Mark 4:26-34

1. If you sow seeds, or watch plants grow, you have ample opportunities to pause in wonder at the whole process of growth. It takes place imperceptibly and comes to fruition in beautiful flowers, majestic trees and abundant harvests. As we come out of the Coronavirus lockdown you may have had the opportunity to rejoice at the renewal of social life.

2. Jesus uses this as a parable about the growth of the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of right relationships with God and with one another. There too growth is slow, development is imperceptible, and then without realising it you have a mature relationship. Recall the stages of such development in your life and give thanks.

3. In the second parable Jesus invites us to reflect on the importance and significance of relationships in our lives as they grow and mature. This is true both of our relationship with God and with others around us. When have you found a relationship in which you could ‘make a nest in its shade'?