Today's two little parables make a very important point for our Christian living. Each parable is an image of the Reign of God. The Reign of God exists wherever God's will is being done by people. In the first parable the Reign of God is like a mustard seed. The work of Jesus in bringing God's Reign into the world began very small, like a tiny mustard seed. But in the course of time it grew and became a large shrub big enough for birds to nest in its branches. At a time when the Church was very small and scattered in little communities, this was a message of encouragement. And, wherever the Reign of God is under threat it still gives us courage. The second parable is another image of the Reign of God. It is compared to a small amount of yeast which is put into flour to make bread. After a while, under the influence of the yeast, the dough grows to a much larger size. Again, a message of confidence to a small and scattered Church. But the important point here is that the yeast only does its work when fully inserted in the dough. We, too, will only bring Jesus' message to people when we are fully inserted in our society. Hiding ourselves away would be like the man who buried his talent.