Sunday, December 3, 2023… First Sunday in Advent
“Thy Kingdom Come”
Psalm 80:1-7; Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; Mark 11:1-10
Divine Service III with Holy Communion
Hymns: #331 “The Advent of Our King”; #347 “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People”; #349 “Hark the Glad Sound”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
“Thy kingdom come,” we pray in the Lord’s prayer; but what does that mean? Jesus our Lord and King is coming, whether we like it or not, and whether we’re ready for Him or not. Our Advent prayer is that when He comes, we will be ready, and that we’ll greet His coming with thanksgiving, praises, and joy. As the time of Jesus’ coming draws near, we pray that His Kingdom may live and be found in us. Amen.
We’ve all prayed the Lord’s Prayer a thousand times. We’ve said those words, “Thy kingdom come” so often, sometimes we can find ourselves just saying them instead of praying them, while looking out the window and thinking about something else. Do we really mean it when we pray “Thy kingdom come?” What DOES this mean? I thought I’d give you a little Catechism review this morning, to help us answer that question; never hurts to do that, right?
“Thy kingdom come”, says our Catechism. What does this mean? Here’s the answer: “The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that is may come to us also.” How does God’s kingdom come? is the next question. And the answer is: “God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.”
What is the kingdom of God? is the next question. And the answer is, “The kingdom of God is His ruling as King over the whole universe.” The Catechism calls that “the kingdom of power.” Psalm 103 says, “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.” The kingdom of God also includes His Church here on earth, called “the kingdom of grace.” Jesus says in John 3:5, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” And the kingdom of God is also the Church and all the angels in heaven, “the kingdom of glory.” St. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom.”
So, our Catechism goes on to ask, “What are we asking for when we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come?’” The answer is: “We’re not praying that God’s kingdom of power will come, because that is already present everywhere. But we ask God to give us His Holy Spirit so that we believe His Word and lead godly lives as members of His kingdom of grace; and we ask that God will bring many others into His kingdom of grace; and we ask God to use us to help extend His kingdom.” Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 28, “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send our laborers into His harvest field”. God’s kingdom will come, has come, and is coming, of that we can be sure. God promises in Isaiah 55: “So is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
So when we pray that familiar prayer, and we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” how serious are we about what we’re asking for? What are we willing to give or contribute to the cause of the kingdom? What part of the work of the kingdom are we willing to take upon our own shoulders? What level of loss or grief or sorrow might we willing to put up with for the sake of Jesus and His kingdom? Can we really pray “Thy kingdom come” with all our hearts, even if the kingdom doesn’t always come in the way we’d like it to?
Look what happens in Isaiah 64, when God’s kingdom comes. Are you ready for a kingdom like this? Isaiah prays a dangerous prayer: “O Lord, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before You!” Thy kingdom come, O Lord! Thy kingdom come, even if it means for a little while the mountains will shake and the nations will quake and the oceans will boil. Thy kingdom come, even if it takes unexpected, frightening things to happen in the world to make it happen. Thy kingdom come, even if it means God has to shake things up to get His people up off their seats and onto their feet.
Jesus said His coming would bring not peace but division; and the closer we get to His coming again, the more this world will be divided, and the sharper the line will be drawn between who’s on the Lord’s side and who’s not, and the more the light will separate from the darkness. God in His wisdom is “shaking out the world,” sorting and sifting out His kingdom, and forcing people to decide at last whose side they’re on. “Creation is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed,” St. Paul says.
Thy kingdom come, O Lord, even if it requires the painful business of confronting our own sin. Thy kingdom come, even if it means we have to face, recognize, and acknowledge the sin in us, and root it out by confession and repentance and contrite tears. Thy kingdom come, even if it means getting the sinful things out of us, painful as that may be, to make room for God’s kingdom in us. Thy kingdom come, O Lord; out with the bad, in with the good.
“But how can I be saved?” Isaiah asks. Even the best of my works are like filthy rags in God’s eyes. I’m like a leaf in the wind, dry and dead and wasting away because of my sin. I can’t begin to save myself, no matter how much I do. That’s like “chasing the wind,” King Solomon said. Yet, dear Father in Heaven, Thy kingdom come, even if it means You’re the Potter and I have to be the clay. Thy kingdom come, even if it means You’ll have to mold me and change me and reshape me, in mind and heart and soul, until I’m at last a vessel fit for Your kingdom to be found in, and a pot that’s fit for You to use. O Lord, begs Isaiah, please don’t be angry with me; have mercy on me, forgive me, and remember me. Pour on Your mercy, O Lord; pour Your kingdom into me, so that Your kingdom can be seen in me.
And what happens, folks, when God answers our “Thy kingdom come” prayer (as He will!) and pours His kingdom in us? What happens when God’s kingdom “comes to us also?” Let St. Paul tell it, from 1 Corinthians 1. Paul writes to his Corinthian church: “I always thank God for you because of His grace given you in Christ Jesus.” There’s that kingdom of grace we’re living in, folks. None of us are here or blessed to be part of God’s Church because we’re better or holier or stronger than anyone else. We’re only here because God had called us in mercy to believe in His Son. Thank God for His grace. Thank God for His poured-out kingdom. Thank God for this grace-filled, holy Church, where we can come in the door as supplicants and beggars, asking for our sins to be forgiven, and walk out of here again forgiven and free, with something to live for and hope for, and Good News to tell the world about.
“For in Him you have been enriched in every way,” Paul says, “in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.” We Christian people, Paul says, rich in every way, as rich as rich can be; and that would still be true even if the world should take every last penny out of our pockets. Because we’ve learned to know Jesus from God’s Holy Word. We know about the cross, and about the Christchild, and about Easter morning, and about the kingdom of God that’s coming soon. So you and I are going to be ready when that day comes, and we won’t be taken by surprise.
And that blessed knowledge we have, with God’s help, will pour out from our mouths and our lips and our tongues, as the Holy Spirit gives us just the right words to say when it’s time to bear witness to our faith. And that’s how we’ll help God’s kingdom to grow, and how we’ll help lead others into His kingdom of grace. And if you’re thinking, “Oh, not me, Lord; I couldn’t do that. I’m not good enough or wise enough or “holy” enough to get into that kind of conversation” -- think again! Paul says here, “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.” You do have all you need to do your part in God’s kingdom; the gift is already in your head and heart and hands. “The kingdom of God is within you,” Jesus says. If you feel like you need more knowledge, that you need to sharpen up on your scriptural knowledge a little bit before you’re comfortable with sharing it, that’s OK. That’s what Bible study is for; come and see!
God has given everything you need to be strong to the end, Paul says, so that you’ll be blameless -- that is, forgiven for your sins and found blameless in Christ -- when this kingdom of grace we’re living in gives way to the kingdom of glory at last. Because “God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” -- faithful to all His promises.
This kingdom of God we’re looking for, asking for, and praying for today, isn’t just a ghost kingdom, or some philosophical, imaginary kingdom, some cloud kingdom you could stick your hand through. (If that was the case, we could safely ignore it). What we’re praying for when we pray “Thy kingdom come” is a spiritual kingdom, yes; but it’s also a real kingdom, a real place, a kingdom with solid ground. “Thy kingdom come” is a prayer for the coming of a real, genuine, come-and-touch-His-scars King of Glory.
And in our Gospel reading in Mark 10, there He is, Jesus the King of Glory, God come to earth in the flesh, God’s kingdom taken on real flesh and blood, come to Bethphage and Bethany, standing on the Mount of Olives, on the way to Jerusalem to die. Our King comes to us in genuine flesh, with a real and breakable body, and real holy blood poured out for us on the ground. Jesus prayed in the garden, “Not My will, Father, but Yours be done.” Thy kingdom come, Father, Thy kingdom come. The people singing His praises and shouting “Hosanna” in our Gospel were maybe not ready for God’s kingdom to come in the way that it was coming, not ready for the amazing sight of a humble King and a suffering Savior, or a King on a cross. But that’s how God chose to pour out His grace, in order for grace to be poured out on us.
God’s kingdom comes to us today by the read and spoken Word. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes through the Word of Christ.” God’s kingdom comes by the Word of God spoken into Baptismal water and poured on our heads. And God’s kingdom comes to us by broken bread and poured out wine, blessed by Jesus’ own words to become the body and blood of our Lord for us to eat. “Take and eat, this is My body,” Jesus says; “Take and drink this is My blood.” Thy kingdom come, O Lord; Thy kingdom come.
O Lord, that You would rend the heavens and come down. Pour Your kingdom into us, O Lord, as we receive these holy things; and may Your kingdom come as we call the world around us to come and share the life and grace and peace that we have. Thy kingdom come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly, and come soon. In Jesus’ name; Amen.