mbjones

Last night was celebration at church (the once a month meeting where EVERYONE is together). Not only was it celebration, it was also the “celebration for the nations” where focus was directed towards Norman Community’s involvement with missions. The summer trips were announced (Rome and South Africa, the latter of which I will try to go on) and our pastor, Ken, talked about the nations as pearls of great price.

Specifically he drew from Matthew 13:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.

Matthew 13:44-46

A couple of salient points:

• One major aspect of the kingdom of God is how the “nations” relate to it. In truth, the kingdom is made up of those from ALL nations, tribes and tongues. Other passages in the Gospels and elsewhere make this clear enough (Ken drew from Revelations 5 — and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation — and there are many like passages)
• The pearl is not without a price. Truth be told, both analogies make clear that it costs pretty much all that we have and all that we are. The price is worth it though.

I’m excited about the prospect of going back to Africa this coming summer. I loved Mozambique and look forward to the possibility of spending time with Floyd McClung and his Capetown to Cairo vision team.