The Kin-dom of God

 John 18:33-37

In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared this day “the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe”. He was concerned about Hitler’s goal of elimination of the Jews and world domination, as expressed in the recently published Mein Kampf. Usually we call this day, the last Sunday of the Church year, “Christ the King Sunday”.

I prefer to call this day “Reign of Christ” because I’m convinced Jesus never wanted to be called king or wear a crown. It is a title and role that was given to him, to make him fit into the ancient worldview of power structures. But, he’s never a good fit into our systems. At the same time, he rules or reigns over everything!

Let’s begin with a few comments about kings.

… In 1 Samuel Chapter 8, the storyteller says the people were asking for a king, so they could be like all other nations. Samuel resisted, saying, “Let me tell you what will happen if you have a king. He will take your sons and send them to war, where they will die. He will take your women and make them his wives. He will take your businesses and your profits and claim them for his own.”

Eventually, there was King Saul, who was OK for a while, until he resented David. Then David became king. He was not perfect, but he was a faithful follower of God and was able to unite the twelve tribes into one kingdom. David’s son Solomon was wise in some ways, and built the temple, using the slave labor of his own people. After his death the kingdom split into two Kingdoms, Israel and Judah. From then on, few kings were loyal or effective.

In Jesus’ time, the Pax Romana – the Roman Peace – kept down the likelihood of rebellions with the use of Roman soldiers and the latest technology in warfare. Caesars Augustus and Tiberius were absolute rulers who tolerated no disagreement, and the local kings owed their positions to obedience to Caesar. Protestors were quickly dispatched, and often crucified.

… It is this kind of king that Pilate has in mind when he questions Jesus about who he is. “Are you a king?” “You say so. All I will say is that I have come to tell the truth.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus has come to teach people about the importance of a relationship with God and with each other.

·       “I have not come to condemn the world, but to save it through love.”

·       “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly.”

·       “I am the resurrection and the life.  If you believe in me, you will never die, but have everlasting life.”

·       “If you love me, feed my sheep.”

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus speaks about the coming of the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven, or as I usually say, the Reign of God. When God reigns, we are more focused on our relationship with God and each other, than with being wealthy and powerful. So, although in John’s Gospel Jesus doesn’t speak specifically about the Kingdom of God coming near, he is describing the same thing.

… Can we imagine what the world – or at least our communities – would be like if Jesus reigned in the hearts of everyone? One way to express this kind of relationship is with the word KIN.

As he walked the land, or sailed the sea of Galilee, Jesus saw himself as brother or kin with those he encountered, not as king over them, and we could say, then, that Jesus came to announce the kin-dom of God. In the kin-dom of God, all are equal. Wealth and status don’t matter. Health and ability don’t matter. Skill and training and employment don’t matter. We live in God’s kin-dom as neighbors with each other, and we are called to love each other as sisters and brothers, as kin with each other.

It strikes me that when we think of all God’s children as kin, we are related to gazillions of people, past and present, here at home and thousands of miles away, people we know and people we will never have the chance to meet. We are even kin with people we don’t like or don’t respect. We are still called by God, by Jesus, to love them as kin. We are called to love the lovable, and the unlovable. We don’t have to like them, but in the kin-dom of God, we are called to love them.

… We know that the kin-dom / reign of God is not yet a reality. But we can all do something to make it more so. Being kind, respectful, open to others’ opinions is one way, especially lately when our culture seems so divided and intolerant.

One of the ways to bring about God’s kin-dom is to provide a place for open, accepting conversation. Kristina Fruge from Augsburg University suggests that the kin-dom of God is like a front porch where people gather to talk, to have iced tea or coffee and a snack. Here in Florida, the equivalent could be a lanai. Or a coffee shop. Or a brew house. Or a gazebo. Or a fellowship hall. Or some chairs under a tree.

A couple weeks ago, I was asked to do a blessing of the cars at the car show, but when folks were invited to stand next to their cars, only one person did so, and she did it reluctantly. Likewise, it didn’t make sense to me to bless cars without the drivers, so instead, I went to find the drivers/owners of the cars. It took me an hour or more to visit all the clusters of folks sitting on folding chairs, near their cars or under the trees along Butler St.

I invited them to tell me their car stories, and heard a lot about the relationships the owners had with their cars, their spouses, and their friends. When I offered to pray a blessing for the cars and the owners, most were happy to receive it, though some declined. I thought my time was well spent, as I focused on getting to know the people. There was joking and teasing, and storytelling. It felt like we were kin, brought together by the love of their special cars, and with those who love them.

This week, I hope you will spend some time considering what it means to you to be a part of God’s kin-dom. Does that change how you view some people? I hope you will tell me some stories about it. Amen