I gazed into the visions of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man.He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Sometimes I think that those of us who live in a democracy or democratic republic have a problem with the authority of a King. We want to do things our way. This is especially obvious when we sin. Some of those sins are especially desirable and leads us to do things that are not productive for us. We are only happy and peaceful when we do things God’s way.
Have you ever tried to negotiate with God?
There are examples in scripture and one notable example is Abraham in Genises 14 where God would spare His rath if 50 righteous people and Abraham bargained down to 10. For most of us trying to bargain with God is not profitable. When God gave us the Ten Commandments it was out of His love for us. God knew where and how we would succeed as humans. Because He loves us as His children, He design rules to live in His Kingdom. God knows what it takes to make us happy in His Kingdom on Earth and in Heaven.
From the National Catholic Register this week, “The Pope (Pope Francis) on Wednesday quoted his 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium stressing that “Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone.” God wants everyone to thrive in His Kingdom. He wants all peoples in the world. He wants me and he wants anyone who is reading this essay to experience His Kingsom. To me it is the Garden of Eden and Heaven on Earth. Walking with God (Psalm 27:13). I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.
Still, it still seems that we as a community like to exclude others. We know we can experience the Kingdom of God on Earth if we feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit in prison. We can also repent of our sins, receive the Holy Eucharist, or any time we receive a sacrament. It is seems that the Kingdom of God can also be experienced in how we treat sinners or others that are not Christian.
The war in the Holy Land did not start on October 7th. It started much earlier. We can only pray for a solution. Hate crimes against anyone is not how we solve these problems. One thing I do know is that this is not how Jesus would solve the problem.
Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God, but it has taken a lifetime of trial and error to come to the realization that this Kingdom is centered around Christ as King. Jesus is not just King in an earthly sense but the model in how were conduct our earthly lives. He is the example on how we treat others.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed. Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent. Traditionally, the candle we light is one of Hope. Hope for us and the Kingdom of God on Earth.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for children everywhere who are suffering. Pray for peace!
