One of the central, and often overlooked, themes of the Bible is the concept of the kingdom of God. The theme weaves throughout the entire text of scripture, tying the Old and New Testaments together around the powerful concept that Christ is King and the Church is his Kingdom. Jesus began his ministry in by announcing: “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15. Above his head on the cross was an announcement that bore the accusation of indeed being the “King of the Jews”.
But what do these ancient ideals of king and kingdom mean to a people who elect their governance and select the heads of state. Do our ideas of freedom and democracy blend with the convicting call toward service and allegiance to Christ and his commission. What does it mean to be “in the world” but not “of the world” as Jesus taught in John 17. What does it look like to live out the kingdom in our everyday personal lives as well as in our interactions with the world around us? In our present cultural situation, where we find ourselves seemly more confused and polarized than ever, can the Church find it’s footing in the ideas of a kingdom that plays by a different set of rules entirely. Where the least are the greatest and the greatest become the servants of all. As we consider what the birth of Christ means to us let us also consider what it means to be a part of the kingdom which bears his name. A kingdom set in place by the hand of God to fill the whole earth.
