Last week we used the term, “kin-dom” in our litrugy at our Sunday gathering.
I received a few question as to why, so here’s why…
1. Gender Inclusivity – A “king” is a male. But in God’s paradise there is, as Paul once said, “neither male nor female…” All people are made in the Divine image. God’s reality is beyond gender constraints, in this case, those which elevate masculine power over others.
2. Non-Hierarchial – The wealthy often inherit their wealth, this is especially true with queens, kings, emperors and empresses. The power, wealth and control that they inherit is the power to help or harm, the power to give or hoard – we all know how this usualy turns out. Simply because of ones birth, one has power over others. But as we know, God shows no partiality, God is the divine spirit, not divine dictator. We’re in a family not an empirical system of domination.
3. Biblical – In the New Testament the word “kingdom” isn’t actually the best translation for what would more accurately portray what Jesus was saying, “commonwealth.” It was a word that essentially flipped off the rule of Caesar. The power dynamic is different for Jesus’ kin-dom, it wasn’t a power of coercion but equality. Caesar punishes, God heals, Caesar threatens, God invites. Comforting, nurturing, loving, and inspiring were not words ever used to describe Caesar’s kingdom but they are the perfect words for God’s kin-dom.