by Stassi Cramm

Council of Twelve Apostles

Jesus taught us how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer. His teaching was more than just what words to say. He also taught how to center one’s self in the presence of God. At the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, is the declaration about God’s reign on Earth, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NRSV). Through Jesus’ teaching we learn we have a role in bringing about God’s reign on Earth.

Often while we are waiting for God to bring about the vision of Zion or hoping to find God’s kingdom after death, we pray. We also pray God will bless what we already are doing. Sometimes, however, we don’t open ourselves to God’s guidance in what God already is blessing.

God waits for us to be available to do God’s will on Earth, to help bring about God’s reign here and now. We discover God’s will individually and collectively, gain courage to create zionic conditions, and give our whole selves to God’s purposes when we center ourselves in the presence of God. We center ourselves through prayer and other spiritual disciplines that help us connect with the Divine.

In our busy lives, we frequently let other tasks take priority over being with God. We read how Martha was “distracted by her many tasks” (Luke 10:40 NRSV). She became envious of Mary, who was spending high-quality time with Jesus. My initial conclusion was if we had a world of Marys, not much kingdom-building work would get done, but I have grown in my own discipleship.

I now understand how centering on and listening to God is the most important step for an effective disciple who promotes God’s reign on Earth. Our actions are the fruit of our sincere connections with God. Mission begins through encounter with God.

When I forget to spend time with God, I soon find myself overwhelmed with the impossible task of promoting God’s reign on Earth by creating zionic conditions where I live. I forget that pursuing God’s vision for the Earth is not just my call, but the call of everyone. I also forget that God is at the center of it. Most importantly, I forget that God is leading and guiding through the example of Jesus Christ and the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

I am invited to be part of God’s grand vision for the Earth. In response, I invite others to participate. I do not rely on my own intellect. Nor, do I work alone to make it happen. When I fail to listen to God, I become like Martha and grumble about what others are doing (or not doing). When I make time to be present with God, I serve with Martha’s energy and Mary’s heart.

Stewardship is the response of my people to the ministry of my Son and is required alike of all those who seek to build the kingdom.—Doctrine and Covenants 147:5a

As Apostle Richard James wrote, “When we encounter God’s love, we must respond.” We may still contribute to building the kingdom even when we do not routinely encounter God. However, the work often seems discouraging and exhausting.

Marva Dawn provides a model for kingdom-building work that demonstrates the balance between spending time with God and then acting out of this encounter:

A Sabbath way of life consists of resting in the kingdom’s grace, ceasing by grace those attitudes and actions that hinder the kingdom, feasting to radiate the grace-full splendor of the kingdom, and embracing the kingdom’s gracious purposes.

—The Sense of the Call: A Sabbath Way of Life

for Those Who Serve God, the Church, and the World

To live a Sabbath way of life is to be missional where missional is a sacred community of people “shaped and sent by their ongoing encounter with the Living Christ in relationship with one another and their neighbors, locally and globally” (Community of Christ, Leading Congregations in Mission project, 2012).

The Enduring Principle Pursuit of Peace (Shalom) reminds us:

The vision of Zion is to promote God’s reign on Earth, as proclaimed by Jesus Christ, through the leavening influence of just and peaceful communities.

When we neglect to spend quality time with God, we wait for God to make this vision happen. We forget that God waits for us. When we center our lives, God’s Spirit compels us to respond by claiming Christ’s mission as our mission. Three Mission Initiatives—Invite People to Christ; Abolish Poverty, End Suffering; and Pursue Peace on Earth—direct us on our mission to establish God’s reign.

We use the early church described in Acts as a model for how to work toward promoting the reign of God on Earth. For these disciples, following Christ’s mission began with encounter:

The way the early disciples lived mystified people around them…Their lives were governed by the reign of God and not by the press of politics or the call of culture. They were different because they chose to live their lives in obedience to and in the presence of God. Their radical love for God and neighbor resulted in dramatic actions that perplexed all who observed them.

…Their actions caught the world’s attention both positively and negatively, but their actions—like ours—were not calculated to bring a response; rather, their actions and ours are a response. A response to God’s amazing grace that has apprehended us in Jesus Christ. An amazing grace that accepts us, assures us, sustains us, and always holds us close in the embrace of divine love. Such radical grace prompts a radical response.

—Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck,

A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God

Doctrine and Covenants 163:3 counsels us on how to promote God’s reign in response to our centering on God’s grace and generosity:

Create pathways in the world for peace in Christ to be relationally and culturally incarnate. Be communities of generosity, justice, and peacefulness. Courageously challenge cultural, political, and religious trends that are contrary to the reconciling and restoring purposes of God. Pursue peace. Beware of that which seeks to harden one human heart against another by constructing walls of fear and prejudice and know it is not of God.

To embody the first four points, we must confess our part in the fifth point. This is where centering again helps us. As we listen to our Creator, who calls us, we can confess and repent of the times we were guilty of “hardening hearts” and “constructing walls,” both intentionally and unintentionally.

We live in a world where sin exists and blocks our pursuit of the cause of Zion. Sin distorts, destroys, and kills. It is personal and systemic. Some sin is obvious and easy to identify. Other sin is subtle and often mistaken for the status quo. Sin gains power through fear, hate, greed, and gluttony. Apathy and indifference also feed sin.

God’s love comes to us through the gift of Jesus Christ. Sin is our unwillingness to receive this gift. God lifts up humanity in the resurrection. Sin is our refusal to be lifted up. Sin is separation from God. None of us is free from sin.

Sin is all that stands between humanity and God’s reign on Earth. No wonder Jesus taught us to pray seeking and granting forgiveness: “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12 NRSV). It is also clear why Joseph Smith Jr. counseled:

…Even as you desire of me, so shall it be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation. Say nothing but repentance unto this generation: keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed.—Doctrine and Covenants 6:4

Our spiritual condition is connected to God’s reign on Earth. It wavers when we do not spend time with God:

The work of preparation and the perfection of my Saints go forward slowly, and zionic conditions are no further away nor any closer than the spiritual condition of my people justifies; but my word shall not fail, neither will my promises, for the foundation of the Lord standeth sure.—Doctrine and Covenants 140:5c–d

The good news is we don’t have to wait to be perfect to create zionic conditions. As we center on God, we are compelled to act in ways that bring forth the kingdom. Spending time with God changes who we are and how we respond through holistic stewardship to bring forth the kingdom in little and big ways.

I have seen glimpses of the vision of Zion where ordinary people—centered on God’s grace and love—accomplished extraordinary feats in the name of Christ. You may have experienced this, too. Look around.

When people center on God, they see one another and the world more like God does. They enthusiastically respond to make the world more like what God wants it to be. It’s just that simple.

Remember the Nephites? It was true for them:

And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people in all the land, but there were mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus.—IV Nephi 1:14

Across the generations, people have experienced moments of God’s reign on Earth. But we always lose it when we forget to stay centered by connecting continuously to God.

Our kingdom-building call is one of the many facets of Community of Christ that captures me. I love that we are bold enough to believe that with God we can make God’s reign on Earth happen. I hold onto this call during times of discouragement or frustration.

The call to promote God’s peaceable reign is part of who we are as a people. When listening to God is not our priority, we become complacent about the vision of Zion as if it is not about the here and now. We forget we have a significant role in bringing it to Earth. This makes the hope of Zion less compelling, and our sense of urgency diminishes.

Remember:

…The time for hesitation is past. …The call is for workers in the cause of Zion; therefore, neither tarry, nor doubt that I am. I know your perplexities and I am aware of your uncertainties, but if you will call upon my name my Spirit will go before you into whatsoever place you are sent and I will continue to bless you as you have need.

—Doctrine and Covenants 155:7–8

Yes, building Zion is about us all doing the work together. However, first, we must call on God’s name and be present with God. Then it’s “Onward to Zion” without hesitation!