Rev. Bob Leroe, a Congregational pastor in Massachusetts tells this story:
Astronaut James Erwin is one of but a few men to walk on the moon. As he stood upon the lunar landscape and looked up at the earth, he prayed for the first time in his life. He thought about the strife among nations, poverty, hunger, and rampant evil; and he thought to himself: “What is more important than man walking on the moon, is that God should walk on earth.”
This is what we mean when we pray, “Thy Kingdom come.” We are praying that the King of the Universe would come and put things right.
“Thy Kingdom come” is a prayer for revolution. It’s what the Jews prayed for in Jesus’ day—perhaps it’s true for some even today—that God would step onto the world stage, take the enemies of Israel and knock their heads together. For the people in Jesus’ day, that meant first of all, sweeping out the Romans—who occupied Palestine, and who imposed a corrupt tax system on the province. Then God would clean house of all the corrupt shepherds of Israel who sought power for their own sake, and ignored the cries of their people. In Jesus’ day, this included political figures like Herod Antipas, decadent and diminished son of Herod the Great—and the religious elite of whom Jesus would say, “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them….they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.” (Matthew 23:4, 6–7) Jesus said, “Do not be like the hypocrites…”(Matthew 6:5) because Jesus knew the Kingdom of heaven was going to be different.
“Thy Kingdom come” is a prophetic word and a battle cry. When we pray it, we reveal how far short our world falls from what God has in mind. In the wealthiest country in the world, we have people who go to bed hungry at night. In a nation that spends more on military might than most of the world combined, still we do not have security. In a nation where we spent $1.189 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day presents for our pets, we cannot find enough money to pay our school teachers. “Thy Kingdom come” reveals all the ways we are caught up in this broken system and contribute to the kingdom of this world, but it also calls us forward to become part of the solution. The world must change–we must change—and we will see it done. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
“Thy Kingdom come” is a prayer of surrender. It’s the cry of a mom who’s at the end of her rope, looking for hope only God can give. It’s the cry of a man who has reached the bottom of his addiction and knows it will finish him if he doesn’t change. It’s the cry of Jesus in a garden, who sees nothing but pain and a brutal death. “Father, not my will but yours be done.” Whatever God brings, it will be better than this. Whatever God wants, that is what we will do. Our lives will change. We are ready. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
“Thy Kingdom come” Jesus taught us to pray, that God’s rule might be felt in our world and in our lives. The kingdom of this world appreciates fancy words and a good show—a longer prayer with longer words means God must hear you better. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” And all they will get is what the kingdom of this world can provide—social status, prestige, the applause of people. The Kingdom of Heaven is found in the pure, honest prayer of a person who runs out of words, and can only place the deepest, aching needs of their lives before “your Father who knows what you need before you ask.” Because when we pray in an attitude of surrender, then the Kingdom comes into the world through our lives. When we pray like that, we have the applause of our Father, and the Kingdom comes in power to transform us.
In Lent, we head into the wilderness, just like Jesus did. In a sense, we really don’t need the wilderness. Who would want their life to be harder by giving something up? Who would want to add something for God to their lives when they are already so busy? In another sense, we desperately need the wilderness—a chance to look our selves and our God in the face, and learn we don’t have all the answers—but God does. In the wilderness, the powers of this world are revealed to be less important, and we realize that God’s Kingdom coming is absolutely vital.
The problem with most of our ideas of God is that they are so small. The Jews prayed the Kingdom would bring revolution, when the revolution was that their lives had to change. We pray knowing the world could be different—should be different—and know that we are part of the problem. In Jesus, we find all our ideas are blown to Kingdom come. It’s when we stop trying to make the kingdom in our image, and allow ourselves to be made in the image of the Kingdom that we find peace…and the Kingdom comes…in us. That’s why we need the wilderness. When we truly, deeply pray just that simple prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done” then we begin to live as Jesus still teaches us…and God walks the earth as God’s Kingdom comes and God’s will is done.