Kingdom, come!

"Meeting the Kingdom" painting on Bret and Betsy's basement wall

"The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations... For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations."    - Isaiah 61

This particular Isaiah passage sprouted some powerfully beautiful images in my head of what God has planned for His people. From destruction comes restoration, the reversal of grief and shame to rejoicing and gladness, and the good news is that Isaiah is not just talking about what happens after death or when Christ returns with his kingdom. Yes, for sure the Kingdom is coming and we all wait in anticipation for the completeness of Jesus's work in our hearts and in our world, but right now we can make way and experience kingdomly aspects while we wait! 

Our eyes are starting to be opened to some things that we need to be involved in with Jesus. Things that God revealed to Isaiah. Bringing good news to the oppressed, to be one with the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty, releasing prisoners...those aren't just nice phrases! Our team is talking about racial oppression that is still very real today, we're talking about people who are being enslaved to make the products we hungrily consume each day, we're talking about the homeless, depressed, and mentally ill that make up much of the city's population. What exactly are we going to do about these things? Right now, I don't have a whole lot of ideas. But, again, good news! We are anointed to assist God in releasing, proclaiming, comforting, and providing. We're anointed to help change the world. A bit overwhelming, but a little exciting right? 

That's where my painting came from. I often daydream about what God's kingdom is like. But when I read this passage, I didn't just picture God's kingdom coming on a cloud in a bright light...magically making everything better. I saw the lamenting of God and us for what the earth has become, and a plan for the earth to meet the kingdom in an unexpected way. From the tears comes healing and hydration, from the trashed and polluted ground comes new flowers, fresh fragrances, new fruit. The ruins are being rebuilt, and the tall oaks set the stage for the coming kingdom. I see an exchange of sorts.

 We have been discussing about serving the people around us, and we've read a few articles about the 'blessing' of being the 'giver;' you know, the one that hands out the food, gives away free clothing, gives a meal, provides a shelter... These services are not bad, but a few authors have pointed out that there is an element of dignity and pride missing on the receiving end of these exchanges. By giving and not receiving, we are telling those people that what they have to offer is not valuable or worthy. We've read about alternate services where the receiving people get to contribute something as well, so that there is mutual receiving and generally more joy. For example, at a clothing store a person can pay a dollar for a bag of clothes, and if he can't afford the dollar, he could work for a few hours at the store to receive the bag of clothes. When he receives the clothes, he feels as though he has done something to earn them. He could even possibly be employed full time to help run or clean the store. Joy, dignity, and pride can be shared between the giver and the receiver. Perhaps God has something similar in mind. Of course, God definitely has the power to change things without our help. But he wants our help, so that a similar mutual joy can be shared between God and his people. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a part of releasing slaves? Or to give hope to someone whose ancestors have been oppressed generation after generation?

I painted a picture of what hope looks like to me. While the ruins are being rebuilt, and while the ground continues to receive fresh healing water, we can see the immediate results of kingdomly transformation (the new flowers sprouting from the ground and around the oaks) while we look forward to the glory and fullness of God's kingdom. This is what fuels me to seek out the oppression and injustice Isaiah often speaks of, so that I can be a part of the releasing, comforting, and proclaiming that God has anointed us for. 

I pray that you will be excited, too. I pray that the intense rays of a sunset will be a small taste of the coming Kingdom, where the "city has no need of light, no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of the Lord is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb." - Rev. 21:23 Amen!