The Kingdom of God

Rmj at Adventus had a post titled How the Kingdom of God Like That? in June of last year. In a comment - well, in two comments - I spoke my piece. At first, I was at a loss. All that came to my mind was this little activity song that we taught to the children:

"Joy is the flag flown high
From the castle of my heart,
From the castle of my heart,
From the castle of my heart.
Joy is the flag flown high
From the castle of my heart
When the King is in residence there"

....

Since we recently celebrated Flag Day, perhaps that's why the song came to my mind - that poor flag which represents our country with its reputation dirty and tattered.

It's probably as good an answer as I could give to the question, "What is the kingdom of heaven like?"

Then other commenters chimed in with brilliant observations, referencing learned theologians, and I became ashamed of my poor contribution and began to consider in a serious way what the Kingdom of God means to me. Here's my second comment:

Boreas, you and Schillebeek and Crossan have most surely stolen my thunder. I wanted to add a bit to my little ditty which I posted upthread - which, as I take a second look, ain't half-bad.

In the light of the wisdom you quoted, I'll compress what I was going to say about what the kingdom of God is like, as we live out the meaning of the parables in the Gospels.

IMHO, it has to do with doing, as well as being, as well as believing. In the Gospels Jesus calls us to be the actors - not members of the audience - in the drama of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

When we do as the prophet Micah, speaking the word of the Lord, tells us:

"He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God?"

Micah 6:8

When we follow the two Great Commandments:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27

When we keep the beatitudes always in mind as Jesus says, "Blessed are you poor...you hungry...you who are weeping..."; and then he says, "Woe to you rich...you who are full...you who laugh now...," never forgetting to whom he says "Blessed are you...," and to whom he says, "Woe to you rich...[you who full...you who laugh....]" Luke 6:20-25

When we follow his teaching to, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you." Luke 6:27-28

When we do these things, we are actors - perhaps with bit parts - in the great drama that is the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

In church today, the OT reading was from Ezekiel, speaking to Pharaoh, comparing the future of his kingdom to that of Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon, which had been struck down by foreigners because "its heart was proud of its height".

He says this in 31:14:

"All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to lofty height or set their tops among the clouds, and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For all of them are handed over to death, to the world below; along with all mortals, with those who go down to the Pit."

It is not by accident that the first of the deadly sins is pride, which is so often the greatest stumbling-block in the way of the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

We shall not see the climax of the drama of the Kingdom of God in this life on earth, only the bits and pieces of the drama that contain our parts - as the actors in Shakespeare's time had in hand only their parts and their cues.

Paul tells us in Phillipians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice!" Perhaps the children's song was not a bad jumping-off spot to consider the Kingdom.