In the Gospel of John, Jesus concludes his High Priestly Prayer. What do you notice about this prayer? For whom is Jesus praying? For what?
Now turn to the reading from Acts. Herein, we get a glimpse of what the new kingdom of God will look like. It will be a place where people are free--free from physical slavery as well as spiritual slavery. What else do you learn from this passage?
I invite you to spend some time reflecting on the following writing by Hans Kung found in his book, On Being a Christian:
What kind of kingdom will this be?May the Lord bless you on your journey toward Sunday.
What kind of kingdom will this be?
It will be a kingdom where, in accordance with Jesus' prayer, God's name is truly hallowed, his will is done on earth, human beings will have everything in abundance, all sins will be forgiven and all evil overcome.
It will be a kingdom where, in accordance with Jesus' promises, the poor, the hungry, those who weep and those who are downtrodden will finally come into their own; where pain, suffering and death will have an end.
It will be a kingdom that cannot be described, but only made known in metaphors: as the new covenant, the seed springing up, the ripe harvest, the great banquet, the royal feast.
It will therefore be a kingdom--wholly as the prophets foretold--of absolute righteousness, of unsurpassable freedom, of dauntless love, of universal reconciliation, of everlasting peace. In this sense therefore it will be the time of salvation, of fulfillment, of consummation, of God's presence: the absolute future.
Shalom,
Glenda
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