THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

In today’s gospel we heard Jesus tell his disciples, “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” Here we are, 2000 years later and it seems the state of our world is far from resembling the Kingdom of Heaven. Do you think the Kingdom of Heaven has come near or does it seem further away now than ever?  

   Many of you may have heard of James Telarico, the Texas seminarian who is running for United States Senate. If you have not heard of him, I suggest you find some videos of him preaching and speaking in podcasts. This young man is taking back Jesus from the those who are trying to brand him as a dominating white man who hates people of color, Mexicans, women, and of course the LGBTQ plus community. James Telarico calmly speaks with scriptural authority and without aggression about the Jesus who turns over tables and cares for the sick and poor.

   This young man is speaking truth to power in the way I have longed to hear. It is a balm to my soul to hear him confidently stand up for the Jesus I know and love and to the multiple attacks that are being thrown at him.  When President Trump accused him of insulting Jesus, Talarico responded, “You want to know what insults Jesus? - kicking the sick off their health care while cutting taxes for billionaires. You know what insults Jesus? - deporting the stranger and separating babies from their mothers, you know what insults Jesus? - bombing innocent school children in Iran and sending our brave men and women off to die in another forever war.” Talarico goes on to say, “Can we imagine war in heaven? Can we imagine bigotry in heaven? Can we imagine poverty in heaven? Then why do we tolerate these things on earth?”

   Telarico is claiming the Kingdom of God. He is an ambassador or apostle of the now and not yet Kingdom our hearts long for and know is possible.  

   Recently another good piece of news came out in the Guardian titled, “An Equal and Habitable World is Possible: Academics Set Out Sweeping Vision for Planetary Survival.” This really got my attention. The article is based on a report by the Global Justice Project that grounds human development and equality in planetary habitability. It says that it is possible to reconcile planetary well-being with human well-being if we face transformation including a hefty wealth tax on billionaires, YAY – sharp reductions in working hours and consumption patterns, YAY – a change in diets (which means less animal products consumed daily), YAY – and a shift in investment from industry and mining to education and health. Super YAY!

   This sounds like very Kingdom of God stuff to me. The report predicts that if these measures are taken the income of 89% of the world’s population would double by 2100 and the increase of global heating would be kept at acceptable levels.  That is 74 years from now so we must prepare the way but like Moses, we will not enter the promised land.   

   We Christians know that accumulation or materialism is not Kingdom stuff. We followers of Jesus long for a world where greed and fame are no longer trending, but equality and justice are our priority. We can imagine a world where we can rely on each other and trust that sharing and respect will be the norm.

   But I must admit I didn’t always think this way. I was greedy and believed that I had to have a million dollars in the bank. I honestly thought that if I had a million dollars, then I could be altruistic and generous, but first I had to get my ducks in a row. I worked hard to realize this dream. In 1987 my husband and I opened the largest yoga studio in America and it seemed possible. We were at the forefront of the yoga wave and riding high.  

   We did well, but never million dollars well.

   In the year 2000 my marriage was failing and I realized that the successful yoga community I had worked so hard to create was not even slightly concerned about the suffering in the world. I was actually ashamed of what I had manifested. We were spiritual and selfish and materialistic. None of us were reading the newspaper, none of us were offering the healing properties of yoga to the poor. There was no such thing as giving back. Yikes! What had happened to my social consciousness? I had abandoned my compassion for my ambition.

   I called my mom who was a devout Episcopalian, and she suggested I go to church. It was a radical idea and a bit scary. You see, my dad and my stepmother had become fundamentalist Christians. They condemned pre-marital sex, and gays, and yada yada. I didn’t have a very good impression of Christianity. But my mom was a well-read, progressive, loving woman and so her words planted a seed.

And wait a minute, wasn’t Jesus’s whole deal about helping the poor and the sick? Wasn’t he all about lifting-up the lowly?

   Mom came to help me during the awful divorce days, and we went to a local community church in my neighborhood. And I want to tell you, as I walked up the steps of that stone church, I knew it was going to change my life.

   Sure enough, something touched my heart and the tears started flowing. We both began to cry during the lovely old hymns, during the kind words of the intelligent minister, and during the hospitality shown by the congregation for these two women crying throughout the service.

   Four years later, in 2004, I was still crying through every Sunday service. A friend pressed a piece of paper in my hand and leaned in to say, “It’s a monastery.” On the paper were the letters SSJE. The Society of Saint John the Evangelist is an Episcopal Monastery in Cambridge Massachusetts that offers silent retreats and I booked one for that very weekend.

   This is where I met and was healed by Jesus.

   It was in a monastery where I found what I longed for, a life of prayer and service.  I found the deep Christian practices designed to quiet our minds and open our hearts so we might live in communion with Divine Love. 

   It wasn’t long after this, in 2008, that I met Dennis Gibbs who was living a monastic lifestyle and serving God by going into the LA County jails. He opened the door to this powerful life-giving ministry with the incarcerated for me which has become the most fulfilling and rewarding chapter of my life. Remarkably, so far, my 70’s are the best decade of my life. I told the men in my groups last Friday that by walking into prisons I have become my best self; I have grown in my capacity for compassion and wisdom.

   The Good News of the Kingdom of God is both here and yet to come. We can cultivate it within, while striving for the better world our hearts know is possible. We must participate as Kingdom builders like James Talarico and the men and women at the Global Justice Project, envisioning a world that is equal and just. I know you good people of St Ben’s are doing this, are living in alignment with Kingdom of God principals.  

   The day will come when there will be a backlash to the cruelty, selfishness, and greed of the era we are in now. The pendulum will swing and we are seeing glimpses of it today.  We know in our hearts that a better world is possible. Let us support one another in manifesting this kinder, more inclusive, more just world where all people everywhere can flourish. Amen.

Sister Greta