Mission

In some sense, the kingdom of God is an anomalous thing – it is both already, but not yet.  Jesus says that it is at hand, yet we wait for it in the age to come.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus instructs us how we are to act and live in these in-between times.   Today’s passage (Mt 10:1-7) is one part of that teaching.

The first step is to make ready our hearts for the kingdom.  We turn away from sin and trust in Jesus as the source of our salvation.  By recognizing and accepting the great love that God has for us in giving his only Son, the kingdom of God is not only at hand, it becomes present in our hearts.

This empowers us with great freedom.  We are freed from the fear of disease and death, for God’s unconditional, eternal love cannot be constrained or limited even when our earthly bodies fail or our earthly lives come to an end.  We are freed from the demons of greed and envy, for we recognize in the infinite love of God a greater good than anything we could possibly acquire for ourselves. 

And with this power, we are free to accept the mission that Jesus gave to his first disciples two thousand years ago.  It is the same mission he gives to each of us today, for Jesus insists that we are not to wait passively for the kingdom to come.  Our role is not to simply revel in God’s love and anticipate the ultimate fruition of that love at the end of time. 

Rather, we are to proclaim – proclaim by our words, proclaim by the fearless, peace-filled and joyful lives we lead, proclaim by loving others as Jesus loves us, proclaim by forgiving others as Jesus forgives us – proclaim that the kingdom is indeed at hand and available to anyone and everyone who wishes to take it up.

We have a mission from God.   Accept it, love it, live it – and the kingdom of God will be yours, now and forever, Amen.