3rd Sunday After

Pentecost B

Third Sunday After

Pentecost

1. There are times in our lives, when changes takes place: your church is in
transition and I too am in the middle of a transition. Transitions are never easy.
More often than not, in times of transition, anxiety, tensions and conflicts arise
Some of us are conflict-averse and will try to avoid any conflict, if possible, because we
like things peaceful and quiet and dislike unpleasant situations. Other people seem to
thrive on conflict. Conflicts give them the opportunity to compete and to excel.
Regardless of how each of us feels about being in conflict situations, disagreements and
conflicts are a part of life

2. Coincidentally, the first two readings we just heard reflect situations of transition
and conflict, and the third talks about the growth of Gods kingdom:
a. The passage from 1st Samuel is about the time in history when the Israelites changed
their political system from disassociated tribes under the occasional leadership of Judges
to a united nation under the leadership of a king. For the first couple of centuries, after
the occupation of the promised land, the Israelites had existed as independent tribes. A
few of the tribes would occasionally form an alliance to fight an enemy. More often than
not, each went their separate way, and occasionally they would fight each other.
. Gradually the situation deteriorated. Around the time described in this reading, Israel was
ravaged by civil war: 11 of the tribes attacked and nearly wiped out the tribe of Benjamin.
There was no law and order, and an ominous refrain keeps appearing over and over in the
1st book of Samuel, in those days there was no king and every man did what he wanted.
. As a consequence of these situations there was pressure on Samuel, a prophet who was
the last of the Judges, to anoint a king. Samuel was not happy about it and warned the
people of all the bad things that a king would do. But the current situation was
unsustainable.
. Samuel, who was an old man, eventually anointed Saul as king, but was not willing to
relinquish power to the king and this created a series of conflicts that caused Sauls failure
as a king and his replacement with David

Third Sunday After

Pentecost
Note the main theme in the transition from Saul to David: God does not follow common sense
and does not look at appearances: he picked the weak and lowly to defeat the strong and the
powerful. David was the least likely of his brothers to be ready to be a king. And God picked him.
He would go on to become the greatest king of Israel and his dynasty would last 4 centuries
The Israelites had no choice but to transition from tribalism to monarchy historical events forced
them to make the change. People disagreed about what to do; there were good people on either
side of the issue.
You and I have no choice but to accept our transition, we didnt ask for it, things happened
beyond our control. In transitions people pick sides. Each side is convinced that they were doing
Gods will. Very rarely transitions come down to the good on one side and the bad ones on the
other. Usually, personal interests and personal ambitions tend to affect both sides

b. The second reading, Pauls 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, deals with another
conflict. This was between Paul and the Church of Corinth.
Paul had started the church in Corinth and was there a couple of years, but then he had moved on
and founded new churches in other cities. Paul was still the Apostle, but he had left Corinth and
other pastors had take his place. It was a time of transition. Paul had been harsh in correcting
some of the problems in Corinth, and left a lot of bruised feelings. He had also been urging the
Corinthians to make donations for the Church of Jerusalem, but had not been very forthcoming
about financial matters. The Corinthians started suspecting that Paul might be a crook, and
withheld the donations Paul had promised to deliver to the church of Jerusalem.
In this letter Paul reminded the Corinthians of all that he had done for them and of the high price
he had paid to be faithful to his mission. He was not seeking money or personal glory, but only to
do Gods will
This conflict was very painful for Paul and he took it very personally. Eventually, Paul was able to
reconcile himself with the Corinthians and to convince them that he was not collecting money for
his own benefit, but to help out the mother Church in Jerusalem

Third Sunday After

Pentecost

3. The Gospel passages today consists of a couple of short parables, images that Jesus
used to explain to his audience the kingdom of God. They are about the growth of the
kingdom of God
a. In the first, the farmer does not know what makes the grain sprout and grow. Once the seed is planted it
grows by itself, independently of the farmer, until it is harvest time
b. The second parable compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed: it is very small and insignificant, but
then it grows into a substantial bush that is large enough for birds to nest in it
c. So, the growth and progress of the kingdom of God does not depend on the skills and abilities of those who
preach the Gospel or who are involved in Church affairs. We do what we can, but the success is brought
about by God.

4. So what lessons can we draw from these readings, two about transitions and conflicts and the
third about the kingdom?
. We all face transitions, changes, and conflicts in our lives. As Christians we are called to do Gods will. Every
time we pray the Our Father we say, thy will be done on earth as it is is heaven. But it is not always easy
to figure out Gods will. Sometimes, what God wants from us is not the same as what we wish for ourselves.
. So, how should we behave in time of conflict and change? I believe that we should:
a. Remember that good people can disagree on what is the right thing, and more often than not, there are good people
on both sides of an issue [no white/black hats]
b. Pray for guidance rather than quickly picking the position that is most convenient for us
c. Follow our conscience rather than partisan interest
d. Act in a manner that is consistent with the commandment to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as
ourselves

. Finally, the two parables about the growth of the kingdom of God and the story of the selection of David as
king remind us that each of us, no matter what we are called to do, are all working in Gods garden: we are
called to do our best, but it is God who makes the seeds grow. We may be few, our seed may be small and
almost insignificant, but at the right time, God willing, seeds produce the harvest, and a young teenager
named David would defeat Goliath and become a great king.
. Our efforts here are just seeds, we dont know when they will grow. But nothing is wasted in the eyes of God.
Like St. Paul, we are not in this for human approval and recognition, but to do Gods will