Revelation 21:1-6: A Call to Worship

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“Once, Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is among you.’”
(Luke 17:20-21)

See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them; 

The kin-dom of God is among us, but there is still work to be done!

God will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.

There are still tears and there is still needless death. We still inflict pain upon each other, and endlessly fight to be the first in power, prestige, and wealth.

The kin-dom of God is among us, but there is still work to be done!

 Glory to God, who grants us grace which enables our kin-dom building work. Glory to Jesus Christ, whose perfect love teaches us how to build the kin-dom of God. Glory to the Holy Spirit who nourishes our souls as we work. Amen.

"Church at the Square" led by Rev. Jonathan Grace (http://www.hpumc.org/citysquare-church/) is an open-air worship service in the courtyard of a complex in South Dallas who provides immediate and long-term assistance to the homeless of Dallas. (http://www.citysquare.org/) I think that this worship service, which is co-ventured by Highland Park UMC is an example of what kin-dom building looks like. After worship (which includes Holy Communion) there is a shared meal among the attendees of the service. (Photo credit to Rachel Woolf/The Dallas Morning News)

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