Yours is the Kingdom
I have said it before, but it bears repeating: It all belongs to God. When we think of His kingdom, we might be tempted to think about heaven alone, but God's kingdom is much bigger than that. We, as Christians, are part of the kingdom. Part of our charge, as Christians, is to further the kingdom.
This place where we are, whether we be talking about the universe or the planet or the immediate environs or our bodies, belongs to Him, and He has given us all of this. We have been charged with taking care of the part of the kingdom that we inhabit. That charge includes not just taking care of the place we reside, but also the whole planet and our own bodies. We have been entrusted with something, and we are expected to watch over it.
Most of us can understand the part about taking care of our homes, and we also probably get the part about our homes including the planet. We might even grasp that taking care of ourselves is tacit to the agreement. Personal responsibility makes sense to most people. However, we also have to come to understand that we are expected to take care of each other. This is not an every-man-for-himself situation, no matter how bad things might look at any given moment.
Here is how this works: this is God's kingdom; we are members of the kingdom; we implies that there are others beyond ourselves; in a kingdom, all the citizens work together for the common good of the order; as members of God's kingdom, we have the responsibility of working together for those others who are also members of the kingdom. Further, not everyone realizes that he is a member of the kingdom of God. I have a bumpersticker in my classroom which states "God doesn't believe in atheists." We are all in this together. All means all.
When I teach students about archetypes in literature, I make a point about the most essential difference between the hero and the villain: the hero is selfless and the villain is selfish. The two may share many qualities, such as intelligence and strength and power, but the true difference is that they see the world around them in totally different ways. As part of this archetype lesson, I also explain that the hero represents the qualities which a culture values most. If this is true--and I hope it is, since I teach it to impressionable young minds--then our culture values selflessness. I like to believe that. I also know that, as with everything else, we do not always live up to this ideal.
So, what is my responsibility to those around me? How far to I have to extend my reach? A few phrases come immediately to mind: widows and orphans, the least of these. It makes sense that we would help those who cannot help themselves; but what makes sense is not always what is done. Voltaire said "Common sense is not so common." I would extend that to "Common decency is not so common, either." It is very easy for us to get caught up in our own lives and not pay attention to what is happening around us. During a disaster, we will, as a unified whole, step up and take care of those who have been affected. But we have to be aware of those whose daily existence borders on disaster.
We might be tempted to shirk our responsibility to those in need by pointing to government programs designed to help. It reminds me of Ebenezer Scrooge inquiring about the work-houses and debtors' prisons when he has been asked for a donation. We cannot expect the government to do our duty as Christians. I am not saying that government programs are bad; I am also not saying that they are good. They exist, and they will help some people; but we cannot use them as an escape from our personal responsibility as members of the kingdom. We must be active in our response to Christ.
Besides the widows and orphans and the least of these, we also have to consider that Christ admonishes us to pray for our enemies. We don't get to draw lines and create borders to separate us from everyone else. We are all in the together--even if the ones who don't know they are in it. We do not have the luxury of hate. As Christians, as self-aware members of God's kingdom, we have the responsibility to all others in the kingdom. But, again, what is that responsibility.
Part of it is the physical well-being of every member of the kingdom, but that is a transient thing. The more important mission set before us is one with eternal ramifications: we are to further the kingdom--we, as Christians, are called to share the kingdom with others.
Wait, you say. The others are already in the kingdom. Yes--and no. To make a trivial analogy, imagine that you have basic cable service for your television. Imagine that everyone has the same service. Now imagine that you discover that, because of a special promotion from the cable company, everyone is getting free movie channels for a month, but the company has not advertised this special and so only a few people know about it. You find out about it from a friend. You tell your friends. However, there are people out there who are not aware that they have this special service.
This analogy, of course, is flawed (I created it). but it can (I think) make its point: being in the kingdom and being aware of being in the kingdom are not automatically the same thing. We, as Christians, see God's creation for what it is; not everyone has our perspective. Not everyone can see--actually, not everyone will see--it is a matter of choice and opportunity, not a matter of ability. We, as Christians, have been blessed with the opportunity to know the Truth of God, and, by God's Grace, we have been offered the choice of accepting that Truth. It is our duty, then, to share that opportunity with those around us--whoever they might be.
The kingdom is an awesome place, whether we think of it as the physical creation in which we live or the metaphysical creation in which we exist. We have no right to hide and horde our knowledge of the kingdom; further, we have the responsibility to reach out with our knowledge to those around us. Being a citizen in God's kingdom, just as being a citizen in any jurisdiction, has its rights and responsibilities, and we have to remember that.
This place where we are, whether we be talking about the universe or the planet or the immediate environs or our bodies, belongs to Him, and He has given us all of this. We have been charged with taking care of the part of the kingdom that we inhabit. That charge includes not just taking care of the place we reside, but also the whole planet and our own bodies. We have been entrusted with something, and we are expected to watch over it.
Most of us can understand the part about taking care of our homes, and we also probably get the part about our homes including the planet. We might even grasp that taking care of ourselves is tacit to the agreement. Personal responsibility makes sense to most people. However, we also have to come to understand that we are expected to take care of each other. This is not an every-man-for-himself situation, no matter how bad things might look at any given moment.
Here is how this works: this is God's kingdom; we are members of the kingdom; we implies that there are others beyond ourselves; in a kingdom, all the citizens work together for the common good of the order; as members of God's kingdom, we have the responsibility of working together for those others who are also members of the kingdom. Further, not everyone realizes that he is a member of the kingdom of God. I have a bumpersticker in my classroom which states "God doesn't believe in atheists." We are all in this together. All means all.
When I teach students about archetypes in literature, I make a point about the most essential difference between the hero and the villain: the hero is selfless and the villain is selfish. The two may share many qualities, such as intelligence and strength and power, but the true difference is that they see the world around them in totally different ways. As part of this archetype lesson, I also explain that the hero represents the qualities which a culture values most. If this is true--and I hope it is, since I teach it to impressionable young minds--then our culture values selflessness. I like to believe that. I also know that, as with everything else, we do not always live up to this ideal.
So, what is my responsibility to those around me? How far to I have to extend my reach? A few phrases come immediately to mind: widows and orphans, the least of these. It makes sense that we would help those who cannot help themselves; but what makes sense is not always what is done. Voltaire said "Common sense is not so common." I would extend that to "Common decency is not so common, either." It is very easy for us to get caught up in our own lives and not pay attention to what is happening around us. During a disaster, we will, as a unified whole, step up and take care of those who have been affected. But we have to be aware of those whose daily existence borders on disaster.
We might be tempted to shirk our responsibility to those in need by pointing to government programs designed to help. It reminds me of Ebenezer Scrooge inquiring about the work-houses and debtors' prisons when he has been asked for a donation. We cannot expect the government to do our duty as Christians. I am not saying that government programs are bad; I am also not saying that they are good. They exist, and they will help some people; but we cannot use them as an escape from our personal responsibility as members of the kingdom. We must be active in our response to Christ.
Besides the widows and orphans and the least of these, we also have to consider that Christ admonishes us to pray for our enemies. We don't get to draw lines and create borders to separate us from everyone else. We are all in the together--even if the ones who don't know they are in it. We do not have the luxury of hate. As Christians, as self-aware members of God's kingdom, we have the responsibility to all others in the kingdom. But, again, what is that responsibility.
Part of it is the physical well-being of every member of the kingdom, but that is a transient thing. The more important mission set before us is one with eternal ramifications: we are to further the kingdom--we, as Christians, are called to share the kingdom with others.
Wait, you say. The others are already in the kingdom. Yes--and no. To make a trivial analogy, imagine that you have basic cable service for your television. Imagine that everyone has the same service. Now imagine that you discover that, because of a special promotion from the cable company, everyone is getting free movie channels for a month, but the company has not advertised this special and so only a few people know about it. You find out about it from a friend. You tell your friends. However, there are people out there who are not aware that they have this special service.
This analogy, of course, is flawed (I created it). but it can (I think) make its point: being in the kingdom and being aware of being in the kingdom are not automatically the same thing. We, as Christians, see God's creation for what it is; not everyone has our perspective. Not everyone can see--actually, not everyone will see--it is a matter of choice and opportunity, not a matter of ability. We, as Christians, have been blessed with the opportunity to know the Truth of God, and, by God's Grace, we have been offered the choice of accepting that Truth. It is our duty, then, to share that opportunity with those around us--whoever they might be.
The kingdom is an awesome place, whether we think of it as the physical creation in which we live or the metaphysical creation in which we exist. We have no right to hide and horde our knowledge of the kingdom; further, we have the responsibility to reach out with our knowledge to those around us. Being a citizen in God's kingdom, just as being a citizen in any jurisdiction, has its rights and responsibilities, and we have to remember that.
posted by Rodney Rhodus | 1:47 PM
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