There can be some confusion about the “when” and the “where” of the Reign of God. The gospels indicate that, with the coming of Jesus, God’s Reign enters into human history. But it seems obvious, from the presence of so much that is contrary to God in our world, that the Reign of God is still incomplete. Scholars call this the “already / not yet” dimension of God’s Reign.
A possible source of confusion about where God’s Reign is might come from the fact that the Reign of God has different designations in the gospels. The Gospels of Mark and of Luke, written for different Gentile-Christian communities, have Jesus proclaim the in-breaking of the Reign (Kingdom) of God. John’s gospel doesn’t even mention God’s Reign. Instead it points us to the “life without limits (to the full, eternal life, abundant life) that Jesus offers.” While the Gospel of Matthew, written for a Jewish-Christian community struggling to understand how to follow Jesus and the Law of God spelled out in the Torah, has Jesus proclaim the Reign (Kingdom) of Heaven.
Over the centuries, the Israelites had developed a very strong reverence for the name of God. Pious children of Israel wouldn’t even think or dare to utter God’s most holy Name. God is so far above and beyond us that we cannot possibly capture God in a name or a title. God revealed the mysterious divine Name to Moses at the burning bush, “I AM”, “I am the One Who Alone IS”, “I am present and active among you”, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) The writer of Matthew’s gospel wouldn’t consider using God’s name in connection with the divine reign.
People considered heaven to be God’s throne, from which distant, un-scaleable height God rules. To refer to the Kingdom of Heaven can lead people to imagine that God only reigns somewhere beyond our broken world, after our lifetimes. Or after Jesus comes again, when everything will be renewed. But that’s not what Jesus said. “The Reign of God is here, now.” But there is work to do to build this reign, to bring it more fully among us.
Jesus wasn’t abandoned by Abba-God, and Jesus didn’t abandon us. The Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit is alive and well, working 24/7/365 to inspire people everywhere toward goodness, wholeness, unity, wellbeing for all. This is Jesus’ gift to us. The transforming action of the Spirit is moving whoever is open and desires what is better for humanity, and for all creation. It’s up to us to embody this spirit of goodness to continue the process of giving birth to the Reign of God.
If we are like Moses, desiring to see the “promised land,” the fullness of the Reign of God, in our own lifetime, we will be frustrated, and may become bitter and cynical. God’s Reign is not our goal. God’s Reign is not a goal. The Reign of God is the action of God’s Spirit within and among us. Our part is to be faithful, open, receptive and responsive to whatever the Spirit of God moves us to say, to do, to be.