As Christ followers, fresh from the “Alleluias” of Easter’s joy, resume daily routines, will the refueling of Resurrection Day and it’s news be proven to have emboldened us to live as the proverbial “Easter people”? Or will the gravity and bleakness of empire infiltrate our lives and overtake that joyous message? These are the questions I’m thinking about personally as a contemporary disciple of Jesus facing the age-old tension of living between the Kingdom of God and empire of today.
To state it another way, how can the residual effects of full Church sanctuaries, inspiring sermons and the uplifting music of Easter inject us with a booster shot that propels us to live something closer to the “Kingdom of God” than the anxiety and despair of today’s broken imperial system? Perhaps it’s too much to ask, but then again, maybe not.
The Resurrection bespeaks a triumphal death defeating Messiah who calls us into the fullness of abundant and everlasting life. This is life in God’s Kingdom where the reign and rule of the living Jesus is welcomed and celebrated – Christ is Risen!
In this Kingdom living we set aside the restraints and perilous news of the world, in favor of the ways of the living King Jesus. We are released from the magnet pull of overbearing messages via social media and traditional media outlets. Released to spend time with kindred siblings in Christ and focus on the ways of Christ himself. In this release we feel and affirm the defining identity of our “in Christ-ness” that both calls us apart and sends us forth.
We are “called apart” to be holy as Christ is holy. This is not a separatism motivated by any idea of being “holier than” others, but an identification with the risen One who says we are to be remade in His image or likeness. That image, I hope you will agree, is always other centered. Just consider all the “one another” messages of Jesus found in the scriptures.
We are “sent forth” with a message of hope and new life (Easter’s message) that should be more than able to counter the multitude of other messages empire thrusts before us. What are those imperial messages? In today’s world they are the stuff of tariffs and trade wars, stock market reports that resemble the gyrations of Richter scale swings, worries about cuts to societal services, and the bluster and chaos being caused by authoritarianism.
In some measure, we modern day “Easter people” find ourselves in like space with those of years before who sought to live Christ centered lives while inhabiting an imperial dominant world. True, we may not be at risk of becoming objects of coliseum entertainment standing opposite wild beasts, but there is something very unsettling in the winds and whims from those in power today.
So, to return to my query, how can this “kingdom of God living”, fueled by Resurrection Day’s recent proclamations of emancipation, more than propel us forward for just a short time? We don’t expect a repeat of attendance on “low Sunday” from the week prior. But surely that inspiration must have rubbed off or in, motivating new outlooks and practices that more closely mirror the Eastertide narrative than the tales of empire.
Theologically the challenge of this liminal space is oft described as life in the “already but not yet”. We’ve already tasted of the kingdom and seen that it is good, but our feet constantly feel the gravity of empire. The weight of this world, with it’s powers and principalities, seeks to tie us down to things that are opposite of God’s kingdom. Empire is a realm of “us” and “them”, in or out. It’s about power and influence, winning or losing. Empire draws strict lines and boundaries and continuously defines who had best live outside, and what few – usually only those of like thinking or looking – are welcome in.
Empire is of the earth, a limited and broken realm with limited resources, long abused by human mismanagement and poor stewardship. Empire is marred by war, violence and force. Empire is national and insular, selfish and self-centered. It’s the opposite of God’s kingdom and mostly dominated by the unholy trinity of “me, my, and mine”.
It’s easy to describe empire because it’s been the default setting of planet earth ever since the events of Genesis 3. It cyclically lifts it’s heads under various regimes and rulers, some of them even populously embraced. But make no mistake, the goals of empire are not for the populace but for those who reign.
When Jesus was asked by Pilate (representing empire) if he was a king (John 18:33), he responded “my kingdom is not of this world”. (John 18:36). This is an important distinction. Jesus did not deny that he was a king, nor did he say that his kingdom was not in this world. He said it was not of this world. Jesus’ kingdom, his reign and rule, is everywhere. It’s not defined by the physical limits of the earth. He came to this earth proclaiming the “kingdom of God/heaven” saying that it was present in Him. And that very kingdom, different from the kingdoms of this world, is to be in those who follow Him.
Jesus taught and spoke about the Kingdom of God more than any other topic in his earthly ministry. I would argue that it was the topic of his first sermon (Luke 4) and often the point of his parables. In proclaiming this message Jesus was/is bringing the Kingdom of God values and goals to the world. Through his death and resurrection Jesus enacted that kingdom’s victory over empire. The powers and principalities have been defeated, death is no more for those who know Christ – it’s sting has been obliterated. Our celebration of these truths at Easter was a reinforcement of their power and message. So too it should be a reminder that as Easter people we are called to represent and proclaim God’s kingdom ways. This may at times mean that we speak out against the injustices of empire. It may mean we dare to be of minority opinion when our Kingdom values differ from those of empire. It will require courage and determination. It will mean standing with those, as Jesus did, who are oft disenfranchised, overlooked, and vulnerable. But it is the work of our faith. Easter is about new life, yes, but that life is kingdom of God life and it begins when we say “yes” to Christ not just when we pass from this world into eternity.
May the breath of your “Alleluias” be the same that gives voice to your everyday proclamations of the Kingdom of God, which is already here in you and me and all who are part of the Christ following way.
© Daniel M. Cash 2025
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