Thy Kingdom Come!

I am thrilled to see changes, which make it possible for us to practice love in a more real way. Barriers between the sexes, the races, nationalities, cultures, political, and theological differences are slowly coming down. However, we have a long way to go in this regard. New attempts are being made to divide us into camps over the subjects of abortion rights, sexual preferences, and genetic research. It seems that some people must have someone or something to dump on. Communism is no longer an issue; so new things to hate had to be brought to the fore.

It is so easy to define "sin" in terms of what others are doing. Maybe it is time we look inward. It is difficult to find the "sin" which does so easily beset us. Barriers divide us into "us" and them." Where is the concept of love that Jesus taught and lived? In many ways the Kingdom of God still seems so far away.

One of the changes taking place in churches today that I find troublesome is the move towards individual piety and salvation. This has grown out of the revival movements of the last two centuries. There is a tendency to forget that the church is indeed the "Body of Christ." It is not a collection of bodies. We are on this ship together. We either arrive at the port intact, or we all go down together. It is time we stop dividing ourselves into the "good" and the "bad." We must work and pray for the welfare of all God's children. Who am I to put myself ahead of anyone else? I have enough trouble dealing with my own dark side. I don't have the time or energy to search out yours.

Compounding all of this is the fact that many of our national leaders try to "whip up a frenzy of war and revenge." The exaggerations and untruths are part of the national scene at times when we look to politicians and the military to save us. The sad part is that so many of our churches go along with this extreme nationalism. What we are doing is turning to a national religion rather than trusting a God who has delivered his people in the past, and will do so again.

Yes, the Kingdom still seems afar off. It is my hope that the Christian church can again take a serious look at this Jesus, who we are to emulate, and make new attempts to bring his Kingdom into being. Until love and acceptance of others become the main goal of the church, it will not happen. The kingdom will not arrive through further division, whether of groups, or of individuals. Let us work for peace and for justice. Let love rule our lives.