10-25-2020 Service - Kingdom Action
Oct 26, 2020
What is the kingdom of God?
As we anticipate another coronavirus surge, and in the weeks leading up to the election let's talk about what Jesus meant when he taught about the Kingdom of God. That feels like a relevant frame for us to understand the world, our feelings about it, and the power we have to make the world a better place. "Kingdom" talk was Jesus's robust and earthy "I have a dream” metaphor describing liberation, healing, and hope.
There are 4 aspects of the king and his kingdom we'll explore:
Kingdom plenty
Kingdom hope
Kingdom action
Kingdom discipleship
Jesus meant the kingdom to be an alternative to the kingdoms and politics of his day. Drew Hart says,
Where the old order dominated and violently lorded over others, the kingdom of God arose from the bottom, margins, and cracks of society, freely inviting people to share in the peace and Justice of God made available in the presence of Jesus... God's kingdom liberated people to discover who they truly were. And while participating in God's kingdom, people found that they were created in the image of the Maker of heaven and earth. (Trouble, pg 66-67)
This is the story of Jesus cleansing the temple, or what MLK would have called a nonviolent direct action.
Scripture: Matthew 21:12-17
Hymn: LORD JESUS CHRIST, BE PRESENT NOW (1651)
Words: Wilhelm IV of Sachsen-Weimar
Translated from German to English by Catherine Winkworth