Kingdom of God

Matthew 10 : 7 - 13

The kingdom of heaven is at hand

Jesus empowered and then instructed his disciples to share and give what they had received free of charge from him. It is good to recall what they received - actually they did not receive anything much materially - no prosperity gospel. In fact, they received from him - the priceless gift of relationship with God (the kingdom is at hand, in our midst). Nothing more and nothing less. And yet this gift is so precious that the disciples are now asked to 'share' it with others at no cost. Out of this relationship with God, with Jesus, the disciples are enabled to bring healing and wholeness to others. Of course they are warned that the reception will vary. Sometimes they (and we) will be welcomed and sometimes they (and we) will be rejected. Jesus was also both received and rejected....by all those to whom he extended the unconditional gift.

What is the kingdom of God? At the seminar last Saturday, we were reminded that it does not equal "the church". Of course the church as it becomes more and more institutionalized would like to hold on to that 'power' to equate herself with the "kingdom". We were challenged to think out of the box - in fact, not to box God in - for God can surely reveal his kingdom in many, many ways and places!!

As I practice the discipline of seeking God in the ordinary, I 'notice' glimpses of grace in unlikely places. A couple of days ago, I was queueing up at KFC - and happened to be behind three persons - who seemed to be siblings. Two were 'normal' by the world's standards. Their brother clearly had Down's syndrome. And yet, I was most touched by the love that the 'not so normal' young man had - he was always reaching out to hug his siblings and they responded the same way - lots of hugs and pats on the back. Giving and receiving love is not limited to persons of normal IQ (who often find it hard to give and receive love because we tend to have all sorts of blocks and resistances!!). In fact, God amazes us by drawing us to his kingdom in unlikely places. The kingdom is in our midst - and as Christians we are all the more to 'share' what we have received. In simple ways, often even without words.