First things first

The gap since my last blog has been a little longer than I usually like to leave, partly due to a sickness bug which both Sue and I picked up last week.  In truth, Sue contracted it first and then very kindly passed it on to me.  It came on me quite suddenly; in the early evening I began to feel unwell and very tired so I decided that an early night with a hot water bottle was a good idea (I rarely use a hot water bottle, but do find that when I’m ill a hot water bottle very comforting!)

After I’d actually been sick I felt a little better, but at the same time my energy levels began to deplete rapidly.  During the night I found it so hard to summon up the energy even to turn over in bed.  My brain would make the decision but my body would take forever to respond to the command.  I’m certainly no medical expert, but I imagine that my body was expending the majority of its energy in fighting off the virus (or whatever it was) that was affecting it.  It had decided that was a higher priority than responding immediately to my commands (and quite rightly, too!)

I was preaching recently about Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God.  When Jesus began to preach, he announced that the kingdom of God was drawing near.  Jesus not only spoke much about the kingdom, he demonstrated it, as people were set free from their chains of physical, emotional and spiritual bondage.  Something new was happening.  God’s rule and reign, God’s healing and salvation plan, was breaking into ordinary, everyday life.  Jesus himself said that he had come to bring ‘life in all its fulness.’

In response to the disciples’ request to Jesus, ‘teach us to pray’, he gave them the prayer which we call The Lord’s Prayer.  In that prayer he calls us to pray, ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6.10).  The importance of the kingdom is emphasised by his instruction, ‘seek first the kingdom of God’ (Matthew 6.33).  In other words, God’s kingdom is to be an utter priority for the follower of Jesus Christ.  Just as when I was ill last week my body made fighting off the virus an absolute priority, so we are to prioritise God’s kingdom – to be kingdom people.  Not, as Frank Sinatra would have it, “my way”, but God’s way!