The Kingdom of God Has Come

Luke 10:1-11 (NRSV)

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’

The Kingdom of God has come near.

Has come.

Jesus says this twice in this story of the sending of the 70.

Here he doesn't say it is coming.

He says it has come.

Each week we gather for worship and the last words of before we leave are what?

"Go in peace to serve the Lord."

Like the 70 we are being sent.

So what does that mean?

Maybe in this case another way we can describe the Kingdom of God is as a "who."

Who is the Kingdom of God?

We are. We are sent into the world to bring the Kingdom of God into that world. Into a broken, hurting, but hopeful world.

Worship doesn't end then at the end of the liturgy. It doesn't end as we stream into the parking lot.

It continues as we serve and bring the Kingdom out beyond our walls.

Now. Right now. This moment. And the next.

The Kingdom of God HAS come.

Lord, I am an agent of your Kingdom. Equip me to be sent. Amen.