Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
When Bill and I stay overnight in a hotel we like to end the day by flipping through the channels to see if there’s anything worth watching. We don’t have a TV in our bedroom at home, so this always feels luxurious to us. When we do this, we inevitably come across some televangelist getting red in the face about all the signs in our world today pointing to the End Times and Jesus’ imminent return.
It’s easy to dismiss these televangelists as just goofy. Surely they are aware, after all, that people have been predicting Jesus’ second coming for centuries. Some have even gone so far as to name the very day Jesus would return. But, of course, he never did. Every single time, they were proven wrong.
While it might be easy to dismiss these preachers, we had better pay some attention. Why? Because of what Jesus has to say to us today.
The Pharisees, like those televangelists, wanted to know when the Kingdom of God would be established. There is, of course, enormous power in knowing the answer to that question. And if anyone could give them the answer, it was Jesus.
And Jesus’ was clear: “’The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, “Look, here it is,” or “There it is.” For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.’”
“For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.” Can you hear how different what Jesus is saying is from what those televangelists are preaching? The Kingdom is not in the future. It’s not something we are waiting for. It’s not even somewhere else. It’s right here. Right now. And it is among us. It is among all of us.
When televangelists preach that the Kingdom of God is something that will arrive in the future, the clear implication is that we need not be concerned about the present. We need not think about what our responsibility is to one another or to the planet. All we need to worry about is whether we are righteous. And for these folks, to be righteous is to hold to the proper beliefs. This is beliefs righteousness.
And that’s not what Jesus is about. On the contrary, Jesus is telling us quite plainly that the Kingdom is right here. All we have to do is look around for it. Did someone do a kind thing for you today? Did you see beauty in the silhouettes that are emerging into view as the leaves fall off the trees? Did you notice a driveway covered in bright yellow leaves—almost as it if were paved in gold? Did you enjoy a hearty laugh with a friend today? These are just a few of the signs of the Kingdom. What signs will you notice tomorrow? May there be too many to count or remember. Amen.
-Sue Trollinger