the expectation was then, and is now too, that the coming of the kindgom would be with Jesus as a great leader, who would make all things right in a dramatic fashion. Jesus clearly states here that change will come, but slowly and surely. lots of small steps. As long as we keep making those small steps and keeping faith, eventually the whole world will be changed! We will all be united in Christ as he intended.

We may not even realise when we’re showing a little goodness to others. In a shop today I was heading towards the counter when up ahead a child had a really nasty sneeze, you know the sort, a proper kiddie sneeze. I thought, ‘whoa, hold back stroller till you make sure there’s not another one of them on the way,’ but the lady behind the counter laughed with the mother and came around with a tissue and showed genuine interest in the child, chatting etc. How nice that was to see.

Mustard seeds grow, but yeast cells divide.
You need a microscope to see them.  Their spores can live indefinitely, floating on the winds, dormant, insensitive to hot, cold or drought, but let one land in the right conditions and it will spring into action and growth, each cell reproducing every twenty minutes.
1,2,4,8,16,32,64 times in just two hours.
Warm dough is just right for yeast, and as it grows yeast promotes leavening by fermentation and suffuses the loaf with rich flavours and vital minerals.  As yeast, so one word of God landing in one heart, and one heart in the kingdom of God.

Social objects, viral faith, Greek, Jacobean English, Jesus, primary school teacher, nurse, gardening allotments, yeast and a LOT of flour.  Yup that looks hidden enough. Now off you go and tease it out!

An interesting metaphor today.  In the Hebrew Scriptures yeast is always presented as a negative image.  Unleavened bread is always required for sacrifice (except in Lev 7:13).  Even Jesus uses this negative image when he speaks of “the yeast of the Pharisees” (e.g. Mat 16:6).  Some Christians have taken this revulsion against yeast to mean that the products of yeast (i.e. alcohol) are bad and should be avoided.  And yet here Jesus uses yeast as a metaphor for the Kingdom of Heaven.  A very interesting choice of words.

This verse invites us to find a place where we can best humbly serve as part of the body of Christ.It is only in fellowship and action faith commissioned and sharing gifts that we find the freedom to grow in him .He invites us to take his “yeasty ” love mix it by sharing with the flour that is our society and create his kingdom .What a challenge?

We, kingdom people, need to have contagious lives - lives that infect those around.  Like the small amount of yeast which makes the dough rise we need to transform the lives of the people around us so that the kingdom of God is a present reality.  Slowly, through small acts the lives of the people around us will be transformed. There will be set backs when we are rejected, when the cost of bringing in the kingdom just seems to be too much. But God’s arms are always there when we fall, God’s love is always there when we are rejected. Leaven some lives today !

Just imagine what this world would be like without Christianity.  Christian values have infiltrated throughout the whole word in heeding the call to love one another.  Without these values, the Darwinian logic of “survival of the fittest” would prevail and the world would be ruled with selfish values.

Like the yeast in the bread, Christianity has enabled our world to grow in the highest measure of all - Love.

Yesterday and today’s verses are beautiful. They both immediately made me rememvber the marvel of conception , pregnancy and the growing and evolving child! And I can compare this journey quite readily with our Christian walk from the early days to maturity and assuredness of God’s love and involvement. Many of the developmetal milestones in children happen with very little input from the parents. Just being fed and loved is enough and suddenly he begins to babble , sit , crawl! In the same way we need to remain tuned in to God daily and feed regularly and our growth and development will come!