Matthew 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 13:31-32
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
Jesus loved to talk about the Kingdom. Sometimes he called it the Kingdom of Heaven and sometimes the Kingdom of God. Jesus used different pictures or parables to talk about the Kingdom. On one occasion the Kingdom was breaking into the great fortress of dark evil and setting free the captives. Another time the Kingdom was like a great banquet to which everyone, rich and poor were invited. Here the Kingdom is a tiny seed which, when planted, grows and grows. A Kingdom is a place ruled over by a King but Jesus doesn’t talk about a place but about the human heart or a bunch of human hearts. In the middle of my heart or mind there is an imaginary throne and every day I have to decide who is going to sit on the throne. Will it be me with my own ego or will it be God with his divine will? I sometimes visualise the throne as the big, powerful captain’s chair in Star Trek. The one who sits in that seat decides where the ship is going and gives out orders to the whole crew. If the King is a caring King, if the captain knows well what he is doing then the Kingdom, the ship will flourish. To have our heavenly father sitting on our throne or in our captain’s seat is the best way to flourish and navigate our whole life.
There are some big questions for us here:
- Who is King of my life today?
- Is God really on the throne or my own passions and desires?
- Is the Kingdom of God growing in my life or standing still?
- Finding Jesus means we see the Kingdom.
Following Jesus means we invite him into our life.
Becoming like Jesus happens when we put God on the throne.
So of these three stages where are you at? - What do we really mean when we say, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’?
The growing mustard seed Kingdom is not just about our individual lives. If we are part of a church or Jesus’s community then our church should be growing. It should be growing spiritually as together we all become more like Jesus. It should be growing missionally as we reach out to the local community. It should be growing numerically as more birds of the air come and rest in our branches.
The ever popular ‘Lion King’ captures something of the King and the Kingdom. When the great and good King Mufasa is killed his dark hearted brother Scar takes over and life is suddenly much harder for everyone. In the background however Simba the good King’s son is waiting and preparing. At first he is a tiny mustard seed like cub but he grows and finally drives out Scar and becomes the Lion King.
Lord God,
You are the great and powerful King,
You are also our loving father.
May you become King of my life,
Leading me and showing me how to live,
And may your Kingdom grow every day in my life.
Amen.