DAILY BYTE
This week in The Barking Dog-Collar we continue with our reflections on the Lord’s Prayer, as we consider the phrase in the prayer, “Your kingdom come.”
It’s pretty tough getting biblical scholars to agree about anything. But one of the few things they do agree on is that the central theme in the teaching of Jesus is the kingdom of God.
Jesus begins his ministry by announcing that the Kingdom of God is at hand. When he heals the sick and casts out demons he says that it’s because the Kingdom of God has come near. Over and over again he tells stories of what the Kingdom of God is like. And he continually points his followers to recognise the inbreaking of God’s Kingdom in their midst.
On this point the biblical scholars are all in agreement – that the Kingdom of God was the dominant theme in the teaching and ministry of Jesus.
And so it should come as no great surprise that in his great teaching on prayer, Jesus instructs his disciples to pray for God’s Kingdom to come.
We know the words well, but what exactly do they mean - ‘Your kingdom come’? If we’re honest we’ll acknowledge that at best, we’re unsure. Which means that if we are to pray as Jesus taught us, not just by rote, but with a mindfulness that seeks deeper understanding of what we are praying for, then ‘the kingdom’ is a crucial concept that we need to strive to grasp as best we can.
The common working definition of the Kingdom that is usually offered is that it refers to the kingly rule or reign of God. But no sooner is this affirmed than all sorts of further questions arise:
Does this refer primarily to a future, or a present reality?
In which realm does this kingdom operate – in the transformation of individual hearts and lives, or in the transformation of communities, social institutions and political structures?
Can Christians work toward the coming of God’s kingdom, or is it ultimately something that God alone brings about as a pure gift of grace?
In almost every period of Christian history, these dichotomies of the kingdom have been present in the church’s thinking and have been reflected in the Church’s teaching:
The kingdom is both a future and a present reality.
The kingdom operates in the realm of individual human hearts, but also in the corporate structures of society at large.
The kingdom is something that only God can bring about, but we are called to work towards.
In other words, when we talk about the kingdom, we are talking about mystery. Which is not to say that it cannot be understood, but rather that it is something that can be endlessly understood, having layers upon layers of meaning that can never be exhausted or fully comprehended.
We do well to remember this, and to resist the urge to define the kingdom too narrowly. To do so is a sure guarantee to miss the point. The example of Jesus is helpful here, for in describing the kingdom he didn’t try to tie it down, but rather to break it wide open. He did so by telling many different parables of the kingdom. Each one casts a different perspective on the great mystery of the kingdom and allows us to see it in slightly different ways – a bit like the reflected light of a multi-faceted diamond that dances before our eyes in unrepeated patterns of shimmering beauty.
This week, as we consider what it means to pray ‘Your kingdom come’, we will reflect on a few parables of the kingdom that can give rich content to that prayer.
PRAY AS YOU GO
O Lord, we stand in reverential awe and humility before the great mystery of your kingdom. We are conscious of our inability to grasp its magnitude, yet grateful that it is a reality that touches and transforms our lives here and now. Help us in our devotions this week to come to a deeper understanding of the nature of your kingdom, that we might be able to pray with greater insight and conviction for your kingdom to come. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 6:9-10a
This then is how you should pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come...”
