The Mystery of the Kingdom of God by Rick Wilson

The Mystery of the Kingdom of God
by Rick Wilson

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”

-Luke 17: 20-21

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

-Mark 4:26-32

Someone once told me he believes the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, is Episcopal-light. He said the Pope is progressive in many things within his Christian tradition, yet not quite as progressive as the Episcopal Church; hence, Episcopal-light. Examples of his progressiveness? When Pope Francis’ conversed with Italian prime-time interviewer Fabio Fazio, he said: “What I am going to say is not a dogma of faith but my own personal view: I like to think of hell as empty; I hope it is.”

Last December, Pope Francis announced having church blessings for same-gender couples. He said of such blessings, “God never turns away anyone who approaches him!” And, “Ultimately, a blessing offers people a means to increase their trust in God. ... It is a seed of the Holy Spirit that must be nurtured, not hindered.”

Recently in CBS’ 60 Minutes, the pontiff stated, "We are all fundamentally good. Yes, there are some rogues and sinners, but the heart itself is good." 4th- and 5th-century Bishop St. Augustine promoted a faith perspective of original sin that makes humankind guilty from birth, a belief the Eastern Church rejected understandably so. I salute Pope Francis’ compassionate progressiveness, Episcopal-light or not!

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” Did he mean the kingdom of God is ‘within’ you, which is the most natural translation of the Greek? This suggests the kingdom of God is an inner disposition, attitude, and quality. Or did Jesus mean ‘among’ you as an activity of God, established on earth or in heaven that embraces the whole person? Or, being the challenger to thought that he was, did Jesus mean both?

In our Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus uses two different images to tell us about the kingdom of God. It is as if someone scatters seed on the ground, essentially forgets about it as it sprouts and grows without the sower knowing how. To what can the Kingdom of God be compared? Jesus says it is like a mustard seed that grows into a massive shrub. It offers shade to the birds of the air. Growth is a part of this mystery of the kingdom of God. Episcopal theologian Marcus Borg of blessed memory says the kingdom of God is what life would be like on earth if God were king and our present domination systems were not. Can you imagine what this world would be like if we lived the identities and lifestyles of a people reflecting God’s compassionate, just, and loving nature?

On occasion, I listen to a song from yesteryear by Patti LaBelle called “Oh People:” If we are one big family, no one would have to beg, to eat. If we live in a world of dignity, no man will have to live on the street. ... If I tell you you’re a part of me, there's no need for disbelief. Here's my hand to let you know that what we dream, we all can hold; apart we are weak; together we're strong; Ohhh, people!

The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, someone who knew what it was to struggle to grow the kingdom of God more into our world, wrote of the dream of God: “God says to you, ‘I have a dream. Please help me to realize it. It is a dream of a world whose ugliness and squalor and poverty, its war and hostility, its greed and harsh competitiveness, its alienation and disharmony are changed into their glorious counterparts. When there will be more laughter, joy, and peace, where there will be justice and goodness and compassion and love and caring and sharing. I have a dream that my children will know that they are members of one family, the human family, God’s family, my family.’” To which I would like to add, “Oh, people!”

This Wednesday is the celebration of Juneteenth (a blend of June 19th). It signals the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure all enslaved people be freed, 2.5 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. It honors the end to slavery in the United States. As we know, it did not end racism in our country. Each Sunday, together we pray a petition asking that God free us from racism and any other prejudice that defiles us. This flows from our baptismal vow which we renew every Easter: “To strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” As racism and prejudice is vanquished, the kingdom of God grows.

What are the qualities of the kingdom of God? We pray each Sunday in the prayer Jesus gave us that God’s kingdom come, God’s will be done on earth as in heaven. What is heaven? My simple understanding is that heaven is the full experience of God’s presence. God’s presence is mediated through creation, but the fullness is unmediated. Humankind’s fullness as the image of God and the likeness of God is our participation in the unmediated presence of God. I am sure you have your own understanding of heaven.

So, is the kingdom of God within us or outside of us? Or is it both? My answer: “The kingdom of God is as if someone scatters seed on the ground, sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Accepting within us the giftedness of who we are, made in the image of God, we are invited to grow into God’s likeness. The kingdom of God is a seed growing within us, as we not only accept the love of God but extend to all others the love God has for us. This means through our lives as we are compassionate, just, merciful, forgiving, accepting of forgiveness, humble (as in self-honest, not self-depreciating), caring and serving others the reign of God grows within us, through us, and outside of us.

I began this homily with giving examples of how Pope Francis, who I admire, is compassionate. I encourage each of us, especially myself, to practice compassion for all. This is hard, because some people can be so irritating! To not be compassionate is to hamper the kingdom of God’s growth. Oh people! We are to be part of the solution for our troubled world, not part of the problem. The Kingdom of God grows imperceptibly within us, through us, and all around us as we grow more and more into God’s likeness and serve as agents of God’s love in our world. Amen!

Rev. Rick Wilson, Rector, Episcopal Church of St. Matthew, Tucson AZ.

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