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SESSION TWO:
YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE,
ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN
The aim of this session is to unpack the idea that the kingdom of God is central to Scripture, to Jesusā teaching, to the Lordās Prayer, and therefore to the Christian disciple.
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Opening Prayers
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.
PSALM 96:9
The earth is the LORDās and all that is in it,
the world and all who dwell therein.
For it is he who founded it upon the seas
and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
āWho shall ascend the hill of the LORD
and who can stand in his holy place?ā
āThose who have clean hands and a pure heart,
who have not pledged themselves to falsehood,
nor sworn by what is fraud.
They shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
and a just reward from the God of their salvation.ā
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
PSALM 24:1-6
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, āThe time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe the good news.ā
MARK 1:14-15
O Trinity of love,
forgive us that we may forgive one another
heal us that we may be a people of healing
and renew us that we also may be makers of peace.
Amen.
THE IONA COMMUNITY WORSHIP BOOK (ADAPTED)
Conversation
If you could put just one thing right in the world, what would it be?
Reflecting on Scripture
Reading
The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers. Psalm 99 is a hymn of praise which celebrates the truth that God is King and reigns over creation. God reigns eternally and Jesus came proclaiming the coming of his kingdom on earth.
The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 2The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. 3Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! 4Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he! 6Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them. 7He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. 8O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 9Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.
PSALM 99:1-9
Explanatory note
The cherubim in the Old Testament are angels whose wings hold up Godās throne in heaven.
Zion refers to a mountain near Jerusalem, though it is often used, as here, as another term for Jerusalem, where the temple stood.
Jacob is another name for the nation of Israel.
Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are great figures from Israelās past. The story of the pillar of cloud is told in the book of Exodus, where it leads Godās people through the Wilderness after their escape from Egypt.
- Read the passage through once.
- Keep a few momentsā silence.
- Read the passage a second time with different voices.
- Invite everyone to say aloud a word or phrase that strikes them.
- Read the passage a third time.
- Share together what this word or phrase might mean and what questions it raises.
| Reflection | LORETTA MINGHELLA |
āThe Lord is Kingā
The opening verses of Psalm 99 place faith firmly in the context of everyday life, claiming that God rules over the earth, both over the people of Zion and over all peoples. The Christian faith cannot, therefore, be relegated to the margins of society, or to some esoteric community. For the Lordās Prayer invites us to pray āyour kingdom comeā to acknowledge that Godās reign over the universe is a reality but not yet fulfilled.
For a Christian to describe the Lord as king is to acknowledge the Church is part of something much larger. We are a community belonging to the kingdom of God. In the words of writer Brian McLaren, the Church is āa community that lives to see Godās dream come true for the world.ā The Christian is a citizen and servant of the kingdom of God.
Life in the kingdom is one of personal and corporate responsibility; it is spiritual, and is highly practical. It focuses on who you are and how you live. Jesus came to announce that Godās kingdom was near, but it is not yet here in all its fullness: it is something we long for and pray for and work for as Christian disciples. The question each of us must answer is āHow can I live as a faithful member of Godās kingdom?ā
As well as describing God as āMighty King,ā verse 4 declares that God is a ālover of justiceāā who has āestablished equity.ā This powerful phrase tells us something of the character of God. To love someone, or something, is to be totally committed to them, it is to afford them priority in your life. It implies a willingness to give everything for them. That God loves justice elevates just acts, and just living, as an essential commitment.
Worship and service
The psalm also encourages us to worship God (in vv. 3, 5, and 9). Worship is offered to the One who is worthy. Worship is expressed in many ways, but not least through oneās personal life choices. The greatest act of worship is to do that which pleases God; to reflect the character of God through obedient, loving service.
The Christian life is lived in a rhythm of worship and service. That service includes a love of justice and equity, and a commitment to work for these to be manifest throughout life globally. We cannot divorce faith from politics, or the local from the international. Justice must be applied universally, to everyone and by everyone.
In short
The Old Testament often describes God as King. Godās kingdom is the place (heaven) where Godās ideals of justice are lived out perfectly. We worship God in the whole of our lives by loving justice as much as God does.
