Thursday 3 October 2024
Job 19:21-27. I believe I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living – Psalm 26(27):7-9, 13-14. Luke 10:1-12.
The kingdom of God is near
As we reach the end of the Season of Creation, today’s readings remind us of what it means to be a creature. At the end of a long and difficult journey, Job reaches a beautiful destination. He can’t understand the ways of God. Far less can he control them. There is much about his own life that evades his grasp. But he knows that God is close to him in his humanity: ‘After my awaking, he will set me close to him.’ This closeness is part of being a creature: ‘from my flesh I shall look on God.’ The Gospel repeats a powerful phrase: ‘the kingdom of God is very near you.’ The kingdom is found in acceptance – welcoming the friendship of the road and accepting what people offer. It means leaving aside the things we make – purses, haversacks and their modern equivalents. Instead, we are invited to take God’s creation to heart.
Email this Print This Page
