2026 Pentecost Devotions I
Friday, July 24
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
31 [Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
“… “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” …”
The spring before last, when I was in Liberia to dedicate the church building that the Lutheran congregations in Lima had helped fund, I received a new nickname: Pastor Flumo. I think the reasons I got this new monicker were two-fold. First, in most places outside of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, I was the only white person. In other words, I not only stood out because of the color of my skin, I was also hailed as a visiting dignitary from America. In short, I was treated as a rock star.
Secondly, because I had this “larger than life persona”, the term “flumo” was appropriate. After all, as it was explained to me, “flumo” means “expansive” – like blowing up a balloon. My physical presence was enhanced by the star power of my persona among the Liberian people.
When yeast is added to the dough, it causes the dough to rise – to expand – to become larger than life. So too the presence of the kingdom of God in our lives and in the church – it causes ministry to expand – to become larger. Like the mustard plant that extends its branches, so too the presence of God’s kingdom in us causes the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Spirit to expand into the world.
Jesus’ parables remind us that the kingdom of God is never static but always expanding into the world. As children of God and part of Christ’s church, we are privileged to be partners and collaborators in that expansion.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for planting the seed of the kingdom in us. Teach us how we might cooperate with the Gospel such that Your Word and Your love expand into the world around us. Amen.