The Kingdom of God is Near!

Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near! Those are the words of Jesus as he begins his three year ministry around the Sea of Galilee. I love the Gospel of Matthew as this apostle is always taking us back to the history; back to the Hebrew Bible, in order to support the claims and words that Jesus is stating. Why does Matthew do that? It’s simple, Jesus was constantly quoting the Hebrew Bible Scripture! (The Old Testament.) Jesus was always tying in the former to show why he had come. Jesus is forming this new community, this new covenantal community to be a reflection of the heavenly kingdom; God’s community. We pray this in the Lord ’s Prayer—Thy Kingdom come! We are to be a reflection of the heavenly kingdom on earth.

Jesus is trying to show us what that Heavenly Kingdom looks like. In a series of parables, especially in Matthew 13, Jesus is showing us what the Kingdom of Heaven looks like. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…..A sower who sowed some seeds; a Mustard seed; a treasure hidden in a field!

How can you describe that which is indescribable? We are constantly facing this challenge when we speak of the Heavenly Kingdom; when we speak of Jesus. I’ve tried to explain what it was like giving birth to my baby daughters. It is impossible. So, too, Jesus runs across this very same problem. He wants to tell us, tries to explain to us very patiently, about God’s Kingdom. Our limited language skills cannot comprehend.

And so we are stuck; stuck trying to describe the indescribable. Stuck trying to do what Jesus is calling us to do without a real picture of what that can look like, but we are trying.

The good news is that there are pockets of what Jesus is describing becoming a reality on earth. There are places where the face of Jesus has been seen shining so brightly that we know it can be nothing less than God on the move.

We are to be the ones to help usher in that Kingdom, that Kingdom of God. Where have you seen this Kingdom of God on earth? I have personally experienced that Kingdom of God in real life: When I first became a widow with two young children to raise, there were so many people who surrounded me to help me, to encourage me, and to love me when all else seemed lost. A church full of people I never knew, who surrounded me and encouraged me. A new community who loved me even though they did not know me. That is the kingdom of God in action. That is the Kingdom at its best. That is truly God’s light shining in the darkness.

So where can you help usher in the Kingdom of God this day? Where can you be that light for Christ that shines in the darkness? Where can you be the one who says, yes, Jesus. I am here, send me!

Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near, it is at the reach of your hand, it is at the end of your fingertips. Reach out, grasp the hand of God, and join in the ushering in of His Kingdom!

This song might inspire you to be a part of building God’s kingdom on earth.