Loving God, you continue to be at work in us, and among us, and through us by the power of your Holy Spirit.  Renew us in your love, that others might encounter Christ through us; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            When you pray, “Your kingdom come,” what do you think that you are asking?... My suspicion is that most people’s minds go straight to the end – the time when Christ will come again.  In all seriousness, I can see why people would pray for the end to come, for in many ways that is a more comforting thought than many of the things going on in the world right now.  However, is that really what we are asking?

         In some ways, the kingdom of God is just as hard to pin down as God’s name is.  Certainly, we will only experience God’s reign in all its fulness when we meet God face to face.  However, much of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom is in the present tense – as if it is already here.  His basic message is summarized like this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk. 1:15).

         In Jesus, the kingdom of God broke into our world, in spite of the fact that we may not always see much evidence of God’s reign.  In fact, many of the parables that Jesus tells about the kingdom are about things that are small or hidden.  The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, or a treasure in a field, or some yeast in a batch of dough.  And, in a particularly cryptic description, we hear:

The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you (Lk. 17:20-21).

Or perhaps, “within you,” depending on the translation.

         And so, when we pray, “your kingdom come,” we are praying for something that is already, but not yet; on earth, but also in heaven; small and hidden, but also like a king giving a wedding banquet.  Once again, some of you might remember Luther’s Small Catechism, where God’s kingdom comes without our asking for it, but we are asking that it would also come to us.  Ultimately, we are asking for the Holy Spirit, for it is the Spirit who enables us and others to live in God’s way.

         This is entirely in line with an alternate text that appears in some manuscripts of the Gospel of Luke.  A footnote in many Bibles says that some manuscripts replace “Your kingdom come” with “Your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us” (Lk. 11:2).  In fact, just imagine what our world would be like if more people were to actually welcome and listen to the Holy Spirit and allow God to cleanse their hearts.

         People would act with generosity rather than greed, and love rather than hate.  People would promote peace rather than conflict, and would practice kindness rather than hard-heartedness.  People would practice self-control rather than indulging every appetite, and would be faithful to God and to one another rather than indulging every whim.  People would be Christ-centered rather than self-centered, treating others with love and compassion just as Jesus did.

         However, we have no control over what other people do.  We can pray for others, to be sure, but it is not our job to force other people to act in a certain way.  And so, what if we were to focus on God’s kingdom coming in us and among us and through us?  What if we were to focus on how God’s kingdom might be made known among us, as brothers and sisters in Christ and children in the family of God?

         Even though it has been more difficult to gather as a community lately, thankfully the Holy Spirit does not need us to be in physical proximity in order to be at work.  We have had to search for new ways to be the communion of saints and the body of Christ, for that communion still exists whether we are able to gather in person or not.  The Holy Spirit is able to be at work by mail, or over the phone, or through text messages, or even through the internet.  While it is definitely not the same as seeing people in person, sometimes these things will just have to do.

         When we think of the kingdom of God within us, this has to do with the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, helping us to grow in prayer, and in our knowledge of the Scriptures, and in our trust in Jesus.  While some of this can happen on our own, true growth in the Holy Spirit only takes place in the midst of a community of believers.  We are part of such a community, not only for our own personal growth, but in order to learn how to love one another as Jesus has first loved us.

         Within this community of believers, there are some who are feeling more isolated than others these days.  I give thanks for those of you who have been keeping in touch with others in the congregation by phone – especially with those who are on their own and maybe don’t have much family support.  We need our brothers and sisters in Christ more than ever right now, as we strive to look outward rather than inward.

         Finally, it is in this outward orientation that we ask that the kingdom of God would be made known through us.  We are not here only for those who are already part of the body of Christ.  We all come in contact with people who have either never heard of Jesus, or have never heard about the good news that is through Jesus.  We also come in contact with people who are desperately in need of the love of God.  The Holy Spirit equips us to share the love of God with all people, and sometimes to be part of the answer to our own prayers.

         “Your kingdom come” – certainly at the end of the age – but also in us, and among us, and through us, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Pentecost 12 (NL summer)                        Luke 11:2-4

August 23, 2020

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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