“My kingdom is not of this world.”  -Jesus of Nazareth

During this Nativity Fast, I was reminded of a quote made by N.T. Wright that goes something like “Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, but it is for this world.” What a wonderful summary of the Incarnation! Jesus’ kingdom doesn’t originate from nor is fueled by the same energies and economies of this world’s kingdoms.

And yet, his otherly-world kingdom is God’s remedy for the transformation and healing of this world. It spills over from God’s heavenly dimension into this broken earthly dimension. And it reconciles the great divorce between these two dimensions of God’s creation. It goes about stitching, as it were, the two layers of creation back together again until one day Jesus’ and the Church’s prayer will be ultimately realized in God’s New Creation when his kingdom will truly come on earth as it is in heaven.

My hope is that the two layers are being stitched together in my own life so I’m able to participate in God’s larger project in the world as well as become a person who will live naturally in his new world.