Pontius Pilate dealt with his dangerous enemy, the King of the Jews, by crucifying him. And isn't it fitting that what history remembers of Pontius Pilate has nothing to do with his empire, but instead, with his enemy. Empires that are built upon power, are doomed to fall. They have all failed in the past, and they will all fail in the future. This is the truth that Jesus brings. Empire is doomed not just because it is using the wrong means, like bomb vests or fear-mongering or censorship - it is doomed because it is chasing the wrong goal. In the kingdom of God, living freely in community IS the goal. Short term, power can seem to triumph. But the resurrection of Jesus from the dead shows us that the kingdom of God is the kingdom that will last forever, because it is built upon the freedom that results from love.
So as members of the kingdom of God, we can live under an empire and yet hold out hope! We can hold out hope that truth will prevail, even as we devote ourselves to the increasingly dangerous task of spreading that truth. We can hold out hope that freedom will prevail, even as we devote ourselves to the monumental effort of protecting that freedom. And we can hold out hope that love will prevail, even as we devote ourselves to the life of manifesting that love in Jesus' name. Yes, we live in empire, but we ALSO live in the kingdom of God! And we will continue to live in the kingdom of God long after the empire has been forgotten.
Gracious God, we thank you for making us members of your kingdom. Help us to live in your kingdom now, even as we live in the world, and strengthen our sense of community, in Jesus' name, amen.