The Kin-dom of God

As I stated in my post last week, I have been inspired to adopt “Love – The Religion of Jesus” as the theme of my posts and Sunday lessons during Lent. This commitment has given me renewed motivation to explore what the Christian Scripture reveals about the message Jesus was attempting to convey through his parables and other lessons. With that intention in mind and with the inspiration of the following quote from the book, The Emerging Church by Rev. Bruce Sanguin, I am reading Jesus’ teachings from a different perspective.

“[Jesus’] mission is summarized in a single metaphor – the kingdom of God…I suggest that we drop the “g” and change it to kin-dom of God, reflecting the biological and spiritual truth of evolution that everything derives from common stock.

The metaphor suggests an ethic that reverses cultural norms: the last are first and the first last; the poor are lifted up and the rich sent away empty; the persecuted are blessed; rulers are servants; the well-being of the soul, not the size of one’s bank account, defines the person; true wealth consists not of accumulating money but in allocating it; spiritual wisdom, not political power is the hidden treasure; the humble, not the high and mighty, have access to wisdom; non-violence, not redemptive violence, is God’s way. God’s kin-dom makes for a topsy-turvy life.”

Jesus seems to have spent a great deal of time trying to help his disciples understand what he meant when he referred to the “Kingdom of God.” He compared it to growing seed, treasure hidden in a field, net cast into the sea, virgins who take their lamps to greet the bridegroom, as well as other references. He seemingly searched for every metaphor available as he attempted to convey his vision. We are often confused by those stories. I assume the disciples were, as well. They, however, had him to explain it to them.

He also said that the Kingdom is within us and among us.

Much of traditional Christianity, quoting the teachings of Jesus, placed the Kingdom of God somewhere in a faraway place called ‘heaven,’ a place we may only reach after laying down the earthly body. In their attempts to maintain power and wealth, the progenitors of the Christian church, in interpreting Jesus’ teachings for the mostly illiterate masses, convinced them that they should strive for their reward in the afterlife and not be concerned with their earthly condition, no matter how deplorable.

I do not believe that this was the religion of Jesus whom so many claim to follow.

Our Unity and other New Thought teaching asserts that when Jesus was speaking about the “Kingdom of God” he was primarily referring to a state of consciousness, not a location or a condition. As I read Jesus’ teachings today, through the lens of love, empathy, compassion, and equality for all, I see that he was not just speaking about the Kingdom of God as a consciousness which we can all attain and dwell within. He was also comparing what he called the Kingdom of God with the Kingdom of Caesar. He was not talking just about what is possible in consciousness, but also what is possible in manifestation when we live from Kingdom of God consciousness.

This manifest kingdom, or “kin-dom,” as Rev. Sanguin refers to it, is the vision that Jesus knew as a possibility upon the Earth. It was not his to manifest or to rule over as many believed. It was his role to bring the vision into the minds and hearts of his followers and to help us see that we have the power to bring it into demonstration.

For that to happen it is up to us, as Rev. Sanguin suggests, to return to the “biological and spiritual truth of evolution that everything derives from common stock.” It begins with our willingness to accept and embrace our “kinship” with all creation. And, to remember that the “Kin-dom of God” does not come by us looking for it, nor will it appear simply by us waiting for it. It is ours to manifest heaven upon the earth.

“Thy Kin-dom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.”

We have the opportunity to embrace the prayer of Jesus, not as a plea to a God in a place called “heaven,” but a call from the heart of each of us to behold the vision and to act with wisdom, love and strength to bring the Kin-dom of God into manifestation right here and now.

This is Love – The Religion of Jesus in action. Now is the time. We are the ones.

Join us on Sunday at 10:00 for our service as we explore this idea further. My lesson title is “Love – The Power of Community.” I will explore how loving and supporting each other in community can help to strengthen our awareness of our kin-ship and empower us to work together to manifest a world that reflects the “kin-dom of God.”