Grace and Peace Episode 59
Presbyterian Church of Easton
November 14, 2021
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
Heidelberg Catechism
123 Q. What does the second petition mean?
A. “Your kingdom come” means: Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Preserve your church and make it grow. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word. Do this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all.
Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come.
Where is the Kingdom of Heaven? Some people say that it is up there in the sky somewhere. Others say it is over there somewhere in the future. Most people think of the Kingdom of God as being someplace far away. And so when we pray, “thy kingdom come” we don’t think of it coming any time soon.
But notice that the catechism does not talk about the future. It talks about ruling us now by Word and Spirit. It talks about keeping the church strong and growing. It talks about stopping the Devil. And it talks about all this in the context of a kingdom that is already here, but will be fulfilled the day Jesus returns.
Every time we pray, “thy kingdom come” we are asking the Holy Spirit to come into hearts with radical transformation. We are asking God to make us now into what we will be in the coming kingdom.
All of this means that the kingdom of God will come into your life. It will transform you and your family and your school and workplace and community and church. It means that God is exerting his authority in all aspects of your life. And it means that God is granting you authority over his creation.
So “thy kingdom come” means that we want it right now, in part, to prepare the world for it's coming in full. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we pray for your kingdom to come into our lives. Transform us into your people so that we may experience your kingdom today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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