Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gathered together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we all assemble to share our thoughts about it, we are reminded that as Christians we are all part of the one great united kingdom of God, the Body of Christ in this world, which God Himself has manifested and brought into our midst, and we are all welcome and called to come together in this assembly of all the faithful people of God, despite our faults, flaws and imperfections. All of us are truly beloved and dear to God, and we should realise this fact, knowing that God wishes and desires to forgive us all from our many sins and faults. Even the greatest of saints and servants of God themselves had been sinners, but they all did their best to be faithful to God and to come to Him despite their imperfections.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the time when King David of Israel, the king whom God had blessed and secured in his position as king and ruler over all of Israel, in which on one occasion he encountered the beautiful wife of his own captain of the guard, Uriah the Hittite, a woman named Bathsheba, whom we may also know as the one who would become the mother of the famous King Solomon, David’s son who would become his eventual successor. At that time, Bathsheba was still married and the wife of Uriah, and we heard how David was tempted upon seeing Bathsheba which led them to commit sin of adultery before the Lord. We can see from this how even the faithful and famous King David himself was also a sinner and was able to fall into sin during his life.

And not only that, but David tried to conceal the fact and settle the problem by trying to make Uriah to sleep with his wife so that her pregnancy with David would not be discovered and a great disgrace be known to everyone. But Uriah did not do all that, and in the end, David plotted for Uriah’s death by purposely placing him at the frontline of the battle, which then led to his death and then David was free to take Bathsheba as his own wife. Through all of these that we have heard from today’s story of David’s life and this particular incident, and what happened afterwards, we can see how dangerous sin and its allures can be, and how weak our flesh can be, in the face of temptations and sin, which can lead us to commit ever greater mistakes and faults in life.

Yet, despite all of that, God eventually still forgave David after He had chastised him, as David was truly repentant after the prophet Nathan pointed out his mistakes to him. This is also therefore an example of how sometimes we may not realise that we are in the wrong, especially when we allow ourselves to be swayed and deluded by the temptations and sins around us. God is however all loving and forgiving, and He wants to forgive us all should we truly seek His forgiveness and mercy, and He never stops any one of us from coming towards Him to be forgiven and loved fully and completely once again. What matters is that we should realise our errors and faults, doing our very best to improve ourselves and seek God’s forgiveness, mercy and love.

We must also take note that although David had committed sin with Bathsheba, God did not forbid them to be together, but instead, transforming both of them to be part of His Divine plan as mentioned. This aligned with what I have highlighted earlier on that our Church and therefore the Kingdom of God is not the gathering place for the perfect and the ones without sin or fault, but rather as often mentioned, is a ‘hospital for sinners’. God gathers everyone that He loves, all of us, without any bias, prejudice or exceptions, and He does not reject anyone, no matter how sinful they have been. Even the worst sinners are still beneficiaries of God’s most wonderful love and mercy, which He always extends to all those who seek them.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus used the parables to teach the disciples and followers all around Him, speaking to them at this time regarding the matter of the Kingdom of God and how it’s like in the Kingdom of God. In that parable, He used comparisons with mustard seed and other seeds that grew strong and wonderful when they are taken good care of, and when they are given the best conditions and attention. Even a small and tiny mustard seed, much smaller than the seeds of many other plants can grow into a significantly larger shrub and tree which is even bigger than other trees and shrubs. That is what the Kingdom of God is like, all encompassing, all welcoming and everyone who believe in God are part of this same Body.

That is why, in using all these parables and analogies to help bring His points and teachings across, the Lord wanted to highlight how God is loving towards all of His children without exception, and no one can be separated from the great and ever generous love of God. As mentioned earlier, there is always place in the Kingdom of God for everyone, and no matter what, even the greatest of sinners have a place in God’s Kingdom, and is truly beloved by God in the same way as He loves the greatest of the saints. This point was raised and highlighted by the Lord in particular against those spiritual figures and religious leaders of that time, such as the chief priests, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who openly and actively practiced bias  against those whom they disliked and disagreed with.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, that is why we are reminded that as Christians, we are part of this same Kingdom of God, the Body of Christ and the Church, the visible and tangible union of all the faithful people of God in this world, which welcomes all of mankind, everyone equally beloved and dear to our most loving God and Father. Therefore, we must also be truly welcoming to everyone, remembering that God made wonderful and great all those who have come to Him, trusting in Him and walking in His path. He does not discriminate against those whom the society tended to ostracise or be biased against, and we too must be similar in our attitudes and ways, in following God’s example of love.

May the Lord continue to guide us all in our every actions, in our efforts to glorify Him by our lives, so that as parts and members of the one united Church of God, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and the Kingdom of God on earth, we may truly be worthy bearers of His Good News and truth, His love and compassion in our world, in our communities today. May God bless our efforts and endeavours to live always ever in His love and in His ways, now and always, forevermore. Amen.