To be God’s co-creators in new and wondrous ways;
That God with men and women may so transform the earth,
That love and peace and justice may give God’s kingdom
birth.
---Herbert O'Driscoll, 1989
“What are you waiting for?” “Don’t just stand there ---
DO something!” “Get a move on!” We are all
familiar with these statements, or with sentiments like them, but maybe not
related to the coming of the kingdom of God. When it comes to the kingdom, if
you are like me, the verb that most readily comes to mind is ‘wait’. Now, on a
scale of 1 to #makeithappen,
‘wait’ would seem to rate pretty low when it comes to action. Is
there a way to wait and take action simultaneously?
As I have listened to news today---not so different from
other days---of a troubled teen shooting two children and a teacher at an
elementary school, of yet another man of color shot and killed while surrounded
by law enforcement, of humanitarian efforts in an already shell-shocked country
being utterly destroyed by impersonal bombings---I pray for justice, and wonder
where love has got to in this hard world. But I drank my tea this morning out
of a mug traced with the answer. It says, “What does the Lord require of
you?” And I know the answer, and you know
the answer. And it is not just to pray for justice, or to wish for love. Micah
6:8 is not a #sitidlyby kind of
watchword. This verse enlivens how active our participation is to be in
ushering in the new kingdom --- we are invited, compelled really, to be
partners with God in unleashing love, peace, and justice in society to pave the
way for the coming kingdom!
What does the Lord require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
Wait on the Lord. But don’t just sit there!
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