Kingdom of Heaven

I went and saw the new movie out, called Kingdom of Heaven starring Orlando Bloom. It was a great movie, good graphics and acting. Sometimes I’m bad at missing the point of movies and I usually grab things out of them that aren’t there. Jerusalem was a great place. It was a place where Christians and Muslims could worship in the same city and they tolerated each other. There were zealots of either faith that wanted the others out, but overall it was a beautiful place to live.

Eventually groups of Christians started rising up and killing off some of the neighboring Muslim communities. Then the Muslims attacked Jerusalem and took over the city and the Kingdom of Heaven was lost, to this day.

It is the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven that was drawing to me. Now this may raise some eyebrows, or may even cause some to pull out their knives, but what is so wrong with this idea of Kingdom of Heaven. Is it so ungodly to desire a place where I can worship Christ beside one who worships Mohammad or Buddha. I’m not saying I agree with their worship, or even that I encourage it, but what’s the big deal with having them worship around us? Is it intimidating? Are we scared they might convert our kids?

I think a big fault in our Christian thinking is the idea that we can’t be neighbors with those that aren’t the same as us. Maybe it started with other religions, but now it’s getting to the point that we want to tell homosexuals, alcoholics and pedophiles that they need to change before they can come into our presence. If we knew absolutely for certain that a certain homosexual would never turn straight, would that prohibit our love to that person or limit our welcome to him into our churches? The answer is for most of us that we would. Do we only do nice things to people in hopes that they find Jesus and then become a better person?

We are commanded to love people. Chris Lewis, my friend said this in his last blog. “we’re confident that love is the greatest commandment, not correction or rebuke.” That’s a pretty heavy statement to Christians like us. We all want to correct everyone to make them presentable to Christ as if we are already presentable the way we are. We all know the verse, “love your neighbor as yourself.” A lot of us don’t love ourselves properly. We gratify ourselves constantly and we put ourselves above everyone. Our methods of correction and pointing out people’s faults I’m sure stem from this unhealthy love for ourselves. We think we are high above everyone so we correct them and try to show them how to be as good and as holy as us. If we had a better love for ourselves, realizing our state, that we are sinner saved by grace. We don’t have it all together. We are as messed up as any homosexual drunkard pothead. We would start to love ourselves with that in mind and then we would start to love others with that in mind. Their faults wouldn’t be as much of a concern to us. Making sure we are loving them Christlike would be our concern.

I love Jesus. He showed us the way to go. He was worshiping God in the midst of the prostitutes and tax collectors (the biggest sinners of their time). While they were worshiping their money, or themselves or other humans Christ was worshipping God by loving them and showing them compassion. He didn’t go into their presence trying to make the tax collectors give all their money back and the prostitutes stop sleeping around. He ate with them. He wasn’t a pushover. He said it like it was. He offered what he had but he loved them and was around them more than the Christians.

It won’t be until we can worship on the street corners and gay bars till we are carrying out fully what Christ did. Why do we have such a desire and need to cleanse everyone and filter them of all hints of sin before they sit in the pews. The Kingdom of Heaven probably won’t be everyone worshiping different gods. At least here on earth though, my idea of the Kingdom of God is followers of Christ who are scared to be around someone who they don’t agree with and don’t feel a need to convert everyone to their way of seeing things because they feel uncomfortable and those that can love if they are different than us or not.