January 27, 2008
Matthew 4:12-23
“At Arm's Length”


I am taken by the language Jesus uses in his very first sermon as recorded in Matthew: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”  Many translations, including the familiar King James version, translates it, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Eugene Peterson is bold enough to interpret it in his biblical paraphrase, The Message, as, “Change your life.  God's kingdom is here.”

What does it mean for the commonwealth of God, the kingdom - the kin-dom - of God to be either “at hand,” “near,” or even “here?”  Do you believe it to be true, and, if so, how are you living that reality out in your daily life?  I fear many - if not most - of us don't really believe, or at least live, as if it were true: that God's dominion is “at hand.”  What effect would it have on our lives if we really took seriously the closeness of God's realm?  How would we act differently?  What would we say differently?  Where would we go and with whom would we hang out?

I like the image of something being “at hand.”  It gives me the sense that it is within reach, but not a given.  For something to be at arm's length means you can obtain it, but it will take your initiative.  Of course, that's in keeping with my entire understanding of God's partnership with humanity on this whole life project of ours, not to mention salvation.  Like a healthy parent, or teacher, or coach, God provides all that we need, but we must take initiative to meet God along the way.

This entire week, meditating on today's scripture, I've had a new awareness, and have noticed those things which have been given to me without my asking, those things which I have reached for and obtained, and those things that were out of my reach.  Each one has a different spiritual significance for me.

* Those things which were given to me without asking I seem to value the least, even if I wanted them a lot. 
* Those things which are beyond my reach, even after trying various means to obtain them, but to no avail, I seem to want the most. 
* But those things which, at first, seem just beyond my grasp, but which, with a little effort, perhaps help from others, I can finally fully grasp - these are what seem to give me true fulfillment and joy. 

I believe all that God intends for us is at hand, at arm's length, near, here.  All the grace, all the forgiveness, all the mercy, all the righteousness, all the peace, all the hope, all the faith, and all the love is at hand.

But how do we grasp it, gather it, take it in?  Well, there's that wee little word that comes first in Jesus' simple, one-sentence sermon: “Repent.”  Now, I will be the first to admit that this short word has enormous power, and sometimes that power has been misused by persons in my very own profession.  Rather than offering repentance as a call to help us reach what God has put within our grasp, it has all-too-often been used as a bludgeon to prevent many people from receiving what God intends for us to have.  This happens most often when repentance is wrapped around human prejudices and tied to man-made grievances, rather than allowing God to define the intention and processes of repentance.  But, such abuses aside, “repentance” is still a blessed means to help put us in “right relationship” with God and one another, so that we may reach and receive the kingdom of God in our lives.

Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, has a powerful definition of exactly what repentance is:
“Repentance means more than just being sorry.  It means both admitting that the course you have been on is wrong and committing to begin walking in a new direction.  That is the biblical meaning of 'metanoia,' the New Testament word for 'repentance,' which comes from the root for the word 'metamorphosis.'  Repentance has to do with transformation…” (1)

Now, this demand for “turning around,” for change, for transformation, highlights the fact that few of us are really willing to repent, and thus few of us are able to grasp the commonwealth, kin-dom of God.  We think that we do not need to change (human arrogance and hubris), or we think that things really aren't so bad that there's no need to change (human ignorance), or we think we should make only a quarter-turn rather than a complete turn-around (human scheming).

Now, these charges is serious enough.  But what I think is the distortion of repentance that is even more dangerous, is the separation of the repentance from the kingdom.  For a whole host of human reasons, we have torn the call to repentance from the truth of the reward of the reign of God, and thus condemned our world to painful heartache and horrible atrocities without the gift and grace of living in holy community in the here-and-now.

Which is to say: Jesus both called us to repentance and promised the kingdom of God in the present moment: If we change then God's divine reign is “at hand,” “near,” “here!”  Why else would Jesus say this at the beginning of his ministry, unless he really believed it could happen in the present moment?  I can no longer stand idly by and hear preacher after teacher demand repentance and then allow them to launch the rewards of God's love into the stratosphere, for another day, in the sweet bye-and-bye.  “Take your medicine now, but you'll have to wait for heaven to find healing.”

No!  Jesus said: repent + now = heaven + now! What this does for us is twofold: it calls us to deal directly and faithfully with all the social ills of our day as if the commonwealth of God depended upon it - it does AND it demands that we live each moment as if it were the greatest spiritual mystery there ever was - for it is. 

What the first premise means practically speaking is that we have to be a part of the solution of our world's problems now, today, here, if we are to ever realize God's realm.  We cannot put off dealing with the culture of despair in our city and region because it is too big for us as individuals or us as a community or it “isn't my problem.”  “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” 

I have been forcing myself to read the Plain Dealer series this week on the foreclosure crisis (2).  We must repent of the greed and malice, on the part of borrowers as well as lenders - and the greed of the entire culture, that got us into this mess.  We must also repent of the apathy that the rest of us showed while it was happening.  But repentance without expectation of the coming of God's reign is like cleaning house without having the party, cooking without the eating, exercising without the whirlpool, learning without the growing.  No!  We repent of what has happened in Cleveland and the nation because we expect - no, we anticipate with excitement - that Cleveland will turn around and become the “city on the hill” that has justice as its gates, compassion as its streets, and hope as its mayor.  True repentance brings God's realm!

What the second premise means, practically speaking, is that if we truly repent of our sinful ways, we will look at each moment of each of our lives as the possible fulfillment of the reign of God.  We will take each breath as if we were breathing in God's Holy Spirit in profound new ways.  We will move our muscles in just such a way as to be ready to respond to the presence of Jesus in our very midst.

In the words of Rachel Naomi Remen, author of the devotional I've been reading these past few months, “The recognition that the world is sacred is one of the most empowering of the many realizations that may occur to people [in crisis]” and “despite appearances, we are always on sacred ground.” (3) We must repent of the habit of viewing this life as plain and mundane, and, rather, believe with our hearts, minds, and souls that God has imbued every solitary millisecond with divine authority and presence.  Then, we will truly know, the kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, turn around, change my sisters and brothers, because then, and only then, the commonwealth of God will be at hand, near, within reach, maybe even here!

Amen.

(1) Jim Wallis, A Call To Repentance: Christian Support For The Iraq War Raises The Critical Question: To Whom Do We Belong, Sojourners, January 2008, p. 17

(2)  Go to: http://www.cleveland.com/foreclosure/ to find the complete series, plus additional interactive materials.

(3) Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, New York: Riverhead Books, 1996, 2006, p. 288 & p. 267



Rev. Allen V. Harris
Franklin Circle Christian Church
www.FranklinCircleChurch.org


 

Copyright 2008 -- The Rev. Allen V. Harris

Franklin Circle Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

1688 Fulton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113-3096