Today's Reading: The Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 11:27–12:20; Mark 14:21-41
Your kingdom come.
What does this mean? God’s kingdom comes by itself without our prayers, but we pray in this petition that it may come among us also.
How does God’s kingdom come?God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.”
Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen. All kingdoms have one important thing that makes a kingdom: they have a king!
Jesus is our King, robed in royal purple and standing before Pilate. Rejected by His people. They prefer Caesar instead.
Rejected by us, too, whenever we don’t believe His holy word and instead try to make up for our sins. We can fix it. Just give us time, God. We’ll never do that again.
Yet, we will. We'll do what we want over and against what our King bids us do. Having a King that you don’t really listen to is actually not having a King at all, isn’t it?
We pray, “Let your Kingdom come among us also, Jesus! We know that you don’t need us to have your Kingdom come. You’re the King, after all! Let your kingdom be among us, also. Please, be our King.”
By His grace, the Father answers our prayers! He gives us His Holy Spirit that we believe that Jesus is our King—from the Wise Men’s gifts, to His riding into Jerusalem during Holy Week, to His standing before Pilate beaten and bruised for our sins, to the sign above His forehead proclaiming Him our king. INRI means, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of Jews.”
That’s our King on the Cross answering for our sins. That’s our King with nails in His hands and feet. That’s our King dying for our crimes,(our sins). That’s our King with nails in His hands and feet.
Then come the holy lives—lives lived only for Him. It happens—even among us sinners. We may not see it, we may not believe it fully, we may see only our sins, but each day, every day, He’s working out our salvation for us in our living for others.
He is your King now. He is your king on the Last Day. It’s already true by faith and will be true on the day that you lay on your bed breathing your last. He’s your King here in time and hereafter in eternity and every day in between. Believe it for Jesus’ sake.
Let your kingdom come—even among us, Jesus. That’s what will make our Lent most joyful! You be our King, Jesus. We’ll be your people. Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen.