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NRSV1 Corinthians 13: 9-12 For
we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete
comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a
child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult,
I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but
then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully,
even as I have been fully known.
The writers of the Gospel want us to hear the message of
Jesus about the Kingdom. The term "Kingdom of God" occurs four times
in Matthew (12:28; 19:24; 21:31; 21:43), fourteen times in Mark,
thirty-two times in Luke, twice in the John (3:3, 5), six times
in Acts, eight times in Paul’s Epistles, and once
in Revelation (12:10). Matthew actually prefers the term
"Kingdom of heaven" which he uses over 20 times in his gospel.
So what is the Kingdom of God and is it different than the
Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew’s Gospel? Why does Jesus continually say that it
is near? Is it because He was in the world at the time or that He is coming
again and wants us to be ready?
My understanding of the Kingdom of God is that it is
present with us today and yet not fully complete. That through the birth, death
and resurrection of Jesus, the Kingdom now exists in the plane of human
existence and is very present in our lives each and every day. It is not fully
complete as Paul says, (1 Corinthians 13:12) “For now we see in
a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part;
then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” I
agree with the words of John Wesley, “And
this ‘kingdom of God’, or of heaven, ‘is at hand’. As these words were
originally spoken they implied that ‘the time’ was then ‘fulfilled’, God being
made ‘manifest in the flesh’, when he would set up his kingdom among men, and
reign in the hearts of his people.”[i], as proclaiming that the
Kingdom of God (or Heaven in Matthew) surrounds us as Jesus Christ is in us
through God’s grace and our own justification. “The thing about which everything turns, like a wheel where God is in
the middle and everything is oriented to it.”[ii]
One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early,
parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver
told him, "I always park there. You took my place!" The visitor
went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat, and sat down. A young lady
from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my
place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but
said nothing. After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church
sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's
where I always sit. You took my place!" The visitor was even more
troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing. Later, as the
congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and
his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands
and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called
out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took
your place."
In the near future I am going to talk about the nature and
mission of the church but in order to understand that sermon, you must
understand this one. What does it mean when Jesus says Kingdom of God or
Kingdom of Heaven? Are they different? Matthew’s audience was the Jewish person
living in the first century who was looking for a Messiah who was to come from
Heaven, that place where God resides and lives. In their understanding, God was
this being who approached humanity from a mountain top or through an Ark or
through prophets. God was not seen by us mere mortal human beings. God was only
reachable after death and after judgement. So Jesus saying the Kingdom of
Heaven is near would have people’s attention. God’s coming is imminent. God’s
judgment is close by. And all the while the people, not all people, but most of
the people could or would not see that God was present with them in that
moment. So they denied the truth of Jesus. Now Matthew was working hard to
share the truth with them and to get them to see that God was not a future
experience, but a present experience.
The other Gospel writers and Paul were reaching out to a
broader audience of people, both Jew and Gentile. The Gentile had little or no
understanding of this concept of heaven, other than to say many in the world of
that day believed in an after-life. Jesus wanted us to know that the Kingdom of
God is not something unattainable or something for an after-life experience.
The Kingdom of God is here with us now, present with us and surrounding us in
every aspect of our lives. Jesus wanted us to know that we have an opportunity
to have a personal relationship with God. That is why I find it so interesting
that some denominations require a third party intervention between us and God.
Jesus lived among us, breathed the same air we breathe, ate the foods we eat
and shared the joys and sorrows we share. He came not just to die for our sins
but to show us what perfect looks like when it is lived out in the human flesh.
Jesus wants us to have an intimate relationship with God.
But that is not possible when we think that God sits high on the mountaintop or
under the lid of some Ark of the Covenant hidden away in the Smithsonian
somewhere or only talks with people through prophets. No, that God is difficult
or next to impossible to have a relationship with at all. But what if God is
not only near, but standing or sitting right beside us? Or better yet, what if
God were part of our makeup, permeating our thoughts and our bodies as if we
lived in perfect harmony with each other in this space we take up? Wouldn’t
that be absolutely divine and human at the same time? Hmmm! Isn’t that
precisely what God did when God brought Jesus into the world? And didn’t Jesus
tell us to abide in Him and He would abide in us? So what does Jesus really
mean?
The Kingdom of God is present with us in this place this
morning, will be with you tomorrow morning as you arise and go to work or play,
whatever the events of the day will be. God will be as present with us as the
air around us, as the sun arising in the east tomorrow morning and as the
weather that will happen around us. God is near and so the Kingdom of God is
also near. What is the Kingdom of God? It is the love of God that permeates the
space we live in. It is the grace of God that passes along to us the abundance
of that love in the promise of eternal life. I love to tell the confirmands
each year that they are eternal beings and will live forever. The Kingdom is
not some future event but rather the present where we live into the
transformation of the creation as it is intended. The Kingdom of God is where
fellow human beings care about one another and show signs of that caring in
agape love. I told the children in TOT this week that the best example of
perfect love comes not from a human being but from a dog. Dog’s love their
masters even if their masters treat them horribly. Maybe that is why dog
spelled backwards is God.
We have a chance to experience the kingdom when we open up
our hearts and minds to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us. When we allow
ourselves to begin to mimic Jesus in our everyday lives. It is more than
action; it requires that we truly begin to believe that Jesus is within us
pointing us in directions that lead to Him. When we begin to strive to live at
one with the universe around us. That means that we live sacrificially for
those who live beside us as neighbors, those that we encounter in our daily
lives and those that we don’t even know but come into places where we might
have influence into their lives. We influence them to be righteous which is not
something we do but something we become. We live our lives daily in prayer and
discernment for the will of God in all that we do. We focus our lives on making
this world a better place for all of creation. When we live into that reality
we have achieved the Kingdom of God. God is not dead or distant or neglecting
us in any way. But God can only be reached when we open ourselves the
possibility that God’s Kingdom is within us.
I want to look in the mirror and see God looking back at
me. That can only happen if I open my heart, my mind and my soul to love God
with all that I am. That can only happen when I love creation so much I can
think of nothing better than protecting and sustaining it. When all that
happens within me, then I believe that what I will see is the Kingdom of God
looking back at me saying good and faithful servant. As for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord.
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