Thursday, March 08, 2018

Changing Allegiance


Changing Allegiance
Mark 1:14-20[1]
When we hear the word “allegiance” I think most of us associate it with our attitude toward our country. “Allegiance” is something that we pledge to the USA as people who intend to carry out the fundamental privileges and responsibilities of citizenship. But I think our “allegiance” relates to more than just whether we vote and pay taxes. In fact, I would say that there are other matters that claim our allegiance in deeper ways. For some of us, it may be allegiance to our family. For others, it may be allegiance to a life dream. For still others, it may be allegiance to certain values. What we may not realize in all of this is that Jesus’ message about the “kingdom of God” presents us with a challenge regarding our ultimate allegiance.
Unfortunately, I would have to say that Jesus’ “gospel” that “the kingdom of God has come near” is a message that we struggle to grasp. For example, if you asked most people these days whether the kingdom of God is here, I think most of them would say no.  In fact, I had some seminary students who did a survey of random people asking them that very question.  And everyone they met gave the same answer—no, the kingdom of God is not here.  I guess that’s why we have a hard time with Jesus’ “gospel.”
Part of the problem is that we just don’t get the whole “kingdom” bit.  For us, a “kingdom” is a place where people suffer the injustice of having their basic civil rights denied them.  Kings are tyrants who enrich themselves at the expense of their people.  Kings exploit, they oppress, they enslave.  But the “kingdom of God” has nothing to do with that.  According to the Bible, when the “kingdom of God” comes the whole world will “do God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.” Everyone will enjoy life the way it was intended by God in the first place.
Another problem we have with Jesus’ message that “the kingdom of God has come near” is that we think he’s talking about something out there somewhere. In our lesson for today, the phrase “has come near” causes no small confusion. If something is near, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s here. And so it’s easy to think for that Jesus was talking about God’s kingdom being around the corner. It is true that in some respects Jesus pointed to the final fulfillment of God’s kingdom at some point in the future. But Jesus also made it abundantly clear that his mission was to bring the “kingdom of God” among us in the here and now, not somewhere out there.  
I think our most important problem with this message is that we don’t really know what to do with it. If it’s God’s kingdom then Jesus’ “gospel” is primarily about what God is doing in this world. In biblical terms, what that means is that prisoners are set free, the blind receive their sight, those who are bowed down are lifted up, those living in a foreign land have someone to look out for them, and widows and orphans find comfort and support. Simply put, God’s kingdom makes it possible for everyone to thrive—rich and poor; white, black, brown, and yellow; tall and short, thin and overweight, nearsighted and balding, young and old.  It does not discriminate based on race, creed, color, or national origin.  It does not exclude anyone based on gender, age, disability, or political affiliation. God’s kingdom is for all people equally.
But that may still leave us asking what we’re supposed to do about “the kingdom of God.” In our lesson for today, Jesus answers that question: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). Now, I think we are typically comfortable with the idea of “believing” in God, or in Jesus, or in the good news of God’s kingdom. But that word “repent” is another story. I would dare say that we may not feel comfortable with “repenting.” In fact, we may not like it at all!
It might help us to see that Jesus was calling people to open themselves to God’s presence and his work among us to set things right, to heal and restore those who are wounded and broken, and to bring peace and life. In order open ourselves to God and his work, we have to start by recognizing that we may have been doing things the wrong way. But repenting means more than just admitting we’ve been wrong. It means actually doing something to make things right. For that to happen, I believe we have to change the core allegiance of our hearts.
Whether we like it or not, God’s kingdom confronts us with a choice about where our ultimate allegiance lies. At the most basic level, “repenting and believing” in the kingdom of God means aligning our lives with what God is doing in this world.  It means living out the principles and truths of God’s kingdom every day. That starts with the kind of people we choose to be, but it also extends to what we actually do. The coming of God’s kingdom into this world presents us with a life-changing choice.  It means choosing not to continue pursuing the selfish ways of this broken world, even when it’s running around pretending to be Christian. It means giving our ultimate allegiance to God’s kingdom, and to the peace, justice and freedom it brings to us all.


[1] ©2018 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 1/21/2018 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

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