Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Luke 31:31

A few weeks ago Jansen Bagwell taught about the Kingdom of God in my Order of Christian Initiation of Adults class that I am the Director of. When he teaches this class people are always surprised to learn that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of heaven are not exactly the same thing.

You see heaven is the place where we go after we die. It is a place where we there are no more tears and there is no more suffering. But the Kingdom of God is something Jesus tells us is near, or at hand.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2

This does mean that when we pray the Our Father we are asking for this Kingdom here on earth which most of us know. But as I have been delving into scripture lately, I have been focused on the Infancy Narratives. And I realized something. On the night of the Nativity, the Kingdom of God was at hand for some people chosen by God.

Of course, we know Mary and Joseph were two of those people. Mary in her sinlessness and Joseph, the righteous man, were chosen by God to take care of the Divine Child. So in this small cave in Bethlehem, the Kingdom of God came to be in the hands of Our humble Mother and the adoptive Father of Jesus. This cave, this humble beginning, was a place where all who entered trusted God the Father, despite what was going on around them in the world.

But it wasn’t just Mary and Joseph to whom the Kingdom of God came and resided. It was also the Shepherds. These simple men who did ordinary jobs must have had totally open hearts, and loved God because heaven came to earth and revealed itself to them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:812

I imagine these men were simple, they prayed and had deep relationship with the Lord. They had hearts that were open, and they spent time in his creation.

Heaven also revealed itself to the wise men. These men were learned and had intellect. They knew scripture and studied creation by looking at the sky. They left their home to find the Jewish King. They knelt in adoration of Him. They gave Him their wealth. They listened to the angel that warned them.

Two different sets of men that the Kingdom of God was revealed to. They were from different states in life, but they had hearts that were prepared. Because of this, they were able to gaze upon the Face of God, the Christ-child.

Their lives are a lesson for us. All of these people were prepared with open hearts that prayed, knew scripture, and paid attention to the signs. The birth of the Kingdom of God in a person gives way to spiritual path of maturity where a person can endure the worst of crosses.

As I look at the world today, I see their example and I seek to pray without ceasing and to have real face to face relationship. God is all about real relationship. When you have it with Him you are truly able to love others.

One thing we have to be cautious about is thinking that digital relationship is real. The Kingdom of God has never seemed more far away at times than in this digital age when we’re supposedly so connected. I hear more people complain of isolation and loneliness than I ever have before. I have seen so much loss of emotional control in people I come across. I don’t say this as judgment but observation. We make videos of ourselves, and we miss out on the real personal encounter. No doubt COVID added to this. It always amazes me how much more people will say online than we ever had happening when it wasn’t an option to do so.

Why am I saying all this? I am saying all this because I see that technology, though it can be used for good, can also, and more likely, make us feel like we are god. We have knowledge of good and evil and we often choose evil.

Artificial Intelligence can do everything faster and better than humans. But there’s something that is off. You only have to take a look at Christian AI art to see it. I was shopping for art the other day and I saw a surreally beautiful picture of Mary. But something was wrong. It only took me a second to notice she had 6 fingers. Another friend texted me a picture of Jesus;

Do you see it? He is missing His wounds.

Why is it that these super intelligent computers cannot get it exactly right? It is because these computers aren’t human. There is no personal relationship.

AI can even imitate our voices. Imagine the demonic getting a hold of it. And if it’s been so long since we had any real relationship, would we be fooled? It is why prayer from the heart is so necessary and why the Sacraments are so needed.

It’s not hard to imagine, given where we are now, to picture a time in the near future where we will be told that we have to have a chip implanted in our hand to buy and sell.

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,  so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom….Revelation 13:16-18

It will be a matter of convenience. We won’t have to worry about losing our wallet or our keys. It will be easier than the old way of doing things. We have been primed for it. We have lost sight of what the Shepherds and the Wise men had daily connection with; a relationship with God, a knowing of Scripture, and an awe of creation. The evil one can’t create but only mimic and mock. AI art shows me this, it doesn’t have the beauty of the hand that took hours to paint for love of God.

I hope none of this happens, but I felt compelled to warn that it might. The Kingdom of God is not a chip in our hand or more technology and connectivity. The Kingdom of God is a space where the Holy Spirit dwells and the person does God’s will. The Kingdom of God is meant to be here now. The Holy Family is where the Kingdom of God was at hand. We can strive to bring that Kingdom to our own families. We should not be afraid. Be prepared to love more which is a harder path.

Throughout His time on earth, Jesus revealed Himself to the lowly, the humble, the sinner who wanted to repent; the ones who knew that they weren’t God, who could admit when they were wrong, and who were open to the Creator. It’s perplexing to know it wasn’t the leaders of the religion at the time who saw who He was. I don’t think it is too much different today. While they didn’t have computers back then, the learned were often not wise like the wise men. They were fools, thinking they were god. Their intellect got in the way of their adoration of God.

This coming Christmas season, turn off the electronics and have some real connection. Pray daily and see your loved one’s face to face. Cooperate with the Lord for the Kingdom to be on earth as it is in heaven and watch the Lord pour out.

If you would like to purchase the Family Healing prayer book, The Queen’s Triumph, I co-authored with Ashley Blackburn, please click this link.