Thy Kingdom Come

Is Heaven a place on earth?

“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done.” Many of us regularly recite the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. Estimates suggest that on occasions such as Easter, there might be two billion people reciting this prayer around the world. It’s a simple enough prayer in some respects, but at a closer glance one wonders if we too often miss the bigger picture of Jesus’ prayer and his vision of the Kingdom.

For example, Jesus talks about his kingdom being at hand, being here, being present. Many of his parables deal directly with this concept. Jesus talked about the Kingdom more than any other concept, including salvation, repentance and even love. But how often do we refer to God’s Kingdom as though it were some distant land we’re just waiting to get to? It’s as if we are in a waiting room at the airport anxiously awaiting our turn to fly to our destination. According to Jesus, it would seem that that Kingdom begins in the here and now.

A few weeks ago at our youth café, a young lady came in who had never been to a church. She innocently asked me if being a Christian meant she would get to see God when she died. I told her that the joy of being a Christian meant you get to meet him here and now. Eternity starts now, not when you die.

But as the words came out of my mouth, I realized that there were many Christians who thought the same way as this young lady. How often do we talk about Kingdom values as something that will start one day in the distant future?

Imagine what would happen if those two billion Christians praying about God’s Kingdom began living it here and now. They would be serving the poor, caring for the widows, forgiving debts, loving their enemies … we might even be tempted to sing along with Belinda Carlisle’s 80s pop song, “Ooh, Heaven is a place on earth.”

Lieutenant Peter Lublink and his wife, Alison, are the corps officers of High Point Community Church in Victoria. Prior to entering The Salvation Army’s College for Officer Training in Winnipeg, Peter managed a small marketing and business solutions firm in the Toronto area. For more details on Peter and his community of High Point, visit www.pointful.ca.