God's Dominion

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

It seems to me that a pacifist has no reason to be defensive.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,
Humble people in an arrogant, proud to be proud, obnoxious and warring nation. Christians find it embarrassing, discouraging, frightening, painful, and even more humbling.
God help us…
Amen

C. Unquoting Jesus:

“Blessed are those who wage war and call it peacemaking, for they shall be full of it.”

[No. He did not seem to do sarcasm.]

D. Blog: God’s Dominion

Waiting for it or Seeking it above all else

Too many Christians passively wait for God’s dominion to descend amid a terrifying scene of human death and destruction. In doing so, they once again disregard the clear saying of Jesus about not knowing what the future holds, in favor of an interpretation that grossly distorts the meaning and importance of Daniel and Revelation and the other biblical text from which they construct their theories, in addition to making a mockery of the teaching that God loves the world.

While they wait for that imaginary Armageddon event, they willingly submit to the economic and political dominions of this world. But Jesus said “Seek first the dominion ofGod.” Seek it. Look for it. Go for it. Live according to its standards. Give your primary allegiance to it, not to those lesser expressions of domination and willfulness and blatant disregard for God’s interest in justice, compassion and peace.

Jesus’ entire ministry was devoted to making God’s dominion more available on Earth. His healing and teaching were challenges and invitations to His hearers and observers to enter the realm of God’s reign, made available in and through His presence in the world.

Those of us who follow Jesus, as His post-resurrection body in the world, should be giving ourselves to the same sort of concerns that He addressed. That means the dominion of God coming into view through His church in the world.

I say to those who wait for destruction: be careful what you wish for. I urge those who wait for the dominion of God: act now on what you know of that dominion. Seek, like Jesus, to make its presence real in the world. I say to those who merely wait for God’s dominion: if we love God, then surely part of what that means is that we love what God loves – the world; it means we seek to bring that dominion into view on Earth as it is in heaven.