Link to YouTube video of the full service from July 6, 2025
Galatians 6:1-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
“The Reign of God is Near”
One of the first academic courses that I took on the Bible was at St. Paul University in Ottawa many years ago, and it was on the Gospel of Mark. I remember learning some interesting things about the earliest of the Gospels to be written, its unique style, and how it had influenced some of the other Gospels as they were being put together as well.
Perhaps the most important concept I learned in that course, however, was the concept of the “Kingdom of God” that Jesus was announcing in his ministry. It’s a big theme in Mark’s Gospel, and one that is picked up in Luke as well. Jesus proclaims that the Kingdom of God is near, and he describes it in parables as surprising, unexpected, wonderful, and so precious.
When I was making notes in my class on the Gospel of Mark, I was using the term so frequently that I started writing “K of G” as a shorthand for the “Kingdom of God.” All these years later, I’m more inclined to use the phrase “Reign of God” to avoid the gendered language for our God who is beyond gender. And I’m feeling more and more convinced by colleagues who are using the phrase “kin-dom of God” that it is a helpful way of getting at the meaning of what Jesus was talking about.
You see, Jesus wasn’t just announcing that God was the Ruler of All, the One in Charge, or one to be worshipped and obeyed like a monarch. But Jesus was saying something about a new way of being – a new way of living together in community with one another – which was in line with God’s plan and God’s will for us human beings.
Wherever Jesus embodied love, mercy, healing, and care, the kin-dom of God was springing up like a tiny seed growing up into a lovely plant. And when people started to follow him and follow his ways, the K of G grew and grew like a mustard seed growing up into a tall tree, with branches spread wide, where the all the birds could find a home.
The kin-dom of God that Jesus was both announcing and embodying in the world was a way of generosity, justice, and inclusion. It was a way of living that was not “every person for themselves,” but rooted in caring for one another in community, becoming like family for one another, even across our differences. That’s the surprising, wonderful, precious kin-dom of God that is the centre of Jesus’ message of good news!
In this season of the Church Year (the Season after Pentecost) the Revised Common Lectionary gives us a lot of Scripture texts about what it means to live as the church. Another way of saying that would be to say that they’re texts about what it means for us to participate in the kin-dom of God – to live in this new reality, this new way of being God’s people in the world.
The church that was formed on the Day of Pentecost and empowered with the gift of the Holy Spirit now has the task of living day-by-day in Jesus’ kin-dom way, and much of the Gospels and the letters of the New Testament have the goal of showing us what that looks like and inviting us to embrace this way of being.
Picking up where we left of last Sunday in Paul’s letter to the Church at Galatia, the Apostle is trying to convince this group of early Christians to focus on enacting their faith in community.
The issue causing controversy and division in this congregation surrounds the difference between Jewish Christians who were circumcised as part of their initial faith commitment, and the newer Gentile Christians that are not circumcised. Throughout the letter, Paul has unpacked this issue and offered lots of guidance and advice. But here, as the letter draws to a close, he is as clear about it as he could be.
In verse 11, Paul writes, “See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!” Some commentators suggest that it’s like Paul has switched to writing in all CAPS to make sure the readers don’t miss this part.
And then he tells them not to pay attention to anyone who’s telling them that they have to be circumcised. It’s not a problem if they have been, but it’s not the point. He says, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything, but a new creation is everything!”
He’s talking about this new way of being in the world, of following the way of Jesus, of living in the kin-dom of God. He says it’s about bearing one another’s burdens. It’s about doing your best, focusing on yourself rather than judging others. It’s about letting the Holy Spirit guide and help you so you don’t grow weary in doing what is right. So that you don’t give up on being and becoming the kin-dom of God growing in the world.
In the best of times, that’s what being a part of a church community is like. When someone is struggling, people in the church notice and step in to help. When someone messes up, perhaps doing or saying something hurtful to others, they are not immediately ejected from the community. But there is the opportunity for repentance and for forgiveness. There is the hope of restoring that person in a spirit of gentleness.
Of course, like the Galatians, church communities today are made up of imperfect human people. We don’t always live up to our potential or our call to build the kin-dom of God in the church or in the world around us. That’s why we need God’s mercy and grace, and the encouragement to make a fresh start each day, re-committing ourselves to the work of kin-dom love for one another.
I wonder, as I’m speaking about this, whether you have started to think about your own experiences of the kin-dom of God in our church or in another community of which you are a part. Perhaps you can remember someone reaching out to you when you were having a hard time. Maybe there was an act of welcome, or kindness, or gentleness that made a difference for you. Who are the people who have listened when you needed them, and supported you when you needed some encouragement?
Have you ever thought of those experiences as the kin-dom of God springing up in your life? Instead of thinking that someone loved you well because they are just a great person, did you ever consider that it was the Spirit of God working in them and through them to embody the kin-dom of God in the world? Did you ever consider the possibility that the Spirit of God can work in you to do the same?
When Jesus sent out 72 of his disciples to proclaim the good news in all the towns and villages where he would eventually visit, he told them to announce to everyone that the Reign of God was near.
It didn’t matter if they were people who welcomed the disciples and provided hospitality for them, or whether they were people who rejected the disciples and the message they were bringing. No matter what – the kin-dom of God was coming near in the life and ministry of Jesus. It was evident in the disciples’ work of healing and helping the people they met in the villages, and it was ready to start springing up and growing among all those who wanted to follow his way.
In my Gospel of Mark class, I remember learning that the Reign of God was “already, but not yet.” It was already present and active through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. But it was not yet complete, not yet full and perfect in the way that was God’s plan and intention.
And 2000 years later, the kin-dom of God is still “already, but not yet.” In a way, that can make me sad, wondering about how things in the world don’t seem to be getting better. There’s so much hatred, division, violence, and thirst for power.
But when I think that way, I try to remember to look for the places and the people through whom the kin-dom is growing and being expressed. Like Mr. Rogers used to say, we need to “look for the helpers” in every scary, difficult, or awful situation.
And then we need to become the helpers. Using whatever resources, gifts, time, and compassion we have been given by the Holy Spirit, we are invited to participate in embodying the kin-dom of God in our church, in our community, and in all the places where we interact with people.
It’s summertime, and many of us are probably looking forward to a break from our work. Even our church roles and responsibilities can get heavy at times, so it’s good for us to take a break from some programs and meetings and jobs that so many of us are doing all through the year.
Still, Paul encourages Christians not to “grow weary in doing what is right” and to “bear one another’s burdens.” He invites us to set aside our differences, our controversies, and the unimportant details that can distract us from what is most important. In large letters, big capital letters that can’t be missed, Paul says, “The new creation is everything!” Likewise, Jesus sent out his disciples to announce the most important thing to everyone – that the kin-dom of God was near. Don’t miss it! Be a part of it!
So, I hope that this summer, whatever you’re doing, that you’ll keep your eyes open for the kin-dom of God springing up around you. I have no doubt that you’ll see it. But most importantly, I hope that wherever you go, you’ll look for opportunities to embody the kin-dom among the people you meet. Surprise someone with your kindness, encourage someone with your generosity, bless someone with your loving care. And trust that you also will be blessed.