Thy Kingdom Come

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originally published in the South Jetty Newspaper
It feels a little early in the year to be talking about the coming reign of God. I tend to talk coming-of-Christ in Advent, the four weeks before Christmas. It's been very much on my mind though in our divided political climate. We are in a difficult situation (which has been growing for some time) leading to a breakdown in any communication. The most extreme voices benefit from the rift, because people tend to want to stop and watch a good fight (which helps sell advertising.) Following the way of Love that Christ taught probably won't make anyone rich because it is a way of sacrifice and self-giving. (With apologies to the ad department of the South Jetty.)

I'm praying for God's reign to stir up our hearts to heal our collective wounds: When we pray the Lord's Prayer, in the traditional language version, we pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The Lord's prayer is about living out Jesus' teachings in the here and now. We pray to be forgiven, and we remind ourselves that we are to forgive others. We pray for our daily bread (nothing about tomorrow, it's just for today.) The prayer re-orients us to the teachings of Christ and reminds us that first and foremost, we are citizens of the kingdom of God, and followers of the Way Jesus taught.

This is not a kingdom with geographical borders or earthly leaders. The church universal has been entrusted with stewardship of the teachings of this kingdom, but even the church is not equivalent to the kingdom of God. Instead, it is an intangible kingdom (or "queendom.") It is present wherever God's reign is recognized. It is experienced when we "love one another" as Christ loved us. It is lived out whenever the least among us are cared for, when we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. When we follow the Way of Jesus, the kingdom of God is being realized, it is being made real. There is no earthly government or political party that is perfectly aligned with God's reign, and some who have claimed so have lived lives furthest from the loving example of Jesus Christ. It is the everyday actions, language, and loving kindness that reveals the kingdom of God is near.

Just as we only ask for "our daily bread" the kingdom of God is lived out in the smallest actions of
compassion shown to another human being. Praying the Lord's Prayer (or any other prayer) is not a magic trick by which we control God's actions or redirect God's will. Quite the opposite: when we pray the Lord's prayer, or meditate in God's presence, we seek to give our will over to God. We seek to see the world with God's loving compassion.

Even if you don't use the same language as me to talk about God's reign, I ask that you pray in your own way. I love you because God loves you and you are made in God's image, not because we talk about God the same way. We are living in challenging times, just like the first learners of the Lord's Prayer did (remember, Israel was occupied by the greatest empire of its day.) Jesus' teachings are perfect for our time: God's kingdom hasn't gone away though some have tried. It sneaks in wherever people pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" and then live their lives as if they believe what they pray.

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