The kingdom of heaven is like...

There was an item on the news last week reporting that CSIRO scientists had detected microscopic particles of gold in the leaves, trunk and bark of some eucalypts in the Goldfields.  Apparently these trees put down their roots 40,50, 60 metres into the hard, dry ground and absorb the gold into their cell structure along with water and nutrients.  The importance of this discovery is that trees can now be used to indicate the presence of gold prospects by testing their leaves.To me, this was like one of Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of heaven:  “The kingdom of heaven is like” a tree growing in a dry and rocky place that presses its roots far down into inhospitable ground, in search of water and locates a gold seam.  The gold in its leaves signals the riches of the kingdom.The kingdom of heaven is the place where all the promises of God are stored for us to draw on.  The hard and rocky places can be the world that we are ‘in’ but not ‘of’; but this might also be our hearts, when we baulk at or resist the challenges of advancing the kingdom.  Whatever, we are “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph.3:17) and the Lord is committed to “bring us forth as gold”, as Job found during his hard place (Job 23:10).  We all of us have a story of God depositing gold in us as we trust Him in our lives and endeavours.St Philips has a growing and progressive story.  Front runner in this is Vision 14, our commitment to extend mission by supporting the Duffs.   James is gathering a youth team around him. Some youth leaders will be leading a Friday night youth programme and others the Sunday morning time. These leaders will be part of an encouragement group, led by James and Jane, to encourage one another in ministry and life. There is also the assortment of families gathered by James, many from outside St Philips, who are engaging with the residents at Amana Living. They are planning on one visit before Christmas to Amana Living “Dorothy Genders” site. James has developed a strong connection with the head of Amana Living’s volunteer sector. These types of friendships are vital and often open up other opportunities for mission in the local community.Dave Bignell and Georgia Potts have a vision for impacting the world with their Coffee Cart adventure and Hullabaloo is an opportunity for us to participate in the Cottesloe business community [see Up Coming Event inside].  Gold is glistening in the leaves of the St Philips tree through these activities.  The resources of the kingdom are latent until we tap into them.  Ask God how you can partner with Him in bringing in the new order of life in the age-to-come.Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).BlessingsLesley