A YEAR OF FIRST THINGS FIRST

But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness

and all these things will be added to you.
– Matthew 6:33

We open 2019 with a confidence that the Lord has led us to a verse to carry as a banner into the coming twelve months. This call from Jesus directs us to seek God’s Kingdom above all else. Attached to it is a promise that if we make the Lord’s priority our priority, he will provide for all that we need to sustain us in that quest. This past Sunday (January 6, 2019) I taught on this verse in the context of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and his life and ministry. If you were not here, you may want to check out the sermon online.

But practically, on a day-to-day basis, how can we seek the Kingdom? I ran across this quote from one of my favorite authors, NT Wright, taken from his book, Following Jesus. Dr. Wright gives many different examples of how things we can do in the course of our everyday lives can contribute to the expansion of the Kingdom that Jesus has brought near to us, and that will one day come in its fullness:

Every act of justice, every word of truth, every creation of genuine beauty, every act of sacrificial love, will be reaffirmed on the last day, in the new world. The poem that glimpses truth in a new way; the mug of tea given with gentleness to the down-and-out at the drop-in center; the setting aside of my own longings in order to support and cherish someone who depends on me; the piece of work done honestly and thoroughly; the prayer that comes from heart and mind together; all of these and many more are building blocks for the kingdom. We may not yet see how they will fit into God’s eventual structure, but the fact of the resurrection, of God’s glad reaffirmation of true humanness, assures us that they will.

So, first things first in the coming twelve months: Let’s seek God’s Kingdom as our highest priority in our life together as a congregation and also in our personal lives and families and network of relationships.

Blessings,

Pastor Rick