| Recently, many of you joined with many others rejoicing at President Obama's announcement that Congresswoman Giffords had opened her eyes. It was a joyful moment for the whole nation that was upset and grieving (I presume). We have observed or read about other joyful moments: siblings separated since birth reunite; a soldier missing and presumed dead returns to his loved ones; the birth-parent of one who is adopted is found and they meet for the first time; a person emerges from a lengthy coma and speaks. (Some may experience such joy when Brett Favre returns to Green Bay, is welcomed, and has his number retired – not yet ;)
We can imagine how profound these encounters are. We have seen them depicted on TV. We have read stories of such reunions. They bring tears to our eyes, but even more, the reunions change the lives of those who meet again, of those who recognize their loved ones again.
Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Jesus' announcement is a revelation of his identity and it is intended to bring the kind of joy of which I just described in those reunion scenarios. This statement by Jesus is nothing but Good News. Jesus bears a message and is the very message himself that can be as wonderfully surprising and revelatory as an encounter with a long-lost loved one.
John the Baptist has been saying: Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And for John this was an emphasis of long-standing Jewish belief that the judgment of sinners, who would be condemned and who would perish, was the precursor of the kingdom's in-breaking. For John and his predecessors, the kingdom of heaven was a future reality, something to be expected, for which to prepare awaited. With Jesus, the time reference changes. The kingdom is now! This kingdom is a current reality which the Son of God brings to fulfillment. Jesus reveals the kingdom itself, not just the promise.
And so, Jesus announces Good News. Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Good News! It's more: "Why not repent? The kingdom is at hand," rather then, [shake finger] "Look out! You better repent; the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus proceeds to teach about and demonstrate the full meaning and content of that kingdom: Sins are forgiven, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, prisoners are freed, the dead are raised, and the poor have the Good News preached to them.
I am wondering if we have owned this truth. Jesus has shown that no earthly limitation can keep us from receiving the grace of God, the grace of salvation, the grace of the Kingdom. What a changed world it would be if we were to accept that truth and live by the grace of the kingdom of heaven.
The Prophet Isaiah speaks of that changed world and could not be clearer about the hope and expectation of the people. Matthew, the Gospel writer, sees Jesus as the clear fulfillment of such hopes. Anguish, darkness, and gloom are vanquished. Burdens are lifted and injustice is removed.
But some, even many, will say that they know no such fulfillment, no such freedom. They are lost, like one searching for a sibling, a soldier, a parent. At worst, they withhold their love, they hide their gifts, they do not foster their talents, they withdraw from others…and then they say: where is the kingdom? Where is my salvation? And we must show them!
In a way, Paul addresses this pessimistic attitude when he challenges the Corinthians to rise above the rivalries and divisions they have fostered. They have missed the very point of the Gospel message that salvation has come, sins are forgiven, eternal life is ours – that no division or rivalry is necessary. In essence, here and elsewhere, Paul is saying: "Stop holding on to pettiness, to worldly protections, to violent reprisals, and "us against them" attitudes."
In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates that the kingdom of heaven is where generous outreach, and the facility to forgive, rules the day. Jesus' own giftedness was for healing, for confronting injustice and misdirected priorities. He withheld his gift from no one. Without fail, without pause, without jealousy, without vengeance, without violence Jesus offered insight into the kingdom of heaven and offered that very kingdom to us.
We see that kingdom, we know it, we manifest it, and we experience that kingdom whenever we step beyond our self-protective ways: whenever we have reached into our bank accounts against the logic of this world and donated to charities and service organizations; whenever we simplify our lives and resist the culture of accumulation and consumption; whenever we have reached into the depths of our own courage and patience in order to help another, or even to help ourselves out of darkness; whenever we have said: "I forgive you," or asked: "Please, will you forgive me?"; whenever we rise above and move beyond judgment of a girl/woman who is facing an unintended or crisis pregnancy and assured her that together we will love this child, welcome it into the world, and support that girl/woman in every way; whenever we have turned to our spouse and admitted our selfishness and sincerely committed to change; whenever a teenager has paused for a moment to consider the danger, or the "right" or "wrong" of an action they are about to take, or to consider what their parents would want them to do; whenever we faced a confrere and recognized him as a brother - whenever we cooperate with grace, that is when we have seen/manifested/experienced the kingdom of heaven.
And if we have a heart, if we are at all aware, if we have the sensitivity, – and we do! – and if God's grace is present – and it is! – then, with the joy of a surprising and wonderful reunion of loved ones, we will be moved to repent and re-commit our Christian lives, for the kingdom of God is at hand.
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