A Seven Word Sermon

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” -Mark 1:14-15

My homiletics class was taught by Dr. Smith at Candler, as a part of his class we were required to submit a few different types of sermons. We were warned at the beginning of class that our final sermon would be delivered in person in front of the entire lecture hall in one class period. We would be able to fit them all into the allotted hour and a half easily because each sermon could only be seven words or less. Seven words.

When my turn came, I approached the lectern confident that I had cracked the system. My sermon, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” I was a bit proud to see the smile on Dr. Smith’s face, but more importantly, I believed in the few words I had preached. 

The overwhelming and awe-inspiring news that God’s dominion, over all creation, over life and death, is closer than we can imagine. The just rule of God over all things means we as God’s children are able to realize our inheritance as heirs to The Kingdom: the bodily resurrection and life eternal in perfect relationship with our Creator and the rest of creation.

So how would someone define the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom is established in individuals and communities anytime the self-revelation of God is made incarnate. Theologian Wolfheart Panaenberg makes the distinction that we do not bring about the rule of God; we do not bring the Kingdom despite our best works of charity and acts of piety. We are reminded of this fact every time we pray the prayer which Jesus taught us: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”  

Through this prayer, the children of God ask for the Kingdom, and God brings forth the realm of the Kingdom through the self-revelation in the person of Jesus Christ, God made flesh. This is why John the Baptist and Jesus begin their ministries proclaiming “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” At the same time, Jesus’s ministry and passion were just the beginning, just the foundation, of the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom. 

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God is made flesh again, albeit less perfectly than in the person of Christ. With each new heart that is baptized by the Holy Spirit, the realm of God expands. With each act of justice and mercy, God’s will is done. Slowly, like a city being built, brick-by-brick, The Kingdom advances.