Eastertide
March 31, 2016
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:4-8
John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. –Revelation 1:4-6
We have been made to be a kingdom. What does that mean? Does it describe our interdependence? Do we need each other to thrive and live in God’s abundant love? Does that mean all of God’s children are included in such a kingdom? These are fundamental questions about which we each must struggle if we are to make sense of our purpose on earth.
In Matthew 29:19-20 Jesus sends us out into the world with these words: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’
In John 17:22-23 Jesus prayed: The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
If we hold to the hope that God’s love is unconditional for each of us, then we must understand that God’s love is unconditional for all. We have not been granted the authority to place conditions on each other and we have been commanded to love one another. Easier said than done. I understand that to mean that God’s kingdom is faith fed, not fear bound; inclusive, not exclusive; empathetic, not judgmental; and sharing, not hoarding. What do you think?
Prayer: Lord, show us how to overcome the fears and drives that separate us from one another and limit our ability to be one as you so deeply desired. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.