“Give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter!” So demands Salome of King Herod during his infamous birthday party in the ominous story of John’s tragic death (Mark 6:14-29).

What we’re seeing in this story are two different worlds colliding – the Kingdom of God on the one hand and the darker, “worldly” world on the other. This Kingdom of God – which John the Baptist had been proclaiming and which Jesus would soon come to fulfill – stands in direct opposition to the darker world in which Herod lived. Herod’s world was built on money, worldly power, brutality, injustice and a complete disregard for the dignity and sanctity of human life. The Kingdom John proclaimed was based on repentance and righteousness. That was far too threatening for Herod, and John had to go in order for Herod to feel safe. Jesus himself would later become a victim of this same dark world of brutality and injustice.

We, too, live in time and place where these two worlds collide every day.

First, we are citizens of the Kingdom of God – we believe in and follow the Way of Jesus and strive to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. We try to love our neighbors with compassion, forgiveness, kindness, generosity and selflessness. This Kingdom deeply respects the dignity and sanctity of every human life and works for the good of the whole human community and all creation. It brings peace, hope and joy.

But there is another world out there – that darker, “worldly” world that is opposed to the Kingdom of God – a world based on pride, power, and selfishness. Materialism, greed, violence, injustice, inequality and chaos prevail. This world doesn’t particularly value all human life equally, and inflicts pain, suffering, destruction and meaninglessness on our lives.

These two worlds coexist and impact us daily – just watch the news or surf the internet. People treat each other with unimaginable cruelty at times – but they also reach out to one another just as often with the utmost compassion and love in the name of Jesus. And there’s everything in-between.

So where are we?

Hopefully none of us are quite like Herod, so swept away by pride and selfishness that we kill off the influence of God within us – but we’re not entirely innocent, either. As much as we condemn greed, injustice, materialism, etc., we are still tempted by those influences and the rewards they promise us. We still set Jesus aside from time to time and act with pride and selfishness, treat our neighbor unfairly or ignore his needs and suffering, make idols of our “stuff ” and take advantage of others in order to gain some benefit for ourselves. We sacrifice others’ good for our own.

One of our greatest temptations or failures, though, might be not recognizing or accepting the great power we actually receive from God because of our faith in Christ, and not appreciating how much of a threat our faithful selves might actually pose to that world of selfishness, suffering and injustice if we would only unleash the power of God’s love that abides in us. As Teilhard de Chardin famously said, “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”

Don’t try to ignore the evil or downplay the difficulty or pain our struggles with the darkness involve – they are very real. But also be assured that the grace and love of God will always hold us fast and carry us through. Ask God for the strength, the patience and the endurance to keep choosing his Kingdom and walking Jesus’ Way.

And know that even as we struggle, our faithfulness is a very real threat to the darkness in the world, and a light for others to see and know the presence and love of God.

We invite you to join us at Trinity as we strive to live more fully in the Kingdom of God. Sunday worship and Holy Communion are at 10a.m., 305 W. High Street, Eufaula, 918-689-2369.