(Audio)
The nets of the Kingdom are wide. They will haul to shore good fish and bad fish. Good weeds and bad weeds grow alongside one another. We are not meant to spend overmuch time on the sorting process. It isn't up to us who is worthy and who isn't. Even being overly critical about ourselves becomes scrupulosity. The destinies of those inside and outside of the visible Church will be resolved at the end of the age. We may hope that those who seem to be bad fish just need some cleaning. Indeed there are some ugly fish that are nevertheless delicious. We may hope that those who seem outside the nets will yet be caught. We may hope that that which we perceive to be weeds is just blocking our vision of a genuine plant of wheat growing strong in the midst of adversity.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
It is not too late for anyone until the end of the age. We are growing from good seed. We only turn into hostile weeds if we so choose. We are good fish unless we choose to indulge in lives that make us rot, ignoring the mercy of Christ. One trouble that can weaken our the good origin of our identity is not valuing the Kingdom enough. We do not see what a great gift, an honor, and indeed a mercy it is to be invited into this new life.
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
May the LORD widen our hearts to truly appreciate this call. As the nets drag us ashore and we wish we were simply left alone and not bothered let us instead remember the destiny toward which we move. As we struggle with the weeds growing alongside us let us gain strength by remembering the overwhelming glory into which we are even now allowed to enter, surpassing even what was allowed of Moses.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
It is this glory cloud which fills our Church. It fills the hearts of believers who have received the Holy Spirit in baptism. It is this new life alone which ensures that our physical presence in the Kingdom here and now will become the full participation in the life of the world to come.
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