Matthew 10:7  The kingdom of heaven is near.

Mark 1:15  The kingdom of God is near.

A friend and I were recently discussing where we are in relation to our walk with Christ and our relationship with God.  We know we live in this world, which is made up of kingdoms.  They may be run by dictators, presidents, congresses or parliaments, but it is a kingdom nonetheless.  Like it or not, we are subjects of them.

Jesus introduced the concept of a new kingdom, or at least a different kingdom.  The gospel writer Matthew exclusively quoted Jesus as saying the kingdom of heaven, while the other gospels refer to the kingdom of God.  Jesus prayed to God, “your kingdom come, your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10)  He once told the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)  The kingdom of God was inside the Pharisees? Really?  Look it up. When questioned by Pontius Pilate, Jesus responded with, “My kingdom is not of this world.”  (John 18:36)

So, do we have a kingdom here, a kingdom there (heaven), or a kingdom everywhere?

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We have a new president in the U.S., and I’ve been watching closely his actions the first couple of weeks in office.  Even though I didn’t vote for him, I certainly don’t want him to fail, because if the country loses, I lose.  I have observed, however, two thrusts of rhetoric right out of the starting gate.  One is a boasting of change (a campaign promise), supported by an immediate reversal of any administration policy set in place by the former “dreaded” Republican president.  Second is a complaint against partisan politics, like we didn’t have the same problem with the Democratic Congress under a Republican president.

Then I got to thinking how the many denominations within Christianity practice party politics for the sake of doctrine.  Unlike Congress the churches across denominational lines don’t have a corporate mandate to form a unified church.  Maybe they should. What if they set as their goal a willingness to examine what they believe and consider how it would benefit the nation (and world) for them to find and strengthen their common ground?

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When I arrived at a local business the other day, I greeted a friend of mine who works there with “Happy Holidays!”  Another employee walking up, having heard me, looked straight at my friend and said, “That’s just a fancy way of saying, ‘Merry Christmas.’”  I was in a hurry, so I didn’t engage in what could have been an interesting conversation.  But I felt that I had been gently rebuked by someone who probably thought that I wasn’t a Christian.

While I’m not certain of the underlying reason for his response, I’m well aware of the Christian Christmas politicking that we’ve come to expect this time of the year.  Down with Santa.  Up with the Baby Jesus.  Be openly offended by Merry Xmas, because the decadent commercialists have purposely taken Christ out of Christmas (even though there seem to be plenty of presents under that tree).  Like the sudden increase in police patrols seeking holiday drunks, churchgoers also beef up their yuletide protocol patrols.

How do I know this is happening?  Just count the number of coroplast yard signs that shout We Still Say Merry Christmas.

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For the Japanese it’s a mixture of Shinto and Buddhist religions.  Shinto seems relatively harmless, and even helpful, with the focus on family, nature and cleanliness.  They could lose the worship of deities and dead ancestors, though.  Buddhism is less a religion, but rather a self-help, clear-out-your-mind sort of thing. 

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