Your kingdom come

The kingdom is like a mustard seed, yeast, treasure, the finest pearl, and a net full of good fish. That’s what this week’s Gospel tells us.  His teachings were many about the kingdom.  The second petition in the “perfect” prayer he taught was to ask for the kingdom to come.  And we are told to, “Seek first his kingdom” (Matthew 6:33).

So, the kingdom is something that we need to pay attention to. Remember the catechism?  Luther explains:

The Second Petition
Thy Kingdom come.
What does this mean?
The kingdom of God certainly comes of itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.
How does God’s kingdom come?
The kingdom of God comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and live godly lives here in time and hereafter in eter­nity.

And in the Large Catechism, he speaks of the coming of God’s kingdom in two ways: “first, it comes here, in time, through the Word and faith, and secondly, in eternity, it comes through the final revelation,” in Christ’s return.

To seek first means to live in the kingdom now. This week’s parables although each noticeably short, reflect the great value of being in the kingdom.  Nothing is worth more than this. And though we might seem small and weak, with God we can grow to be great and strong. 

Through his teachings, Jesus tells us repeatedly that how we live today is what matters.  How we build the kingdom together.  How we make this world a better place.  How we connect with our neighbour.  How we show God’s love in all we do.

And so, during these times, we can still do much to bring the kingdom.  From the simple act of wearing a face mask or checking in on those who are isolated, we make a difference.  From the harder tasks of making changes in our lives and attitudes to care for the environment and for all people (e.g. by checking “white privilege”), we make a better world. 

So let us pray together, “your kingdom come” and work together to make it so.