Reign of God – part 3

Because the Reign of God is at the heart of Jesus’ message, it seems worthwhile to focus on this reality a bit more. Many, if not most, of the parables Jesus told are his wide-ranging attempt to describe the indescribable – of what does God’s reign consist, what is it’s dynamic, how might we recognize God’s reign at work among us. Jesus does this by making comparisons. “The Reign of God is like…”

Whether it’s seeds, or a wheat field sabotaged by an enemy, a treasure, a dragnet, a magnificent pearl or yeast, Jesus is sowing the idea that God’s reign, even as it may seem “too little,” has an internal energy, is worth everything we have, and requires our full cooperation. The Reign of God is unstoppable, and at the same time, it depends on us. We may imagine that we have lost something extremely precious, but if we go out of our way to look, it can be found. This may be costly to us personally, but our efforts will bear fruit in both little and big ways.

It isn’t too strong to say that Jesus was driven by the breaking in of God’s reign to our world. The broken, wounded state of humanity, and of all creation, which leaves a path of destruction, pain and suffering – like the track of a tornado – moved Jesus to both compassion and to a clear sense of urgency. His acts of healing and forgiveness were intended to enflame others to recognize God at work  and join his efforts.

Jesus understood that if we did not radically change our habitual individual and tribal self-centeredness the suffering and devastation would multiply. Only by seeing that we are all part of the same, single human family can we open ourselves to sharing what we have, including the beautiful gifts God has entrusted us with. God excludes no one from the divine love. We are called to do likewise. 

The time is now. The place is right where we are. Either we will open our world to God’s reign or we will surrender humanity and creation to forces of indifference, violence, violation, and arrogant ignorance. The Reign of God is quietly at work trying to mitigate, reverse, and replace evils with good.

The greatest threat to God’s reign is our apathy. Apathy can be expressed by a lack of energy to do what is in front of us to do. Or it can be the smothering of what God desires with our becoming very busy doing what we think or feel God would want, or what others tell us is the right thing to do. After all, we know! We become no longer able to feel connection, compassion, or to discern. This can lead to self-righteousness, judging, and replacing action on behalf of others with a whole array of pious acts.  

We can bring about, and build up the Reign of God by living as Jesus lived. He dedicated himself totally to love through acts of healing, liberating, forgiving, comforting, including and empowering others. God’s Spirit is waiting to enliven us and transform us. We only need to open our minds and hearts and spirits to God.