Your Kingdom Come
One of the great gifts that we have as God's people is the Lord's prayer. This was the prayer that Jesus taught to the disciples in response to their request that he teach them how to pray (cf. Lk 11:1-4). Central to this prayer, as it was central to Jesus' ministry is the petition, "your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven". In fact, Michael Goheen, in his book A Light to the Nations reformulates the whole prayer around the notion that the petition, your kingdom come, is the central petition of the prayer. He writes, "May your kingdom come so that your name may be hallowed throughout the earth as the prophets have promised. May your kingdom come so that your will is accomplished on earth. May your kingdom come so that the earth may again abound in prosperity, the hungry may be fed, and the needs of people met. May your kingdom come so that the world may be liberated from sin, and that forgiveness might wash over the earth. May your kingdom come; and when it encounters powerful spiritual resistance, keep us from succumbing to the temptation and trial, to the power of the evil one. May your kingdom come fully one day – and may there be signs and evidences of its power even now."
As we wrap up our missions emphasis week this Sunday, it is appropriate that we land back in Mark, particularly chapter 4 verses 21-34. Throughout Mark, Jesus has been focused on the mission of his kingdom. In Jesus' formulation, the kingdom is both a gift and a command, both a petition and a prescription. Or to put it another way, the kingdom is both to be enjoyed and marveled at as it takes root and bears fruit in our lives and communities, as well as being a way of life that requires radical and unqualified devotion as God's people orient themselves to God's ways in God's world. In the parables that we will look at Sunday we see both the incredible promise of the kingdom, as well as hear the clear call to be faithful in spreading the seed of the word throughout the world.
Your kingdom come; may this petition captivate our hearts afresh!
Photo by Tom Barrett on Unsplash