Saturday 8 October 2022

A place in the Kindom of God

A couple of weeks ago, in a prayer book I came across a prayer which included the words "The Kindom of God". I don't remember anything else about what the prayer was about. Just that phrase from it.

I suspected, if I was honest, it may have been a typo (although have since been assured it wasn't and was entirely intended), but the term immediately struck me and stuck with me. I instantly knew I liked it as an alternative to the "Kingdom of God" a term with which I am deeply familiar but not entirely comfortable, both because of its gendering of God and of its association with authoritarianism, wealth and privilege ... none of which sits easily with my image of the kind of society God is calling us towards.

For me "kindom of God" implies humanity united across all its various divides as one family, drawn into oneness by love and by a mystery greater than and beyond ourselves and our understanding ... and as such sums up much of what I believe about what my faith calls me towards.

A quick google search showed me that others are already exploring using the term, but the squiggly red line beneath it here indicates it has not yet found a place in common parlance. It was new to me, gave me pause for thought, and is a word I will definitely be adding to my vocabulary for trying to make sense of the mystery of God, and so for what it worth, I am sharing it here to remind myself, and in case others find it helpful too.



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