The Kingdom of God

Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15). It could also be translated as, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” Besides preaching this, Jesus also taught us to pray for God’s kingdom, saying “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). Jesus proclaimed that God’s kingdom has come. He taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth, here and now, not as a reward when we die. Wherever God’s will is done here and now, it is a sign of God’s kingdom.

One of the most beautiful descriptions of the kingdom of God in all of scripture occurs at the end of the Book of Isaiah:

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD (Isaiah 65:17-25 NRSV).

Our calling as the Church is to proclaim, pray for, and embody God’s kingdom in the world, here and now. Jesus announced the kingdom has come. True, it is not fully realized yet, but it has begun. We have had a foretaste of the complete reign of God and we are to embody that foretaste in the world.

This is what it means for us to be Salem. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10 NRSV). Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the world. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth…”

Go back and re-read the description of God’s kingdom in Isaiah 65, but substitute “Salem” for “Jerusalem.” Salem is the ancient name for God’s beautiful city, Jerusalem, and it is the name under which we gather as a congregation. The kingdom of God is at hand! May we, Salem, embody God’s kingdom in the world.

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