As Jesus walked the earth He gave us insight as to what our experiential understanding of the kingdom will be. Later, the Apostle Paul gives a sort-of-state-of- the-union address to the citizenry of His kingdom, He says in Romans the kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace and joy...” Well now, there is a good word. Who wouldn't want some of that action. A couple questions can linger in our minds over all this. Is this true for all people at all times?
It seems so. Paul writes of a peace that passes understanding. He writes this during the course of some days that would appear less than peaceful. The one I like best is John. As he writes what is to be his last treatise to the churches in Asia minor he begins his writing by saying, "I am writing that you may have joy..." Now this blows me away, particularly because he writes from imposed seclusion on a not so pretty Greek island. As he is left to die, his mind must have remembered all of his loved ones who were now dead because of their status as citizens in this Kingdom Jesus brought to earth, threatening the nucleus of power in Rome. He was likely dirty and hungry. With seemingly no hope and no future you can almost feel the kindness in his voice as he says to the spiritual children he loves so much, “I am writing in the midst of the persecution you face to remind you of the great joy you have in Christ.”
I was remembering all of this during my recent trip to India. India in my mind is a land of chaos. The chaos of India confronts you as soon as you deplane. Even as I rode from the airport to our first hotel the sounds, smells, and visions of chaos brought a heaviness to my spirit. I now understand, much better than I did in my youth, the blessing of a God who is a God of order. In my immaturity I believed order to be stifling and constrictive. I now recognize it as the atmosphere of freedom. Since order is not to be equated with control I prayed for the establishment of order in India. Godly order in the midst of a polytheistic chaos rooted in the turmoil of what really amounts to Demonic worship.
Our destination was to a group of believers who have suffered under the impact of this chaos. Their family members have been killed and justice is yet to manifest. Their children remain hungry and relief has become a distant dream. Even three years after their homes were destroyed many remain homeless as hope has been deferred and the world has yet to see.
So what about this truth that Jesus relates to his followers? What does righteousness look like in the midst of chaos? Is there a peace that passes understanding and a joy that exists outside of circumstance? The truth is that if not then this Kingdom we proclaim is of little value and our labor, in the devastation and aftermath of the persecution in this southern Indian region, is futile.
To my brothers and sisters in Orissa, India I say gently but also with great conviction:
In this psalm there is a here and now reality as well as a future reality. I have seen this here and now reality in the jubilant and joyful worship of a people who make clear distinctions between two kingdoms and who have no ambivalence with respect to their understanding of which they belong. This reality exists in the peace that the construction of a chicken house brings as the promise of daily eggs becomes a reality. The Kingdom comes in ways we don't expect. That's part of what makes it so cool! We, at times, even get to be a part of ushering it in and that is pretty cool too.
There is a future reality involved here also. The psalmist promises that they "shall come home with shouts of joy." I am reminded that this dear people, like me, are not yet home. Larry Norman used to sing, "this world is not my home; I'm just passing through." This instills a hope that can not be thwarted.
So Lord, we wait.
David
It seems so. Paul writes of a peace that passes understanding. He writes this during the course of some days that would appear less than peaceful. The one I like best is John. As he writes what is to be his last treatise to the churches in Asia minor he begins his writing by saying, "I am writing that you may have joy..." Now this blows me away, particularly because he writes from imposed seclusion on a not so pretty Greek island. As he is left to die, his mind must have remembered all of his loved ones who were now dead because of their status as citizens in this Kingdom Jesus brought to earth, threatening the nucleus of power in Rome. He was likely dirty and hungry. With seemingly no hope and no future you can almost feel the kindness in his voice as he says to the spiritual children he loves so much, “I am writing in the midst of the persecution you face to remind you of the great joy you have in Christ.”
I was remembering all of this during my recent trip to India. India in my mind is a land of chaos. The chaos of India confronts you as soon as you deplane. Even as I rode from the airport to our first hotel the sounds, smells, and visions of chaos brought a heaviness to my spirit. I now understand, much better than I did in my youth, the blessing of a God who is a God of order. In my immaturity I believed order to be stifling and constrictive. I now recognize it as the atmosphere of freedom. Since order is not to be equated with control I prayed for the establishment of order in India. Godly order in the midst of a polytheistic chaos rooted in the turmoil of what really amounts to Demonic worship.
Our destination was to a group of believers who have suffered under the impact of this chaos. Their family members have been killed and justice is yet to manifest. Their children remain hungry and relief has become a distant dream. Even three years after their homes were destroyed many remain homeless as hope has been deferred and the world has yet to see.
So what about this truth that Jesus relates to his followers? What does righteousness look like in the midst of chaos? Is there a peace that passes understanding and a joy that exists outside of circumstance? The truth is that if not then this Kingdom we proclaim is of little value and our labor, in the devastation and aftermath of the persecution in this southern Indian region, is futile.
To my brothers and sisters in Orissa, India I say gently but also with great conviction:
"Those who sew in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sewing
shall come home with shouts of joy
bringing his sheaves with him."
He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sewing
shall come home with shouts of joy
bringing his sheaves with him."
In this psalm there is a here and now reality as well as a future reality. I have seen this here and now reality in the jubilant and joyful worship of a people who make clear distinctions between two kingdoms and who have no ambivalence with respect to their understanding of which they belong. This reality exists in the peace that the construction of a chicken house brings as the promise of daily eggs becomes a reality. The Kingdom comes in ways we don't expect. That's part of what makes it so cool! We, at times, even get to be a part of ushering it in and that is pretty cool too.
There is a future reality involved here also. The psalmist promises that they "shall come home with shouts of joy." I am reminded that this dear people, like me, are not yet home. Larry Norman used to sing, "this world is not my home; I'm just passing through." This instills a hope that can not be thwarted.
So Lord, we wait.
David
0 comments:
Post a Comment