Seeds of God’s Kingdom

by Deacon Lorna Goodison on June 11, 2021

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus begins his earthly ministry by declaring that “the kingdom of God has come near.” God’s kingdom of love, peace, justice, and wholeness is first expressed in Jesus’ miraculous healings and exorcisms.
These miracles are presented as instant events. But Jesus invites us to explore the coming of God’s kingdom as constantly and continuously unfolding miracles of growth, transformation, and re-creation until His return.  
In Sunday’s gospel (Mark 4:26-34) Jesus tells two parables that compare the growth of seeds with the mysterious hiddenness of how God builds His kingdom. In the first parable, the sower scatters seed. Its underground growth is unseen, but the seed sprouts and grows, eventually yielding grain, ready for harvesting.
God in Christ is the true sower. In Him dwells all creative power. He controls the outcome of seed sowing. Yet Christ, by His Spirit, empowers us, Christians, to be His sowers for Him, spreading the seed, the Word of God.
We spread these seeds through our being in Christ, acknowledging ourselves as powerless and dependent on God’s loving-kindness and compassionate care. Our being in Christ is reflected in our choices, our conversations, our efforts at being peacemakers, our acts of service. Nothing we do in Christ’s name is overlooked, and in God’s time, He works unseen to bring unimaginable results.  
The second parable, speaks of the tiniest of seeds, the mustard seed, that grows into “the largest of plants and puts forth large branches so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” Could the tiny seed that grows into the largest tree be the simple tiny elements of bread and wine that become nourishing life-transforming food for us, the Church, through Christ’s sanctification?
By the power of Christ’s in-dwelling, we become His branches, the Church, extended into the world serving Christ by loving others, serving others, offering hope, encouragement, and the possibility of the newness of life; all for the Kingdom’s growth.
 
In our world tarnished by divisions, strife, injustice, and violence, we join in praying intently, Thy Kingdom Come, O God! Amen 

Tags: love, hope, god's word, seed, harvesting, spreading the word

About the Author
Deacon Lorna Goodison

Reverend Lorna Goodison was ordained to the Diaconate on April 29, 2007. After discerning a call to ordained ministry, Deacon Lorna completed a process of spiritual discernment and pursued three years of study at the Diocesan School for Christian Studies. She also completed three units of hospice care training through Vitas and for a short while she was a volunteer Chaplain. Highlights of her continuing education activities include a guided visit to Israel and attending the Festival of Homiletics in Boulder, Colorado.

Soon after her ordination, Deacon Lorna was called to serve as Deacon at St. Mary Magdalene. She initiated an outreach ministry to the homeless at St. Laurence Chapel, obtaining the support and involvement of most members of the congregation. This ministry remained a vibrant outreach of the Church until the Chapel closed in 2019.  Other outreach ministries formed include an informal group of members who stay in touch with members who are ill and shut-in. Deacon Lorna remains committed to both the in-reach and outreach ministries of the Church. She has led quiet day reflections for groups within and outside of St. Mary Magdalene. She has often led Deacon’s Masses at small churches without a priest. Of all the ministries in which Deacon Lorna participates, she is most humbled and grateful to be involved in the ministry of praying with congregants facing life’s challenges.

Deacon Lorna serves the Diocese of Southeast Florida as a member of the Disciplinary Committee. She also serves on the Board of Deacons.   

Professionally, Deacon Lorna worked for some years in Human Resource Departments as a Training Manager, but most of her working years were spent in Social Work. She worked with at-risk teenagers counselling them and guiding them to resources to build a meaningful future. The last twenty years of her profession, were spent working with Seniors, guiding them to the resources needed to maintain their safety and independence. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a master’s degree in Adult Education. She is now retired, cherishes some alone time for prayer and reflection, but divides her time between the Church and her family which consists of two daughters, their husbands and three grandchildren.

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