By Bernie Joyner

‘your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.’

In the famous novel, “Les Misérables” by Victor Hugo, Jean Valjean has been put in prison for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. Valjean is eventually released from prison, but not before becoming hardened and bitter. However, the kindness and forgiveness of a Bishop radically shifts his perspective and sets him on a different path. He assumes a new identity as Monsieur Madeleine and becomes a successful businessman and compassionate Mayor who tirelessly works to help those in need.

In Luke 17, when the Pharisees asked Jesus about the coming of the Kingdom of God, they expected the answer to include an overthrow of a physical kingdom due to the oppression they currently faced. However, Jesus shocks the Pharisees by saying, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed…” (Luke 17:20 ESV).

Author, philosopher and apologist, C.S. Lewis, offers a description of the Kingdom of God in his book “Mere Christianity”:

The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is to become a member of the New Creation, which is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not a place or a state of affairs that can be observed, but a present reality, which grows and becomes manifest through the change in the lives of those who accept Christ as King.

Change. No one likes change. If there is to be change, we would much prefer it didn’t affect or require anything substantial of us. In that way, we’re not much different than the Pharisees. If the waves are suddenly beyond the reach of my sand-covered toes, I’d prefer the tide to come back in rather than move my chair.  

Christ’s arrival marked the dawn of a new era. Before, the standard mode of operation was to spit and polish the veneer of the soul, hoping it would lead to righteousness. In His new covenant, Christ flips the script and says that change will be initiated from the inside and will work its way out. The new plan starts with His redemptive work on the Cross on our behalf. Then, out of profound gratitude, obedience and empowerment by the Spirit, we avail ourselves to gradual refinement.

In that light, “your kingdom come, your will be done” is the practice of internalizing and articulating a Heavenly desire for and a Heavenly submission to transformation.  By praying this, we’re confessing that our current shape doesn’t have the capacity to accomplish what He wants to do in and through us. So, by the power of the Spirit, we ask that He usher in the Kingdom by molding us into something other, so we can fulfill the purpose He intends.  

This isn’t just for our benefit. Our transformation becomes the evidence for us to be able to declare to others that “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7 ESV). As a church, we’ve been given a God-sized burden to see the center star, representing Middle Tennessee, on our state flag light up for His glory. To see the Kingdom come, we know it requires transformation and it begins with us. Our petition then becomes, “Change us so they might be changed.”

The assumed identity of Monsieur Madeleine by Jean Valjean was a facade and eventually was revealed as such. It was a decent vehicle for his new purpose, but on its own, it wasn’t sufficient for lasting change. However, the forgiveness he experienced created a deep gratitude that resulted in a longing for transformation. 

If we want to see the Kingdom come and His will done, here in Middle Tennessee, the Kingdom is and happens through us. Therefore, may our lives too affect countless others and endure for generations.