KINGDOM LIVING. had been born into 90 years ago a time of innocence and good clean fun, a time of courtesy

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1 KINGDOM LIVING TURNING THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN AND RIGHT- SIDE UP A couple of weeks ago, I went to visit one of our shut- ins and we had a lengthy conversation about the state of the world. This person talked about what a good time they had been born into 90 years ago a time of innocence and good clean fun, a time of courtesy and manners, of being respectful and polite toward others, a time of making a simple living and living a simple lifestyle, of seeing the world and enjoying and appreciating different cultures. This person worried about the times we are living in now a time of global violence, of out of control consumerism, of addiction, a time of divorce and broken families and our obsession with technology and social media and the fast- paced world we have created. This person worried about the world we now live in and how the generations to come will be able to cope with the chaotic world we have created. So today, I would like you to ponder the many worlds that you and I live in. To ponder the world of violence, the world of Reality T.V., the world of high mortgages and exorbitant rent, the world of doctors appointments or the world of family, or the world of overwork or the world of entertainment or the world of sports or the world of fashion or the world of shopping or the world of addiction or the world of school or the society we live in. So I ask you: what kind of kingdom do you live in? Today in our scripture, when Paul and Silas share with some Jews and some Greeks and some prominent women in Thessalonica, the capitol of Macedonia in modern day Greece, about the kingdom of Jesus, some get excited and choose to become followers and others get frightened and accuse Paul and Silas of turning their world upside down. I ask you: in what ways does your world need to be turned upside down and right side up?

2 Jesus followers, namely Paul and Silas, are accused by the Greek and Roman Empire of turning the world upside down. To understand their accusations, we need to understand the Greek and Roman worldview and how it is getting turned upside down by Jesus followers. First, Paul and Silas are going throughout the Mediterranean sharing the story of Jesus. They are making the claim that Jesus is King not Caesar. At that time, the Greek and Roman Empire claimed that their Emperor was the Saviour of the World it is actually inscribed on their buildings, the divinely appointed Son of God. But now Paul and Silas are making the claim in Thessalonica, the Capitol of Macedonia, that Jesus is the true King, the true Son of God and Saviour of the World. Dramatic proof of their truth they claim is that Jesus died and has been raised from the dead, and the power of his spirit and resurrection lives on in his followers. Jesus followers are making claims for a new kingdom, the kingdom of God, not of Caesar. It is a Kingdom in which God is in charge, not humans. It is a kingdom that operates not out of Fear and man- made rules that serve some and punish others, but a kingdom based on the rule of Divine Love and Compassion for self and others. There are two rules in this kingdom of God: love God and love others as yourself. But what does that love look like. Secondly, they claim that Jesus way, his kingdom is not run by way of military victory through Violence and Conquering and Being Served, but the way of Non- Violence, the way of Justice and Peace. Their king Jesus enters not on a military horse of victory but on a donkey, a beast of Service. It is not the way of the Sword, but the way of Service. Thirdly, Jesus kingdom is not based on the economic exploitation of the poor by the rich, with a wide gap between the rich and the poor, rather Jesus turns the Temple tables of exploitation upside down. Jesus kingdom is

3 based on a SHARING OF RESOURCES and redistribution of wealth and a common purse each according to their need. It is the feeding of the 5,000. It is all the labourers in the vineyard paid a generous wage. It is a kingdom of Generosity and Shared Abundance for all. Fourthly, it is not a way of hierarchical power with men on the top and sick and marginalized on the bottom, but a way in which the most vulnerable of society like children and the sick and genuinely needy are taken care of, and women and men are considered equals. Who is greatest in the kingdom a little child. The least becomes the greatest. As Paul teaches: in Christ there is neither male nor female, Jew.nor Greek, slave nor free, but all are one in Christ Jesus. It is a kingdom of Equality and Purposeful Inclusivity of all. Our scripture passage begs the question: whose kingdom do you want to live in? A Kingdom rooted in Fear and Judgment or a Kingdom rooted in Divine Love and Compassion. A kingdom controlled by Violence and Oppression and Abusive Power or operating in Non- violent ways of Justice and Peace and the way of Service. A kingdom sustained through Economic Injustices or a kingdom sustained through Shared Resources, Generosity and Abundance for all. A kingdom based on Hierarchical Inequality or based on Equality and Inclusivity of All. I don t know about you but I know what kingdom I want to live in. I want to live in the Jesus lifestyle, not the Survivor or Bachelorette lifestyle, not the technological- fast paced lifestyle, not the capitalist consumer lifestyle, or the Kardashian entertainment or fashion lifestyle,

4 not the Canadian reserved lifestyle, I want to live in the Jesus lifestyle based on a radical set of kingdom values. Now you and I can understand the kingdom values, but how do we then create that kingdom on earth as it is in heaven? Jesus would say: by living into it as if it already existed. Jesus insisted that this kingdom is already here and we are invited to participate and choose to live in this kingdom as if it were already established. There isn t any more waiting for God to come down and rescue us; we need to choose to live as if this kingdom of heaven was already operating on the earth. Jesus said, the kingdom is already among you, it is within you. It is like the tiniest of mustard seeds even microscopic, but give it a little attention and focus, and that seed turns into a great bush in which everyone can make their home. The kingdom is established through each of us bringing a little bit of heaven to the earth, a little bit of heaven to our world. We plant the seeds, and God does the rest. And if we choose to become citizens in the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, we need to be changed. If we want to live in this kingdom, we are going to have to become new people all together. A new kingdom requires a new kind of human one this is Real, Radical, Revolutionary and Relational. And that is what baptism is all about, making us new people all together. We don t get baptized to get into heaven; it is about being made new to become a new citizen for a radically new kingdom. Heaven knows the values of this world are exceedingly alluring and seductive because they are rooted in self- centeredness and that is very hard to root out. So what does the new citizen of the kingdom of God look like?

5 The new citizen is REAL, authentic. Jesus criticized hypocrisy, phoniness, he didn t like the supra religious pretending to be all perfect and better than people who didn t follow all the religious rules; he didn t like smug, self- righteousness. The prostitute and the tax- collector go into the kingdom of God ahead of the religious. To be citizens of the kingdom of God, Jesus invites us to be Real, no Greek drama masks or no holier- than- thou religious masks. Secondly, if we want to live in the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, it requires a Radical adjustment to a new way of thinking. You must be made new through the renewing of your mind. The word radical means root. We need to get at the root of things and get rid of unjust, unloving ways right at the root of us. We need radical surgery. We need to root out violence, we need to root out fear, we need to root out judgements and unforgiveness, we need to root out hierarchical, better than, less than thinking. We need to root out our self- centered selfishness. Thirdly, to live in the kingdom of God we need to undergo a Revolution of the Heart we need a change, a transformation of our Hearts. Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. We need to be reborn in order to live as a citizens in the kingdom of God on earth. We need hearts full of genuine and sincere compassion and forgiveness. Asking God for a change in heart is the only way I know to be genuinely changed. Only God through the process of life can soften a hardened heart. And when our hearts undergo a revolution, the world around us cannot help but be transformed as well. Fourthly, we need to be focused on Relational living It is all about how we treat one another. I give you a new commandment, to love one another as I have loved you. The

6 kingdom invites us as citizens to be in mutual, respectful relationship with one another. In the book, THE SHACK, Papa God, Jesus, and the feminine free- spirited Holy Spirit share the most incredible inter- relationship. They share one common purpose of genuine loving- kindness for others and are respectful of each of the gifts and unique personhood of the other. Their relationship is one of cherishing and valuing the other. This concept of the Trinity is a beautiful model for new human community based on mutual respect. To be citizens of the new Kingdom of God, we are invited to be Real, Radical, Revolutionary and Relational. You and I are invited to become citizens of a new kingdom, planting seeds in this place, living kingdom values here in this place and when we do, be prepared to go about turning the world upside down, wherever we go and the kingdom of God will be made visible and real and we will bring a little heaven to the earth. May it be so. Amen!