Shakespeare said ‘There’s a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the full leads on to greatness.’ This is true. Of Churches as well. The Bible speaks of this tide as the Kairos – the right time, the right place and circumstances. And when the time comes no topic pleases a preacher more – Toulouse and Raglan.

The Kairos in the passage we heard comes to Jesus in inauspicious, tragic circumstances. John the Baptist embarks on his final imprisonment and Jesus begins his public ministry. We can assume that Jesus knew from his study of God’s Word that as soon as the voice of God’s forerunner is extinguished, then the voice of God’s principal messenger must begin to be heard. But this Kairos involves Jesus in some househunting.

Now, our knowledge of the Old Testament is partial and limited because we think that God’s thoughts are like our thoughts. If we were to go househunting in order as this passage puts it to fulfil prophecy, we’d get on the first plane for Jerusalem international airport. Because at heart we’re all triumphalists. I few’re in Raglan we’re thinking of Cardiff. If we’re in Cardiff, we’re thinking of London. In London of New York. In New York, what’s the point of life? Get me a shrink!

But Jesus chose Galilee of the Gentiles. To fulfil a prophecy about God acting as a priority in favour of the downtrodden and the threatened. About God acting on the fringes away from the razzamatazz. I was reminded this week of that feature of God in connection with the career of David Shepherd. A leading England batsman, he could have given the biggest visibility to the church straight away. But his ministry was first in Canning Town of all places. And then in Liverpool of all other places.

Have you ever wondered about where you should settle? It’s more important to play your own role to the hilt than someone else’s role in borrowed armour. It’s more important to be in the right place than in a prominent place.  

So, Jesus is in Galilee of the Gentiles. Not much more prominent in scripture than Nazareth except for this prophecy in Isaiah. But having chosen the theatre of his early ministry, Jesus needs to choose the theme.

If your public ministry was to begin tomorrow, what would the message be, summed up in one pithy sentence? What fire is in your bones? Some social issue? The cushioning power of money? Family honour?

As far as Jesus is concerned, he doesn’t want to invent anything. Luke presents Jesus as the one who seeks and saves the lost. Matthew presents him as the greatest teacher of all time. But one, who doesn’t add to the law of Moses but affirms it and fulfils it. And those who heard John the Baptist cry behold the lamb of God are waiting eagerly. And Jesus opens his mouth and they’re astonished. It’s exactly the same message as that of John. Not very original. But Jesus is concerned not only to live in God’s place but to pass on God’s message faithfully. And in that John the Baptist too had been a faithful messenger, the message is identical: ‘Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near.’ Tony Blair said ‘Education, education, education.’ Jesus says, ‘Repent, Kingdom. Repent Kingdom. Repent Kingdom.’,

So what’s your message? If it’s different from that, watch out. Refocus. Let’s focus on that message in a little more detail.  

Repent. Surely that’s a minatory word? A manic street preacher word? A word to avoid? No, it’s a word of promise and invitation. It’s a word adressed by God to thinking, responsible humans. It means, Come on, change your mind. And because it’s adressed to us, there’s every supposition that the grace we need to change will be supplied as we need it. And the content of the promise is: ‘You’re not trapped in your thinking until you die.’ ‘You can change your mind about God.’ ‘You can change your mind about your life.’ ‘You can change your mind about behaviour.’ Bring it all into line: a life belonging to God, dedicated to his glory and fulfilling rather than destructive and with applause at the end rather than disgrace.

Now, this message is being preached by John the Baptist and by Jesus because something has changed. NOW the Kingdom of heaven is near.

Let’s look at this sentence for the rest of our time. But look out because lots of ink has been spilt and recklessly spilled on this topic.

First because of the phrase Kingdom of heaven. The key word in religious debate in the last fifty years.  We can be pretty certain of two things. First that Jesus is talking here about the Kingdom of God – Matthew is writing for a Jewish audience very reticent to use the name of God at all. Perhaps we should be a bit more cautious although a C of E vicar was criticised for his congregation for talking too much about God! But anyway, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of God.

Second, that the Kingdom of God is the most important element in the teaching of Jesus. A true instinct in theology. No pussyfooting – this is the key concept of Jesus ministry.

But after that? Is it a place? Should we cling onto the model of Christendom as an empire where the Church is able to impose what it perceives to be God’s rules. We examined this idea in ‘I know nothing’ this week and rejected it. When God’s people are in charge they often become judgemental, intolerant, intolerable and even murderous. History shows that.

What does it mean to say as Jesus does that the kingdom of God is near?

Is it near in time? There is certainly a change of regime which has come about with the coming of Jesus. We saw this week in one of the house groups – and incidentally, do join one – we saw this week that Paul talks about ‘the times being fulfilled. Mysteries kept secret for centuries being revealed. Particularly one: the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s plan and church.

Is it near in the person of Jesus. Yes, certainly, God’s rule is breaking into human history in the person of Jesus. And this is probably the best way of understanding the miracles of Jesus not as a systematic healing campaign designed to remove human hardship and disease but rather as signs of the presence of the kingdom with us in Jesus.

But the Kingdom of God is near also to the people who are listening to Jesus. As an opportunity. As a challenge and choise. In fact, Jesus once gave a variation of this statement when he says that ‘The Kingdom of God is within you.’ Granted that can also be translated ‘among you’ meaning that in Jesus God’s Kingship is moving around within the crowds of humanity. But it also means that individuals in that crowd are in a privileged position of being close to the kingdom. Not only in the sense of being able to observe it in Jesus and to listen to it in Jesus but also to begin to have God rule in their individual life. And then, the Kingdom of God becomes the motor of our lives from within. So what’s the motor of your life?

I spoke earlier about something having changed with the coming of Jesus. That challenge hasn’t changed back. It hasn’t been neutralised. I spoke to the primary school children this week about the telephone. God has restored the line. God is saying once again ‘I’d like to rule your life. Not as a despot and tyrant but as the opposite of all tyranny and despotism.’