Kingdom living

This morning I've spent an hour working on the August contemporary service sermons, a series on back-to-school challenges taken from the Sermon on the Mount and I've been tugged in a hundred directions spiritually.

I'm reading a book about the sermon, and one of the things that stands out, perhaps the ONE thing that stands out so much I haven't been able to get it out of my mind is just what Jesus was teaching in the sermon or sermons.

When we were in Israel in January, we visited a mount above the Sea of Galilee that tradition says was one of the sites of Jesus' teaching of this sermon. Let me paint a quick picture of who would have been there on that hill:

At the time of the teaching by Jesus, the kingdom of God consisted of male, Jewish, persons of average wealth and looks. Those who were female or Gentile or poor or who were diseased, well, they could look elsewhere for the kingdom.

Then this Jesus came along and basically threw the mold away. He said it was acceptable for those who were poor (in spirit and in other ways), who mourned, who were humble, who hungered and thirsted (craved in other words) justice for all and not just for some who were male, Jewish, of average wealth and who weren't diseased.

Jesus came and opened the doors of heaven to those persons who were like, well, you and I. Those who were overweight and under funded. Those who didn't have great resumes but had great capacity for love. Those who sinned but hated sin. Those who wanted peace but were willing to accept that they were less than peacemakers sometimes.

Jesus said to all who would come, look to me and you will be blessed.

So what have we done with this wonderful teaching? We've led many to believe that this is a series of God gives you things if you do these things, again attaching the importance to our own actions. It's not. It's simply not. It's God opening the doors through the teaching of Jesus to those who can't reach the mountain without Jesus.

Our hearts are less than pure, but we are blessed when we see God through the man called Jesus. That's the wonderfulness of the gospel, the good news of Jesus.

We deal with our issues, anger, a lack of reconciliation, of insincere speech and action, but we do it not with our own strength but with the love of Jesus as our anchor.

The author of the book I'm reading says wonderfully that the kingdom of God isn't some far away eternity-land, but it can be where we live our abundant lives RIGHT NOW. All we have to do is let Jesus increase our capacity to love, to deepen our relationship with him, to open those doors even wider.

The mountain is large and the crowds continue to grow. Can we find a seat to hear the most wonderful sermon of all time?

Of course. That's the good news. All are invited. All will find comfort. All will find a home in the kingdom.