A Foretaste of the Kingdom

May 27, 2007. Pentecost Sunday. Global Day of Prayer. Glimpse of the Kingdom of God.

Pentecost was a reversal of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The people built a tower to the heavens to make a name for themselves, and God confused their language. Then he scattered them throughout the whole earth.

We too have been so scattered. Tribes fight against tribes (Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia); nations fight against nations (USA, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan). We have let the slightest differences divide us in radical ways, so we kill each other instead of living in unity. Unfortunately this is true of the church as well. We refuse to recognize each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, so my sister Thera cannot partake of the Eucharist with her Catholic students. My Orthodox brother Chris cannot celebrate Easter with his classmates. (And yes, my decision to use the words "sister" and "brother" was intentional.)

In the midst of daily division, the Global Day of Prayer was a brief sign and foretaste of the Kingdom of God. This event began as a result of a vision given to a man in South Africa. Beginning in his hometown, flaming arrows spread out into the rest of South Africa. From South Africa, flaming arrows spread to all of Africa, and from Africa, the arrows spread to the entire world. He gathered Christians in his city to pray, and the season of prayer and blessing, spread throughout the globe. On Pentecost Sunday, Christians gather to pray, in 205 countries and many languages. This is not just one more gathering of Christians who already think alike. It pushes our boundaries.

In Santa Barbara, CA, the Evangelical Prayer Breakfast organizes the logistics, and we are pushed to greater unity. As the pastors discuss which churches to invite, they are asked to view other denominations in full unity. Calvary Chapel is asked to accept the Catholic churches as Christians; a difficult task in view of their history. The United Methodists are asked to limit the service to those who confess Christ; a position contrary to their commitment to "open doors." The Catholics and Orthodox are asked to view the Protestants as members of the one body of Christ, a position difficult for those who believe that Protestants are in broken communion with the one true church. The Free Methodists are asked to be patient with their brothers and sisters who have difficulty recognizing the faith of the other groups. Somehow, though, the Global Day of Prayer service happens every year. The various churches commit their time, their people, and their buildings. They open their doors for Christians from all over the city to come and pray 24/7 for the week before Pentecost. Finally, they gather at the Sunken Gardens to praise God and pray.

This global gathering is a visible sign of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is a foretaste of what we will experience when Christ returns. By now the saying has become almost cliche: "When we arrive in heaven, we will find many we did not expect, and we will be missing some of those whom we did expect." The Global Day of Prayer enacts this saying; we would not expect our brothers and sisters from Calvary Chapel and the Catholic Church to have a part in the same service, "non-Christians" from their position. Their very presence in the service indicates an acceptance of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christianity by all involved, an acceptance that those whom we think are outside of God's grace may in fact be a part of his body.

Likewise, the divisions between tribes and languages becomes a mark of unity instead of one of division. When we break into small groups to pray, the circles include latinos, Asians, Caucasians, Africans, and Middle Easterners together, praying in their native languages. No one tells us to break into "diverse" groups; it is natural. Everyone is present to pray, and we are all praying to the one God with a united heart. Pastors from different ethnic churches lead us in prayer or translate for others. Languages and cultures are too weak to break the bond of Christ. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst overcomes our divisions because we are all obedient to the same One who has called us to follow our Savior alone.

Global Day of Prayer is true Pentecost, a time when those of all tribes, tongues, and nations gather together, pray the same prayer, and work as one body to seek God's face. We seek not as in Babel, to make a name for ourselves, but as the body of Christ, servants of the God who as taught us to seek him and to live as the Church. We are a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the kingdom of God.