Both, in their very different settings, show that most people do not think that killing the patient, by starvation, is the way forward. Too much 'Austerity Treatment' appears to be destroying the fabric of society, and it is the poor who suffer the most.
The French, in particular, are committed to a 'Growth Agenda', allied (of course) to 'fiscal responsibility'! We shall all wait to see how that is worked out in the complex realities of European politics and the reactions of the financial markets.
Jesus was thoroughly committed to a 'Growth Agenda', as so many of parables show.
'Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.” (Mark 4.26-29)
While the farmer, in this parable, is responsible for getting the seed scattered, the growth comes from the very nature of the seed, which has within it the astonishing potential for growth and fruitfulness. In all of our gardens and along the roadside, and in the fields out in the countryside, we see this very truth presented before our eyes. Growth is natural.
In recent weeks and months at St. Andrew's, we have seen evidence of this same 'Growth Agenda'. In the lives of an increasing number of people, we see signs of spiritual growth, which is changing how we are. This is most encouraging.
The questions that I have to ask myself is 'Where is the growth in my life?', and 'How can I be part of God's Growth Agenda this week?'
Best wishes,
Richard
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