Jesus speaks often about his Father’s kingdom.  When he does it is usually in his parables.  For example, he describes it as a magnificent buried treasure, a tiny planted seed, or as yeast fermenting dough. Jesus says that each is worth seeking.   He emphasizes that when we discover this kingdom, it will change our life forever.

It is like holding a winning lottery ticket valued at millions of dollars guaranteeing security for decades to come.  Jesus says it is more than that.  It is a treasure that fills us with joy and contentment, transforming our lives so that we never want to give it up.  It wells up from within and nothing else is capable of matching it. 

Jesus is talking about a moment in our lives that actually puts us in touch with his Father.  In trying to understand this, I want to share this experience that helped me understand more deeply Jesus’ parables about the kingdom.

I recently saw magnificent beauty in a sunrise.  In the dawning blue sky, an orange light with brilliant shades of purple running through it pierced this crisp morning light and small puffy clouds kept swallowing this blend of colors, smearing them across the vast morning sky.  

The entire spectacle held my attention as I became lost in its enormity of brilliant colors.  I knew in that instant that God was in this beauty and this moment was his gift.

Through the tints and hues of colors, I knew that God loves me no matter what. Through this beauty, God was embracing this world reminding me that he loves me no matter what and embraces this world.  Despite the catastrophic floods, terrorists’ threats, the presence of greed and corruption, and the sudden loss of those we love, God has a plan.

Our God is alive, and his plan is that we keep trying to be all that we are capable of becoming, even when we fail, because God continues calling us forth to try again.

When feelings overwhelm us, know that God is near, acting through this sunrise to give us the joy we need.  This new day is God caring and seeing us, and this sunrise is proof God is with us.  Even if clouds come to darken our sky, they will pass, because God is near. 

These moments of sheer beauty and the joy are God’s gifts.  They are given to help us forget for a little while that things can go wrong.  They are reminders that God sees us, loves us, and cares for us, and Jesus, his son, is always accompanying us.  That moment is God’s kingdom real and present.  It is truly a pearl of great price that we want to buy at all cost.

All of us experience similar moments in our lives.  For example, when a toddler son, who never speaks, suddenly turns and says his first words clearly and plainly, “Mommy ice cream.”   

Or, perhaps in the extreme delight of a father watching his daughter hold her own newborn daughter for the first time. Or the good news that a son declared lost in battle is suddenly found alive and safe.  Any, and all of these moments are special, for God is there too.

The kingdom of God transforms these ordinary life moments into spectacular moments of grace that can come at any time.  Like that scenic sunrise, beautiful as it is, is a small dose of what God has planned for everyone in eternity!