Description
By Rev Fr William Goh
Set of 4 cds
Talk 1. The Kingdom of God and Jesus
The most certain historical datum about Jesus’ life is His proclamation of the Kingdom of God. This was the central message of Jesus. Instead of preaching about God, He spoke about the Kingdom of God. Instead of defining who and what God is, He described Him in the way He relates to humanity. What is novel about the Kingdom of God is that it is totally and exclusively God’s doing. It is purely a gift from God to be accepted in gratitude and love. Whilst it is true that it is a gift, it is also a task, as one needs to welcome the Kingdom. This entails conversion and a change of life. In the final analysis, Jesus is the Kingdom of God in person by His teaching and activities. In Jesus, we see God’s reign and His unconditional love.
Talk 2. The Coming of God’s Kingdom: Within History, Beyond History or Here and Now
To appreciate better the message of the Kingdom of God, we must apprehend this theme from the background of the Old Testament’s idea of the Kingdom of God. Three perspectives of the Kingdom of God, namely, a national-political view of the Kingdom within this history; an apocalyptic view of the Kingdom in the next world; and an ethical notion of the Kingdom, give rise to two approaches to Christian life. Our spirituality is determined by how we see that Kingdom: either as a reality that is “Not Yet” and thus we live in the future; or as “Already” and therefore we seek to make it happen now.And then there are those who hold to the tension between the present and future of the Kingdom.
3. Characteristics of the Kingdom of God
During the time of Jesus, the Kingdom of God was understood by different people in various ways. It was understood primarily as a teaching concerned with the end time (eschatology). But is the Kingdom already present here and now? In what form is the Kingdom taking shape in our lives? The Kingdom of God concerns the present and the future of history. Although it is principally a religious message, it also has social and political implications.
Talk 4.Praying the Lord’s Prayer in the Context of the Kingdom of God
The central message of Jesus’ preaching and ministry is the Kingdom of God. Accordingly, anyone who wants God to reign in His life must welcome it through prayer and an active response. To assist us, Jesus gave us the “Our Father” as the pattern of all prayers. The Lord’s Prayer can be said to be the “Manifesto” of Christian Faith. To appreciate the power of this prayer as a summary of the Kingdom of God message, we must see it in the context of the coming of God’s Kingdom.
