Eastertide

April 28, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 22:25-31
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
   my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
   those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
   May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember
   and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
   shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord,
   and he rules over the nations.

To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
   before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
   and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
   future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
   saying that he has done it.

The first words of Psalm 22 are well known to many of us, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? as one of Jesus’ seven last statements made from the cross.  In quoting this text, Jesus recognized the cost of his quest, the above later verses in Psalm 22 describe the vision for which he came and gave his life. God is with us; the poor shall be fed, all nations shall worship together, the dead shall be raised. The coming of the Kingdom of God is a done deal for Jesus had accomplished his mission.

I love John’s way of stating this reality in a world that seems to be in utter chaos,

His disciples said, ‘Yes, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure of speech! Now we know that you know all things, and do not need to have anyone question you; by this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do you now believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ John 16:29-33

Do we live as if we believe that Jesus Christ has conquered the world? What is our concept of such an idea? I fear we in the USA envision the Kingdom of God as a place where we will have our cake and eat it, too—some kind of special privilege. Jesus never said that. He said that God’s Kingdom is a place where everyone is loved and loves everyone else. All have enough of the necessities for life and the opportunity to become fully the people God created them to be living in peace with one another. The question we need to ask ourselves do we share that vision?

Prayer: Lord, clarify my aspirations as a citizen of your Kingdom. Help me see clearly when my desires are more the desires of this world than your Kingdom. Refocus my life to be more in sync with your righteousness and justice. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.