It is incredible dishonesty in the human heart to pray
daily that this kingdom should come, that God’s will be done on earth as in
heaven, and at the same time to deny that Jesus wants this kingdom to be put
into practice on earth. Whoever asks for the rulership of God to come down on
earth must believe in it and be wholeheartedly resolved to carry it out.
Eberhard
Arnold
___________________________________
it is an irrevocable fact
that Jesus, in his teachings, was an extremist
he did not just parrot the “Word”
he took what was accepted by his faith system as the Word
of God
and expanded it
reimagined it
pushing the way of love to the extreme limits
rejecting the way of resentment and retribution
in an equally extreme way
“You have heard it said”
“But I say”
in his words
which radicalized everything
he presented a vision for the Kingdom of God
and said to those who
were foolish enough to follow
“live this way”
and then suggested
that if they would die to ego
die to domination
die to greed
die to hate
that if they would take a deep dive
into their very being
they would find the power they needed
to make it happen
perhaps more radically yet
he promised that if they turned to
Love with all their heart, soul, and mind
and did so with all their strength
they would find him
even after he was gone
that in some powerful and mystical way
he would be there
in their midst
now here we are
thousands of years later
faithful intoning
“thy Kingdom come, thy will be done”
there is beauty in that
there is sadness too
the sadness of knowing
that we do not live the Kingdom
sometimes we embrace a way openly hostile to what Jesus
taught
sometimes we simply turn away sad
from its radical demands
while praying for the Kingdom
and claiming Jesus
we continue to hate
judge
dominate
coerce
hoard
we are the rich young ruler
the elder brother or sister
the rich person sprinkling crumbs to the poor
we are the judgmental one’s
ready to cast stones at the sinner
the money changers in the temple
Alas!
how do we get it so wrong?
perhaps it is because we have forgotten
to die
to let go of ego
of fear
of power
perhaps we have forgotten
to let the Presence radicalize us
and make us new creations
I cannot pretend that my life
reflects the radicality of the gospel
Alas
but still I will pray
“Thy kingdom come”
and mean it
still I will pray
“thy will be done”
and mean it
and I will resolve
each day
to live out that prayer
I will seek to detach more and more
from the things that cause me to deny the Kingdom
And I will seek more and more
the Presence
the Power
that transforms and renews
not only myself, but all creation
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