God has set for us.
If you take away one thing from my talk today: God's kingdom grows in community. And YF is a glimpse of God's kingdom. It is such a great gift that you can experience this here. I wish that these experiences you have will lead you to grow: together as a community as well as personally in your faith. And that you then use this gift to grow God's kingdom. In your family, in your circle of friends, at school, in the café... wherever you are: let us spread sparks of God's kingdom so that it can grow into a living fire. From England to Germany and beyond.
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