Lesson 2-3 "Building the Kingdom of God"

This lesson is several weeks in the future for me, since we have a January stake conference coming up, so this is more of a series of kind of unconnected thoughts on the topic. It seems to me that this is really two lessons for the price of one, one on the importance of sacrifice (which is what the resource discussion questions all focus on) and the other on the idea of the "kingdom" and building the kingdom.

Regarding the idea of sacrifice (see also Lesson 3-28, "Consecration and Sacrifice"):

Elder Quentin Cook's talk, "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" - the idea that being a member of the Church should be hard, that we do hard things as a people and within our families. We work hard, we value labor, we make financial sacrifices/tradeoffs to pay tithes and offerings, we accept callings/assignments which are hard, we prioritize the gospel above all else, giving up things that we highly prize in order to prove our worthiness, devotion, and love of God. The lesson's "stamp collection story" is a telling one, I think - President Kimball's remark that the prospective missionary would be blessed and would learn an important lesson from selling the one thing of value that he owned and prized in order to go on a mission. While decisions we make are rarely so clear-cut as that one, I think the principle of that story suggests us a lot about who we are as a people.

Consider contrasting the scripture in the suggested resources (Matt 19 - the rich young man who knew it was going to take selling all he had, and who just couldn't do it), with the story of the widow giving her two mites (Mark 12:42, Luke 21:2) which represented all she had. Have you, your ward, or your community had to give things up in order to send relief to Haiti this week, for example? Folks I know recently launched a website, inspired by the fast offering program, to encourage people to give up 2 meals a month and send those funds where they would be most needed. Giving away should feel like giving up. It should be going without so that others may have (And two meals is not a lot, I hope we are giving much more if we can).

Sacrifice brings material benefits, by redistributing wealth, but more importantly it also changes the giver's heart--which is what Christ seems to be after--and prepares us to be in God's presence. When my husband took up triathlon competition, he was a crummy swimmer. He learned that just trying harder in the water through brute force was tiring and inefficient. Instead, he had to work on small changes to body position that would reduce drag so he could slip through the water faster. Sacrifice is getting rid of the drag, shaving off the accumulated stuff (or, which is the same thing, the desire to accumulate) - it's putting the camel through the eye of the needle - we can arrive in God's presence without all the encrusted barnacles.

Regarding the idea of "kingdom" -

This is a term that we share with many Christians, but our understanding is somewhat different. For many Christians the "kingdom" was something Christ established, and something to look forward to during the millennium after the Second Coming. It is something to imagine, anticipate, and to prepare for - "thy kingdom come," as the Lord's prayer says (always looking forward into the future); Rev 11:15 "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (text used to great effect in the Hallelujah Chorus of the Messiah).

For us, however, the kingdom HAS come. It is now. We are in it. While we also look forward to the Second Coming, and anticipate that earthly governments will be done away with, we believe that the fulfillment of kingdom promises is not distant, but accomplished.

In fact, this idea that the kingdom is here and now is so basic to our beliefs that it's probably easy to overlook just how significant and unique it is. We are the kingdom builders, it's not left to trained, paid religious professionals. For better or worse, we are it. We are who the Lord's got. The buck stops here.

So what might it mean to build the kingdom? Consider these scriptures:

--Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes (Isaiah 54:2, also 3 Ne 22:2)

--Awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.(Moroni 10:31)

--For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments. (D&C 82:14).

I'm reading two things there - both 1) "making it bigger" - enlarging the borders to bring more into the fold (missionary work, embracing the new member, welcoming those on the fringes) and 2) "making it stronger" - increasing in charity, devotion, accepting and magnifying callings, making our wards and stakes the best they can be, helping the poor & needy among us, making ourselves spiritual giants through gospel study and covenant-keeping.

Time for me to break out the Lincoln logs for this lesson, or the Legos, or something - I can envision constructing some kind of building during the lesson as we discuss scriptures or quotes and add to a physical structure.

Other resources you might find helpful -

Elder Hales, "The Covenant of Baptism - to be in the kingdom and of the kingdom" - baptism is the gate into the kingdom, repentance is the way to stay on the strait path, and how as part of the kingdom we become “fellowcitizens with the saints” in the “household of God” (Eph 2:19) walking in a newness of life (Rom 6:4 - I love that scripture).

Elder Porter, "Building the Kingdom" through consecrated service in the Church.

Liahona VT message, Building the Kingdom (May 1993) - through kindness, bearing testimony, and being "of good cheer"

Segullah, "Male'yad," a discussion of the Hebrew word translated as "consecration," through one woman's reflections on a week of almsgiving

I'm reading in the book of Genesis this week - the creation story - and I realized, what did God do with the seventh day? He blessed and sanctified it. Two things - he blessed it, and then set it apart as holy. What do we do with the sacrament bread? We bless and sanctify it. Bless it, and then set it apart as holy and symbolic of the memory of Christ's suffering and redemption. What can we do, with God's help, in our lives? Bless and sanctify. My life is blessed by gospel covenants, and I can sanctify it for a divine mission - I can say, as many do throughout the scriptures - "Here am I, Lord" - send me. Give me a hammer, I'm ready to build.