LENTEN WEDNESDAY 3, 2010

 “Thy kingdom come.” I think it would be quite interesting to survey people and ask them, “What are you asking for when you pray, “Thy kingdom come”? I can just hear the TV show “Family Feud.”

“What are you asking for when you pray, “Thy kingdom come”? The survey says:”

à        (ding!) “God to prevent evil and punish evildoers.”

à        (ding!) “Heaven.”

And the #1 answer? “The survey says:”

à        (ding!) “God keeping bad things from happening to me.”

Yes, I’ll bet that would be the #1 answer. I’ll also bet that Christ’s answer wouldn’t even make the list. Christ answered the survey? Yes; although, He rephrased the question before giving His answer, which He gave to Nicodemus.

“What is God teaching us to ask for when we pray, “Thy kingdom come”? Jesus says: (ding!) Eyes!” "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Eyes to see God’s kingdom: that is what we need, and so need to pray for. 

To be more specific, perhaps I should say eyes that are open, because that is the image that Jesus gives us when He says to Nicodemus, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It’s like a baby. Until a baby is born, he’s in the world in a way, but hasn’t seen it and so has little idea of what it is like. But then, suddenly: boom! He’s brought forth into this wonderful and amazing world in which he had been living for nine months but which had barely been perceptible. Now he can see it! Even so, we are surrounded by God’s kingdom and His work. If only we had eyes to see this!

 Our reading tonight from Colossians 1 gives us a similar image of God’s kingdom, one which is related to what Jesus says to Nicodemus. Colossians 1 speaks of giving thanks to “the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” This is a reference to heaven, which is described as being in the light. Think of it this way: living in this world is like walking around in the dark. You can see things, but only dimly: outlines and shadows that are without color or clarity or depth. But, when God wakes you from death and takes you to heaven, it will be like a bright light suddenly being turned on. You will see many things; but most importantly, you will see surrounding you people and angels. Above all there will be God Himself. All your life God, with His angels and people, had been present, but you hadn’t realized it. Now He and they are visible in incredible detail, vibrant color, and great beauty! Oh, that we could see them!

 Oh, that we could see them present now: for the kingdom of heaven, which is also called the kingdom of God, is indeed present among us. Martin Luther in his Large Catechism would open our eyes to see this. In his consideration of the 2^nd Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” he asks:

“What is the kingdom of God? Simply what we learned in the Creed, namely, that God sent his Son, Christ our Lord, into the world to redeem and deliver us from the power of the devil and to bring us to himself and rule us as a king of righteousness, life, and salvation against sin, death, and an evil conscience. To this end he also gave his Holy Spirit to teach us this through his holy Word and to enlighten and strengthen us in faith by his power.”

In other words, God’s kingdom is Christ ruling over our sin, guilt, and death by bringing us to Himself and giving us His Spirit so that we hear and believe His Word. As we confessed in Luther’s Small Catechism:

“God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.”

Hearing God’s Word of salvation in Christ, believing it, and living a god-pleasing life while looking forward to heaven: this is what the kingdom of God is all about. And so, this is what our prayer, “Thy kingdom come,” is all about. Lord, help us to hear Your words, believe them, and live them! As this happens, His kingdom is coming to us and we are living in it.

 We won’t always see this, of course. Our sinful nature is powerful; our self-centered belief in our own wisdom often blinds us to God’s mighty presence among us. We think we know better than God how He should work and how He could get the best results. We don’t want to trust His Word alone but want to in some way feel and perceive His presence. This is why so few realize what is really happening in church when God’s Word is being read and preached and His visible Word, the Sacraments, are being administered. This is why so few gladly and eagerly attend. We’d rather see great things, like God keeping evil things from happening to us! And so we miss the greatest of all things, the forgiveness of sins in Christ.

 Don’t be distressed or doubt that God is present and working, even though you see little happening. Keep in mind the final illustration of God’s kingdom that Jesus gave to Nicodemus in John 3: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." We don’t see the wind itself, but there is no question of its presence and power. So it is with God’s kingdom of forgive-ness, salvation, and eternal life in Jesus.

 “The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.” Indeed. Open our eyes to Your coming, Lord Jesus, to receive Your Word gladly and rejoice in You!