On vacation in Ecuador I got to spend some time bird-watching. Bird-watching in Ecuador is a bit daunting. There are over 1600 species of birds. The definitive guidebook comes in two volumes. For every little bitty bird there were usually dozens of possibilities, depending on small and seemingly insignificant field markings. However, there was a short-cut! Of all the options there was often only one that lived in the area. I could identify the birds by context as much as by coloration. Context is essential in our Christian life, too, especially when we talk about Christian or godly dominion. Dominion is that circle of influence that you have. Godly dominion understands your dominion in the context of the Kingdom of God.

In today’s Old Testament reading Elijah receives instructions from the Lord: Anoint Hazael as king of Syria and Nimshi for Israel, but those thrones were already occupied by other people. Though these two were anointed, their kingdoms were not yet under their dominion. To understand what God meant let’s look at the context: Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The prophet’s oil on one’s head meant he had been chosen and empowered by God to exercise dominion in the land. It was his responsibility to live into that dominion in a godly way. God was saying, “I’ve given you the kingdom—now go make it happen.” The oil confers dominion as a sacred trust.

In the book of Galatians Paul is showing how w the law cannot reconcile us with God. We want to obey it but we just don’t; it only serves to show us how badly we need the forgiveness of Christ. Caught in our weakness, the law traps us in a dominion of slavery. In Christ we are free, so to be put back under the law forces us back into that dominion from which Christ set us free. But there is a context to our freedom. We are not totally free to do as we would. Instead of being under the Law we are now led by the Spirit, and the Spirit leads us into a new and holy dominion, the Kingdom of God, and into living that is consistent with that new dominion.

Finally, in the Gospel lesson Jesus sets out for Jerusalem where He will die. The road is shorter through Samaria, but the Samaritans, hearing He is going to Jerusalem, turn Him away. To the disciples, fire from heaven is the appropriate response. Then three men discuss discipleship with Jesus: One offers to follow Jesus, but Jesus questions his commitment. Jesus calls another, but the man turns away and Jesus rebukes his indecision. The third offers to follow Jesus conditionally, and Jesus flatly refuses to entertain conditions. How are we to understand all this? When the disciples want to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans some manuscripts add to Jesus’ response: “You do not know what spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” The purpose of Jesus’ dominion is to bring creation back into right relationship with God. Its context is the Kingdom of heaven. The small-mindedness of the Samaritans and the petty vengefulness of the disciples were just out of line, and the wishy-washy commitments of the three would not have endured the task.

But what does all this mean for us? As I said, anointing oil in the Old Testament always set apart someone and empowered them for a special function. Kings were to rule God’s people as an extension of God’s rule. Priests were to lead God’s people in worship as an extension of the worship of heaven. They were to exercise dominion as sacred trust. At our baptisms; with the anointing oil come the words, “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, and marked as Christ’s own forever.” In Revelation 5:9-10 the four living creatures and the 24 elders sing, "…You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." Our normal concept of the Christian walk is far too small. Being a Christian is a bigger idea than just creature comforts and social obligation. The Church of Jesus Christ is much more than merely a tool for social well-being. The dominion of Jesus nothing less than the Kingdom. In baptism Jesus confers dominion on us as an extension of that Kingdom. The Christian life is nothing less than God sharing with us the process of establishing His Kingdom, and your dominion, your influence in the world, is a manifestation of that Kingdom.

Let’s see just how big this thing is: First, get a sense of the setting of your life. For the American citizen overseas your passport documents your citizenship in the United States. What the United States means in the global community is wrapped up in that booklet. In the same way, your baptismal certificate documents your heavenly citizenship. All of heaven is behind you, not as somewhere you will eventually go when you die, but as the context of your whole current existence. The Church is the earthly headquarters for this Kingdom where you participate in it, get immersed in it, and are empowered to live it.

Second, get a sense of the direction of your life. There is a saying overseas that a Brit will walk into a pub like he owns the place, but an American will walk into it as if he doesn’t care who owns the place. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s our character, our DNA. In the same way, there is a way to exercise your dominion that reflects the character and ethos of the kingdom. The fruit of the Spirit of that Kingdom are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When you express these things you are walking by the Spirit. The Church is where you are taught how to walk by the Spirit by which we are all led.

Finally, get a sense of the boundaries of your life: When I came to the United States after High School I had an American passport, but I was not a good American. I was 18 years old without a driver’s license. I couldn’t tell you any pro football players’ names. I just didn’t fit in. If I wanted to fit in I had to set aside those things that distanced me from American culture, and learn those things that brought me closer. There are those things which assist in our pursuit of godly dominion and there are those that detract. It only makes sense to lay aside that which detracts and assume that which assists. It takes time, practice, patience and support. The Church is the place where you get support.

With a few exceptions, I believe our country’s founding fathers had a sense of the purposes of the Kingdom of Heaven, and sought to create a society whose dominion would extend the Kingdom of heaven. We can give thanks to God that these principles have exercised a quiet influence on our nation. However, any peoples’ expression of the Kingdom is a shadow, and not the Reality itself. We have done great evil in the past by imagining that our nation was the Kingdom of Heaven on earth instead of a signpost toward it. And we seem these days to be on the equally damaging opposite track of trying to purge ourselves of any underlying metaphysic that smells Christian. In the end let us remember that it is our duty to live in our heavenly kingdom, and to pray for our earthly one.

Fr. Paul Moore+