On Earth as it is in Heaven
“Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
[in my household/at my church/in my city] as it is in heaven…”
What might a portion of God’s kingdom and will being done in my household/at my church/in my city look like? Take a look at what Albert Tate writes in his chapter of A Letter to a Birmingham Jail:
“We are promised that one day the Lord will reconcile all things and all people to Himself, and I am convinced that this hope for the future must change the way we live in the present. Revelation 7:9 reveals to us that every nation, tribe, people, and tongue will gather before the throne of Christ and proclaim him King and Ruler. There will be no segregation in this heavenly throng. There will be no white section, black section, Asian section, or Latino section...Instead, there will be one holy and united people gathered for one singular purpose: to glorify the Almighty One. Gentiles and Jews, blacks and whites, former rivals in the world, will come together in response to Jesus and His unifying sacrifice.”
There is a perfect unity in diversity in heaven. This unity in diversity, though imperfect on this side of heaven, is some of what the Lord’s prayer calls us as Christians to aim for. And, I believe, the more unified in our unique diversity we become, the more God Almighty is glorified. And as this happens in our households, in our churches and in our Christian communities, the more non-Christians will wonder, “how is this happening…how is this possible…what’s allowing all those differences amongst the people to live in community…”? Oh, and they won’t be able to explain it except for the mighty grace of God showering on and out of their lives!
So what does this mean for Christians? It means becoming more empathetic towards others’ unique race and culture. “It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and [work towards] unity…Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness…Let us rise up [today] with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation” (excerpts from MLK’s Mountaintop Speech).
How? Coming from someone who is part of the dominant culture (white, male): keep it simple and start by reading/listening to books written by authors whose race and culture is different from yours; invite more than just family or your regular inner-circle over to dine with you at your table (make room for new friends!); listen to others’ lived experiences.
How, Next Level? Soong-Chan Rah writes, “the cost of an authentic and Biblical multiethnic ministry requires the sacrifice of the dominant culture”. Is that what Dr. King means by dangerous unselfishness?
May we pray together–God Almighty, cause Your Kingdom to come and Your will to be done, here in my household/at my church/in my city as it is in heaven.
Written by Warren M. Grimm