In Earth

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven…

The Lord’s Prayer; the seamless string of words we memorize as a child when we’re learning the habit of prayer, the topic of many a midweek Bible study, and the lyrics to an innumerable amount of worship songs throughout the centuries. This prayer is full with the sweet familiar words of Jesus as He shows His disciples what a conversation with Him should sound like. And like other sweet, familiar phrases we hear, often we don’t pause to really listen to the words we’re hearing, speaking or singing. In this Christmas season, however, the excerpt above stirs and settles deep within my heart, particularly this phrase: in earth.

I hope that it isn’t hidden to you that the reason Jesus came was to reconcile the world to Himself; to afford you the opportunity of communion with His presence for eternity, and to afford Himself your affection. The birth of Jesus was not the end of the story. He came, burdened with the task to keep a certain and heavy appointment with death; the wages of sins that He, of course, did not commit. Even still, the birth of Jesus is inexplicably significant. The kingdom of God came and dwelled in earth.

It is notable enough that God Himself walked the earth upon which we now dwell, but that thought alone is not what causes my heart to swell with adoration. Heaven on earth is beautiful. Heaven in earth, however, is a treasure of worth beyond articulation. If you’ll visit the book of Genesis with me quickly, you’ll find in the latter portion of the first chapter, that God Himself stooped down to the dust of the earth to form man. Crafted then, both in the image of God and with the substance of the earth, God breathed life into Adam and he became a living soul. Man, you see then, has always been life clothed in earth. And the night that Mary held her newborn baby in her arms, the same God that crafted man of the earth, had robed Himself in that very same humble garment he wrapped around Adam. This was unlike any other miracle the Lord had performed before. This was the answer to His very own prayer. This was Heaven in earth.

The beauty and significance of this gesture doesn’t end in Bethlehem. Jesus walked in truth and love like only Heaven in earth could do. He healed and He forgave and He preached and He divided the pure of heart from the proud. He walked blameless, yet found Himself accused and convicted, and He willingly took the consequence of your sins. He purchased your freedom with His own blood. But, He still wasn’t finished. The heart of God still desired to see Heaven in earth. So, with anticipation of His ascension, He uttered the sweetest promise:

I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name shall teach you all things… (John 14:18, 26a)

Jesus promised to return to us in the form of the Holy Ghost; to be our comfort and our guidance. And He has kept His promise. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost was poured out for the very first time on a collection of one hundred twenty people gathered in an upper room, and just like that, the Church was born and Heaven was in earth again. This promise, was not just for those in attendance that day, but Acts 2:39 lets us know that it is for everyone; as many as the Lord may call to Him. The greatest gift we can receive this season is the gift of the Holy Ghost. The greatest gift we can give this season is receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We bless Jesus’ heart by allowing Heaven to dwell in the earthen vessel He has granted us stewardship over. (2 Cor. 4:7) We bless those around us when it is He, and not ourselves, alive in our hearts.

Friends, I challenge you today to invite His kingdom to come and His will to be done in earth as it is in Heaven.

Imagine the beautiful things that can bloom in your life when Heaven is planted in earth.