Observation: At the blowing of the last of seven trumpets, voices in heaven sing a song of praise to God, "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah." This union of earth and heaven is both the goal and the driving force moving the Book of Revelation forward. In fact, if you're looking for one central theme running through Jesus' ministry, and even scripture as a whole, you can do a whole lot worse than the Reign of God--God's will done on earth as in heaven.
Application: When I read this verse, my mind always goes to Handel's Messiah, which many associate with the holiday season. "The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." In fact, seriously, if your time is limited, just watch this video of the Opera Company of Philadelphia in 2010, taking Macy's shopping center by storm with a dozen local choirs, singing this song in praise to God, in the midst of the buzz of commercialism. I can hardly think of a better way to envision the God's coming among us to reign, than ordinary people singing out God's praises.
The other reason I'm directing you there this morning is because honestly, I'm having a hard time coming up with much to offer today. As we get ready for Advent to begin, I know I'm running on fumes. I'm going on parental leave a week from tomorrow (that is if, by God's grace, this baby follows our plans and doesn't come early). I've still got a to-do list as long as my arm, leading right up to Christmas Eve, and it all has to get done this week. I've got that old familiar feeling of being a student near exam time, with two or three ten-page papers and half a dozen tests to study for, and it's getting to be too much.
So what I'm clinging to as I read these words about God's kingdom is the assurance that, as Revelation attests, we are not responsible for making it happen, nor can we. God does that. We pray, "Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven." That's what Jesus taught us to long for--not an escape from this world, or our lives as we know them, but for God's full presence within it, and when the time comes, God's reign over all that is. Martin Luther said, "In fact, God's kingdom comes on its own without our prayer, but we ask in this prayer that it may also come to us." That's what I'm praying and longing for this Advent season. I can't make anything of real significance happen on my own, and believe me, I've tried. So my prayer this Advent, as an exhausted, stressed, anxious pastor and dad is, "Your kingdom come; your will be done on earth, and in my life, as in heaven. And soon, please?"
Prayer: God, I can't make this happen by myself. I'm completely overwhelmed. Even the simple, little things I know I can do to help me feel connected to you, that stuff is hit-or-miss right now. But I'm praying that your kingdom will come, right here, in my life, today, because I desperately need it, and so does my family, and so does your world. Amen, Come Lord Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment