The Kingdom (Reign) of God

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."  --Mark 1:14-15

After his baptism and forty days of testing and clarification in the wilderness, Jesus returns to his home region of Galilee to begin his ministry among the people. It is an vulnerable time--  John the Baptist, who had immersed not only Jesus but countless others in the baptismal waters of the Jordan, has been arrested by King Herod for sedition.

Jesus returns to familiar territory different than how he first left.  He carries new names from God:  Son; Beloved; God's Pleasure.  The forty days in the wilderness have clarified the priorities in his life, and his own deepening senses of identity and purpose. He has made a number of clear choices.

Now, entering Galilee, his announcement to the people of God heralds change.  The time is ripe, Jesus says; the divine cup is overflowing, and God is very, very near! The occasion for people to open up to the transforming power of God's love is now.  

We noted that the reference to "time" being "full-filled" is kairos.  Kairos means "the right time," a "critical and decisive time," where God is acting in human history--right now!  Class members reflected that God exists "in another spectrum,"  "sees what we don't," and is present even when not visible to us.  And God's presence actually becomes visible in the person and ministry of Jesus!

We talked about "the kingdom of God."  The biblical word, basileia, can perhaps be better translated as "realm," "reign," "dominion," "authority."  What does it mean for us to live right where we are, but under God's authority, and within the realm of God love?
We imagined the realm of God as:
--the reign of peace
--heaven come to earth
--living in God's presence
--"God-with us"

The Gospel of Matthew calls this "the kingdom of the heavens," with the "heaven" of God coming to earth--"Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
The Gospel of John speaks of the kingdom of God as something that we can "see" and "enter into" when we share the life of Jesus (see John Chapter 3).

The image above is of Jesus' communion table--The Shared Table--where a place has been set for all of us, and where life together in its fullness is celebrated.

The Circle of people below is a picture from the Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska.  A United Church of Christ congregation, Countryside Community Church, has been building its new sanctuary on a common campus with a synagogue, Temple Israel, and a mosque, The American Muslim Institute. Each community practices its particular faith with great intention, while treating and living with the others as neighbors.  An expression of "the kingdom of God," perhaps?