The Teachings of Jesus in Luke: Your Kingdom Come

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” ~ Luke 17:20-21


...Thy Kingdom come. ~ The Lord's Prayer
Perhaps we meet our heaven at the start and not the end of life. ~ John Updike


The central message of Christianity - incarnation - was not really taken seriously by most Christians. In fact, our whole salvation plan was largely about getting away from this earth. ~ Richard Rohr
What is the Kingdom of God? Is it heaven? Is it our evacuation plan after a life that is hard, but one in which we've tried to be good and hope for a reward?

 Every Sunday we pray for God's Kingdom to come.

 We don't pray to have God bring us up to the Kingdom. But for God's kingdom to come. To be here. To be now.

 To be incarnate in this world.

 And the Kingdom was and is now. The Kingdom of God is among you, Jesus says. 

 He might as well be saying: I am among you. I am here. I am now. I am with you.

 I am the incarnate God among you, here to show you what life IS. Here to show you who you ARE. Not in some future heaven, but who you are now.

 Our lives are not put onto this earth as simply practice run to get us ready for a future in a far-away heaven.

 Our lives are meant to be part of heaven now. To see Christ among us now. To see Christ in every face we meet. In every action we take part in. In every life that touches ours. In every place we come across.

 The incarnation means that God is with us. It means that God brings heaven to us.

 It means that from the moment we take our first breath, we are part of God's heaven on earth.

 A lot happens that makes it hard to see this heaven: violence, grief, illness, death. But it is there, calling to us always. Inviting us to take part. Inviting us to see past the pain and the anger and the hurt and the worry into a life of grace, mercy, and compassion.

 Now.
Prayer: Your Kingdom come. Your will be done. Now. Amen.




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