June 14, 2018
“God’s kingdom come”
In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus taught what the Kingdom of God is like. He used a parable…or two. Actually, “Kingdom of God” is a bit misleading. It really should be translated “reign of God’. The “basileia” [Greek word] of God means the day when God’s will will be done perfectly in earth as it is in heaven. That is the goal of God for the whole universe…but especially for this earth. That is what we pray for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” So what is our part in making this happen? What can we possibly do to further God’s purpose on this earth?
Martin Luther explains what “Thy kingdom come” means in is Small Catechism. “What does this mean? God’s kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us. When does this happen? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father give us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever.”
But we want to take action against the evil in this world! It seems like all Luther wants us to do is pray. Don’t judge so quickly. The way I read this is that Luther wants us to act only after we are centered in prayer with the Holy Spirit as our guide. He knows that actions taken without direction of the Holy Spirit are often actions taken in vain. Let us center our lives on God’s will before we jump into battle. This is God’s kingdom….not ours.
“God’s kingdom come”
In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus taught what the Kingdom of God is like. He used a parable…or two. Actually, “Kingdom of God” is a bit misleading. It really should be translated “reign of God’. The “basileia” [Greek word] of God means the day when God’s will will be done perfectly in earth as it is in heaven. That is the goal of God for the whole universe…but especially for this earth. That is what we pray for when we pray the Lord’s Prayer: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” So what is our part in making this happen? What can we possibly do to further God’s purpose on this earth?
Martin Luther explains what “Thy kingdom come” means in is Small Catechism. “What does this mean? God’s kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us. When does this happen? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father give us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever.”
But we want to take action against the evil in this world! It seems like all Luther wants us to do is pray. Don’t judge so quickly. The way I read this is that Luther wants us to act only after we are centered in prayer with the Holy Spirit as our guide. He knows that actions taken without direction of the Holy Spirit are often actions taken in vain. Let us center our lives on God’s will before we jump into battle. This is God’s kingdom….not ours.