So I just finished Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell last
night. Very easy read. One thing that really caught my eye during yesterday’s
reading was the idea of God’s Kingdom coming to earth. He described the idea
that if Heaven can come to earth, then hell is just as able to be brought to
earth. Heaven, according to Bell, is all of the good things such as joy, love,
kindness, giving, caring, etc. Hell, on the other hand, is all of the bad
things around us such as hate, carelessness, selfishness, pride, suffering,
death, etc. When the good things happen, Heaven is here and now. It is among
us. When we invite sin and wickedness into our world, we are really inviting
hell, literally, right into our living rooms.
So what Robbie B. is saying, as well as Paul, Moses, and
even Jesus, is that we, as followers, servants, and children of a loving God,
need to be the ones to counteract that invitation of hell and strive to bring
Heaven to earth. It is our jobs as Christians to feed the hungry, house the
homeless, comfort the widows, and play with the orphans. That is when God’s
Kingdom is among us. All of the folks on the World Race are bringing God’s Kingdom
to the here and now. All of the missionaries giving up their comfortable lives
at home (wherever that may be) to serve others and connect with the broken are
inviting Heaven to surround us. Everyone who is working a 9-5 desk job, loving
the people they work with and spending time with The King of kings is helping
to fulfill the prayer that Jesus Christ taught us all to pray.
Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your Name. Your Kingdom come,
Your Will be done, [in our daily lives] as it is in [Your Holy Presence.] Give
us the things we need today, and forgive us for our sins as we forgive everyone
else who sins against us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us
from our/Your enemies. For Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory
for all the days, from this one to the next, Amen.
