The Coming of the Kingdom of God

 PRAYER PRACTICE

Prayer Journal – To begin your daily worship today, grab a pen and paper and write out a prayer to God. Not sure what to write? Try using ACTS to frame your prayer. Begin with adoration for who God is. Then move on to confession – being real about where you have fallen short in the last day or two. Give thanks to God for all that He gives (including forgiveness for the sin you just confessed!). And then finish with supplication – with your prayer requests to God. When you are done, tuck this away somewhere (so you can read it later and see how God has answered your prayers) and then move into hearing from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Luke 17:20-37

DEVOTION / REFLECTION

Ripe for the Picking

by Judy Webb

Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)

In your midst meaning, inside you, and I know that as a Christian I have Jesus in my heart, and in my midst. We can sense His Holy Presence when we are reading scripture, praying and even when we are in the midst of trouble; especially when in the midst of trouble.

The second coming of Jesus is a topic that many Christians talk about at various junctures in time. I often think about that day but it is a good thought, not a scary one. There was a time I was afraid I would not recognize what was happening. But after studying scripture I am relieved to know that there will be absolutely no doubt when that day comes. "Every knee will bow." Every knee, believer and unbeliever alike, will recognize Jesus. 

There are days when I long to see Jesus appear in this manner, and other days I realize there is still a harvest to gather. There are still fields to work and hearts to revive. It seems to this writer, there is still much to do before Jesus returns, but even if it were tomorrow, there is still time to do His work.

Dear Jesus, Fill me with the desire to reach out to those who don't know of your love and your grace. Enable me to share the good news, to use my testimony as a way to show how good you are to such a sinful person as I. Amen

The coming of the Kingdom of God

 

Lectio – Read today’s passage through once. Then spend some time praying and asking God to show you what you need to pay attention to in the text. Read it again. Now ask God to help you see what this text, and the part that has stood out, may mean for you. Don’t expect to get a clear word every time but always be ready to really hear from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Luke 17:20-37

REFLECTION

Already, Not Yet

 by Katie Borden

In “pandemic life”, I’ve learned a lot about myself—the good, the bad, and the ugly. One of the things I’ve learned is that I manage my time, for better or worse, according to the principle of “NOW/NOT-NOW”. If something doesn’t need my attention NOW, it usually just plain doesn’t get my attention. This actually makes me adept at managing multiple issues at once in a crisis, but a terrible planner and prioritizer when I’m not up against a deadline. That’s fine when everything is on fire, but when it comes to living intentionally, I have a lot of learning and growing to do. I suspect I’m not the only one.

In stark contrast to the “NOW/NOT-NOW” filter through which some of us live, Jesus lays out a whole different paradigm in this passage: the kingdom of God operates in an “ALREADY/NOT-YET” fashion. On the one hand, the kingdom of God has ALREADY broken into this world. We encounter God’s kingdom in the person of Jesus and through the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are the ALREADY-available first-fruits of the age to come, when all is made well and we will live in perfect unity with God.

On the other hand, the full consummation of the kingdom of God has NOT YET been realized—it is yet to come when Jesus comes again. If we were ever in doubt of this truth, the raging pandemic, the political and racial tensions, and the natural disasters of the past year bear witness to the fact that all creation groans in eager expectation for the consummation of the kingdom of God.

Do you notice that in both instances (the “ALREADY” and the “NOT-YET”), the kingdom of God comes in and through Jesus? We encounter the kingdom of God when we encounter Jesus, and our lives are reoriented to the things of the kingdom when we are formed in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. My “NOW/NOT-NOW” thinking is often focused on temporal things. But as Jesus teaches me to view the world through an “ALREADY/NOT-YET” lens, I’m able to engage in the “here and now” with increasing spiritual vision, and I’m empowered to engage more fully and intentionally in the world around me. It’s in Jesus that we find life, and in Jesus we are shaped to prioritize his way of life and live intentionally for his eternal purposes.

As you pray today, ask Jesus to continue to reveal himself to you and shape you in his ways. Thank him that he has already ushered in the first-fruits of the kingdom of God, and ask him to help you live with spiritual vision “here and now” as he gives you hope for the age to come.

(For even more practical application, check out UALC’s growth workshops. My small group has been working through the “Following Jesus After Isolation” workshop together, and it has been a gift to us as we help each other walk intentionally in the way of the kingdom. Check out ualc.org/grow)