“Your Kingdom Come…”

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4: 16-18)

We live in what is sometimes called “the time between.” God’s kingdom has come into the world, and we have a very real sense of what that looks like, because we have a very real sense of Jesus. It was in the person of Jesus that God burst into the world, God with us, bringing all that God promises us right in the midst of where we actually live. We don’t need to imagine God’s love because we have the words and the actions of Jesus right in front of us, making it perfectly clear. “The kingdom of God is among you.” (Jesus’ words in Luke 17:21)

But, still, we are between. Jesus has come, and he will come again. What we are anticipating is the fullness and completion of the kingdom, the time when all of our questions will be answered and all will be made right. We are anticipating that eternal weight of glory beyond all measure that cannot now be seen.

That doesn’t mean that we are not able to experience God’s kingdom in this life. We certainly can, every day. We are promised that God’s kingdom is here among us, and it shows itself in many different ways.

Roberta Bondi writes that each of us experiences the kingdom “according to what we are able to receive.” (p 43) If we are not open or willing, we might miss it – it’s there, but we might not notice.

Prayer for today

God, help us to be mindful of how you are working in our lives. We are living in unsure times; help us to be sure of your kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen.