Daily Reading: 21 May

(from www.christianaid.org.uk)

The Kingdom is among us

Something to read

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you."

- Luke 17:20-21.

Something to think about

'The Kingdom of God is among you'. Many interpretations favour the use of ‘among you’ instead of ‘within you’. St Luke emphasises the communal dimension of the reign of God. Jesus is not only living in each one of us but also among us.

The Pharisees asked Jesus about the time and place where the reign will be established but they were unable to grasp the message: Jesus’ presence is the Reign of God.

When we see the presence of Jesus among us in our community, then there is no need to look at the sky and wait for a spectacular coming. We have a responsibility to shine like stars, demonstrating the significance of complete trust in God, by shaping our lives with His values even when they are contrary to the nature of our contemporary world.

Something to do

Make a conscious effort to embody the values of God’s reign in your life and to be guided by them. Let your thoughts, attitudes and actions be in accordance with such values, so that it becomes routine.

Something to pray

Pray for God’s wisdom, understanding and awareness of the values of God’s reign and for God’s empowerment to genuinely follow such paths, without fear or favour.

Adapted from a contribution by Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe, a former Bishop of the Kurunagala Diocese in the Church of Ceylon, Sri Lanka.