Dec 09, 2018

The Kingdom of God (1)

“The Kingdom of God will not come

With observable signs. Nor will the people say

‘Look. Here it is’, or ‘There it is.’ For you see,

The Kingdom of God is within.”

              Luke 17:20-21 (NIV)

Jesus said many strange things. One of the strangest is the quote above, where Jesus made the very unusual statement that the Kingdom of God, or Heaven, is within. Some (ok, most) translations say “in your midst”. But using either translation, we have a statement that has been downplayed if not downright ignored throughout history. Was Jesus stating exactly what he meant? Is heaven right here, right now, in this apparently messy world? Most religions, including Christianity, have implied, if not stated bluntly, that the Kingdom of God is nothere, either within or in our midst, but is “out there”, in some vague place beyond all that we comprehend, exactly the place that Jesus claimed the Kingdom of God was not, with God sitting on a mighty throne glowering down on humanity (“repent or else”).

Jesus’ claim that heaven, or the Kingdom of God, was right here flies against everything we can see and have been taught. We find it difficult, seeing all the pain and evil in the world, let alone all the destruction caused by nature, to believe that the Love of God is fulfilled among the messy and often downright destructive forces we see around us.

How can we say that the destruction of life caused by weapons are part of the Kingdom of God? How can we say that the refugee crises where millions are displaced and flee with only what they can carry is part of the Kingdom of God? how can we say that the destructive forces of nature in hurricanes, global warming, tornadoes, floods, etc. are part of the Kingdom of God?

But how can we say that the death on the cross by Jesus is part of the Kingdom of God? (Whoa, many state, after all, that must have been part of God’s plan. After all, God ‘demanded’ that His Son die a horrible death to satisfy is anger. (Quite frankly, as a father myself, I certainly could not love this vindictive monster as this version of the story of redemption reveals, as God or anything else. Fear, but not love.))

Maybe, just maybe, it is allpart of the Kingdom of God.

If, indeed, all is part of the Kingdom of God, maybe we should be looking at the meaning of that term Kingdom of God, or heaven, as its meaning seems topsy-turvy to us from our present vantage point. Maybe heaven includes all the messy turmoil that humanity and for that matter the universe, finds itself involved with.

The writer of the gospel by John understand this well.

In the beginning was the Word,

And the word was with God,

And the Word was God.

Through the Word all things were made,

Without the Word nothing that was made that has been made.

In the Word was life,

And the life was the light of all humankind.

The light shines in the darkness,

And the darkness has not overcome it.

                                  John 1:1-5 NIV

It is by the Light of the Word that the Kingdom of God, or heaven, is revealed. This is the light we have to learn to see, and to dwell under the brilliant glow that is present throughout the world. But the problem is, it requires us to remove the blinders that we have coated our eyes over the years. When we were very young (and born in a safe environment), we saw clearly, and the world was a joyful thing, wonderous to behold and to run free in, glowing with the beauty of life. But over the years we needed to find a way to get along in the world, able to feed, house, and clothe ourselves, and perhaps to join with another and create a family. This effort created the blockage that now prevents us from seeing the light, and effort is required to be able to find that spot where the Light becomes our light in life.

So what does heaven look like? How can we see the Kingdom of God here and now? We will continue to look at this topic over the next few weeks, as the birth of Jesus is celebrated very soon.

Meditation

Oh Light of the world, You have revealed the eternal beauty and wonder among the incredible wonders of our universe. This magnificent wonder is breathtaking to behold, and reveals Your beauty and magnificence in its spread before our eyes. Yet here too we see the blazing and fiery fury that creates that beauty, and yet knowing that that You are Love personified, look at the mystery revealed in Your physical body, that Word that both created and is that beauty of fire and energy. Help us to sink into that Love that is the core of all, and to marvel at the beauty of Your blazing Love that we call Life.