Almost every Sunday, we pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom “on earth,
as it is in heaven.” And yet, for all the speed at which the world changes, why
is it that God’s Kingdom seems to be so slow in coming? That’s the question
that underlies the book that we will be reading together and focusing on at
Central this Lent: Slow Kingdom Coming, by Kent Annan.
“Another family huddles in fear as bombs rip through concrete and flesh….
Another innocent young black man is assaulted as though guilty…. Another woman
was raped on a college campus, her cries later answered with shame instead of
justice…. A child, instead of going to school, walked three miles to fetch a
bucket of water that will give him diarrhea…. Another person made in God’s
image was denigrated for her gender or sexuality instead of receiving the
respect as a fellow child of God…. The world’s richest eighty-five people
luxuriate in as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people try to survive
on. Today someone gave everything at his dignity-crushing work to provide for
his family. He still didn’t bring home enough.”
Truly, God’s Kingdom is slow in
coming, but the book doesn’t just point out the obvious. It doesn’t just raise
questions. Instead, Kent offers five practices that he suggests can help us to
remain faithful to the long term work of “doing justice, loving mercy, and
walking humbly in the world”—attention, confession, respect, partnering,
truthing—practices that will be our focus at Central for five weeks of Lent,
beginning the week of March 5. We hope that you will join us for the journey,
recommitting yourself to God’s Kingdom coming “on earth, as it is in heaven.”
--Pastor Don
Steele
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