Jesus came to introduce a new way of living, a new way of thinking, a new way of being. He called this new way the Kingdom of God.

The life of Jesus modeled the kingdom life. His crucifixion and death broke the shackles of humanity's bondage to the old life of self-absorption, illusion, emptiness, and death. On the cross sin is swallowed up by the sacrificial suffering of divine love.

His resurrection broke death's eternal hold on us. His ascension released an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that allowed the presence of Christ to continue on earth and empowered the new way of living that Jesus had introduced to His disciples. Jesus called upon his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples to this new way of being alive.

This new way of living brought people into a new relationship to God, one another, and all creation. This transformation of life was so complete that it was like living in a new reality, a new social order, a new community, a new kingdom; a present and eternal reality.

In the early church before the followers of Jesus were called Christians, they were called "The Way."

There are two kingdoms ever present in our lives, two ideologies, two ways of thinking and being.

There is a way of emptiness, founded upon wealth, maintained by worldly power, defended by violence, perpetuated by greed, justified by illusionary righteousness, a kingdom where human life is devalued, where material goods are worshipped and more is never enough, a kingdom where religion is customized to fit into popular culture, where there is little thankfulness, respect, or depth of caring, a kingdom where love has grown cold, a frenzied kingdom that numbs the soul, diminishes relationships and increasingly separates from creation.

There is another way, barely visible to the world, incomprehensible to the frenzied, a kingdom where people live in quiet gentleness, in awe of creation, in thankfulness to God, a kingdom of sharing, of indestructible joy, not a kingdom free of sin but a kingdom of daily confession, repentance, forgiveness and forgiving, a kingdom of hope built upon God's enduring love, a kingdom where the least are held close and honor is given to the servant, a kingdom of simplicity, justice, and holy suffering where even enemies are loved, the kingdom of God brought forth in Jesus Christ.

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