The Kingdom
Scripture: The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near…Mark 1:15b
What does the kingdom of God
look like? Smell like? Sound like?
Feel like? And where is it? A
physical place in real time or a lofty space up there in the sky? And who is included?
Every time we recite the
Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done.” But what are
we really saying?
Shortly after his baptism and
John’s subsequent arrest, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of
God, and saying ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come
near.’ We know that he was talking about
himself – Jesus is the good news – and the kingdom has come in him. But the crowd to whom he was speaking had no
clue and more than 2,000 years later, the “church” is still trying to sort it
all out.
What does good news sound and
look like for you today? Discovering
that “perfect” mate you have been looking for?
A new job? A promotion? Forgiveness of a past fault? A doctor’s report of good health? My guess is, all of the above in one
variation or the other.
But maybe there is even
better news. The kingdom of God is here
for us today regardless of our situation or circumstance. God is breaking through on us from every
direction. Can you see, smell, hear,
feel it?
Prayer: Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us.
Lead us. Deliver us. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory forever and ever and ever.
Amen.
The Reverend Dr. Cathy Gilliard
amen!
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