God's Kindom
By Rev. David Wilson Rogers | February 1, 2014
Throughout the gospels Jesus taught the same thing—the Kingdom of God. Not an earthly kingdom as one might imagine with regal rulers, ornate thrones, or majestic castles. Not a secular state with its clearly recognized leaders, lines of governmental authority, and systems of governance. The Kingdom of God of which Jesus spoke was also not some heavenly reality that one must literally die for. Without a doubt, the Kingdom of God is a reality that is here! It is now! It is in our grasp. Yet, do we really get it?
Utopian Excuse
Many people fall into the trap of accepting the excuse that there is simply too much sin, too much suffering, too much poverty, and too much sickness in this world for God’s Kingdom to truly be available here. Utopian myths have long dominated literature, cultures, and human dreaming. Rightfully, when we look out across the broken and fragmented world that is our terrestrial home, it is easy to believe that the great promises of God’s Kingdom are really just wishful thinking and represent a reality that only exists in heaven.
Theocratic Abuse and Practical Governance
When the Kingdom of God is raised as a political reality, as is occasionally the case, people naturally and appropriately recoil! Lip service is given to a tacit recognition that perhaps it may be the ideal for humanity to find political governance under God’s law and authority, but the reality is, we do not want that—nor would we do well under it. Theocracy is literally the rule where the recognized leader unquestionably operates out of Divine Authority and, in some religious or cultural considerations, may actually be the earthly manifestation of God. Rightfully, we look to the ease with which an individual or small group of people in power can abuse such absolute authority to the determent and destruction of whole societies (“Kindom” continued from front page)
in the name of God. Additionally, the practicality of changing all earthly governments to fall under the rule of religious law is not only unrealistic, but would likely plunge the entire globe into a religious warfare the likes of which we have never known.
Kingdom Authority
When Jesus speaks of his Father’s Kingdom, Jesus is speaking of a way of life, a means of understanding our relationship with one another, and our understanding of authority. Never a replacement for secular governance and certainly not a utopianistic fancy available only in heaven, God’s Kingdom is right here, right now, and ready for us to embrace.
Kindom
Perhaps one way of understanding Kindom is in the contrived word, “Kindom.” Literally, it is a realm defined in the covenantal bond of kindred—family! In other words, the family of God intentionally being together in a sacred, loving, and affirming relationship of mutual blessing.
In God’s Kindom, there are no borders, no classes, no haves and have-nots. In God’s Kingdom, the citizens have value for life that transcends political posturing, election rhetoric, economic theories, and partisan priority. In God’s Kindom, women and men are valued according to who they are, not what they can produce or what drain they may have on the shared resources. In God’s Kindom, relationships—kinships—matter most of all.
God’s Kindom is governed by divine values such as integrity, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, faithfulness, justice, and love. Working out of these values, the people of God uphold and affirm one another, share in blessings to care for those in need, rejoice in blessings for those who have cause to celebrate, and share in sorrow during times of grief.
God’s Kingdom is the Church!