May Your Kingdom Come, May Your Will Be Done - Part 2

In Part 1 we considered the fact that our God is the One Who made the world and all things in it (including you and me), and He is Lord of heaven and earth (Acts 17:24). When you see "LORD" in most English translations of the Bible, it refers to "Yahweh" - the I AM, the Uncaused Cause of all things. Yahweh is not dependent on anything, He is the only totally free and independent Being. This means we are dependent on Him. Our freedom and independence are finite, limited. When we truly understand this, it becomes clear to us that we are only semi-autonomous beings under His Lordship. The I AM is Lord Emperor of the whole universe, King of all. We Christians are called to be saints, kings and priests under Him Who delegates some of His authority to us, to build up His Kingdom, not our petty little principalities. This is what "May Your Kingdom Come, May Your Will Be Done" means for us.

So how do we realize this task, how to we accomplish it in "the real world" where the rubber meets the road? To most of us "the real world" is limited to just the material, physical elements that we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Scientific instruments can magnify our ability to perceive the material universe, but such instruments are simply extensions of our five senses. The REAL real world, however, is where God's Kingdom intersects with the material world. This is when God's Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth, just as it is in heaven. At the start of each Liturgy, the priest proclaims - "Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!" - indicating that the heavenly sphere intersects with the earthly sphere at this point in time and space.

But is it only at this point in the Liturgy that the Kingdom of God comes into this earthly sphere? What did Christ and the Apostles say and do in the Gospels? How did they realize the Kingdom of God on earth just as it is in heaven? Let's take a look:

"Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people" (Mat. 4:23).

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven... Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mat. 5:3 and 10).

"But seek first God's Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well" (Mat. 6:33).

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Mat. 7:21).

"I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mat. 8:11-12).

"Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people" (Mat. 9:35).

"Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, '...As you go, preach, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give'" (Mat. 10:5, 7 and 8)

"From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Mat. 11:12).

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field....
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field....
The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened....
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity....
Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father....
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field....
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls....
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea....
Therefore, every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder...." (Mat. 13:24, 31, 34, 41, 43, 44, 45, 47 and 52).

"In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?'
Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven....
Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven....
Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants." (Mat. 18:1, 3, 4 and 23).

"...there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake....
Allow the little children, and don't forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these....
Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty....
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God." (Mat. 19:12, 14, 23 and 24).

"For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers.... (Mat. 20:1).

"Most certainly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into the Kingdom of God before you..." [the chief priests and the elders]
"Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruit"
(Mat. 21:31 and 43).

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son..." (Mat. 22:3).

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don't enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter" (Mat. 23:14).

"This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Mat. 24:14).

"Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom....
Then the King will tell those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in, I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me"
(Mat. 25:1 and 34-36).

"But I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's Kingdom" (Mat. 26:29).

You can find much the same yourself in the other Gospels. What do we notice here? Only one of the references to the Kingdom, the very last one mentioned in Matthew, refers to the Eucharist. All the rest of them point to more down-to-earth, day-to-day actions, things we should or should not do, in order to participate in the Kingdom of Heaven: do God's will, be poor in spirit, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons - all without pay, preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, be humble like a little child, don't cause stumbling or do iniquity, give up everything for the Kingdom, bring forth fruit, feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, clothe the naked. All these things are what let us participate here-and-now in the Kingdom of Heaven!

(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 22 Jun. 2014.)