December 1, 2024 "The Kingdom of God Is Already Here"

"Come, thou long expected Jesus," the old Christmas carol says. We anticipate the story of a vulnerable family, an ordinary family of no consequence, in a stable. We talk of the arrival of a king, *the* king, so that we might celebrate God becoming flesh and bone in the form of a baby. Commonly the kingdom of God is talked about in future tense. Many of us were raised to think of heaven as the kingdom of God. But the words of Jesus are clear: the kingdom of God is right here, right now. It isn't waiting to be built, it is waiting for us to participate in it. Like Jesus was already God before he arrived on earth to proclaim that his kingdom was here, we are already living in the kingdom now, we merely have to step into active work in it. Speaker: Tony Vis Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 http://bible.com/events/49356150