Anchoring Our Center of Gravity in the Kingdom of God

Bethel: The House of God

 

January 18, 2026

Stetson Memorial UMC

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-34

         

      

< Center of Gravity >

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is a joy to be back with you. I have deeply missed our fellowship over the past three weeks due to vacation, Covid, and the recent weather. As we gather again, I want to ask you a question that John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, famously asked in every small group or "class meeting": "How is your soul?"

He didn't ask this as a mere greeting. He asked it to check our spiritual health. Looking back over the past few weeks, how has your soul been? Were you calm like still waters, or were you like Peter, sinking into the waves of fear? Perhaps you felt more like a "Rolly-Poly" toy—pushed and prodded by life’s circumstances.

In this life, there are so many forces that threaten our stability: financial crises, distressing family news, uncertainty about the future, or the changing hearts of people we trust. Some people are completely shattered by even a small shock; they cannot escape the trauma or the hurt. However, others rise again like a Rolly-Poly toy. They possess a resilience that defies the gravity of despair. Why? Because they have a clear Center of Gravity.

As the Scripture says, "Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." I have a small toy that my children and I dearly love: a Balancing Eagle. This eagle can balance perfectly on the tip of a finger. It doesn't need to struggle to fly; it simply needs to align its beak—its center of gravity—upon the supporting finger. Today, through the Gospel of Matthew, we will discover where our center of gravity must be placed.

 

Matthew in Chosen 

<Matthew: A Life Re-Centered >

Consider Matthew(Levi), the author of the first Gospel. Before he met Jesus, he was a tax collector. In that society, tax collectors were viewed as traitors who extorted money from their own people to fund the oppressive Roman Empire. They were treated as lower than Gentiles and were often rejected even by their own families.

In the series The Chosen, we see a poignant portrayal of Matthew—a man isolated, treated as a sinner by everyone. But Jesus called this man. Jesus gave him a new center of gravity. Matthew realized that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. More importantly, he discovered that through Jesus, he could experience the "Kingdom of Heaven" right where he was.

Matthew’s Gospel is a comprehensive manual on this Kingdom. It begins by proving Jesus’ legal and historical right to the throne through His genealogy and the visit of the Magi. From the very start, the message was clear. John the Baptist cried out, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!" (Matt 3:2). When Jesus began His ministry, His first sermon was identical: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!" (Matt 4:17).

The Kingdom of Heaven: A Present and Future Reality

Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explains the Kingdom not just as a far-off destination, but as a present reality that dictates how we live today.

• In the Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7), Jesus teaches that the Kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit and that our righteousness must exceed that of the legalistic Pharisees. He commands us, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness" (6:33).
• Through Parables (Chapter 13), He describes the Kingdom as a mustard seed that grows, a hidden treasure worth selling everything for, and a net that gathers all kinds of fish. It is both a small beginning and a glorious end.
• In His Teaching on Greatness (Chapter 18), He tells us that the greatest in the Kingdom are those who humble themselves like little children. He promises that when two or three gather in His name, He is there—connecting earth to heaven.
• In the End-Times Teachings (Chapters 24-25), Jesus warns us to be like the ten bridesmaids who kept their lamps lit and like the faithful servants who used their talents. He reminds us that how we treat "the least of these" is how we treat the King Himself.

The ministry of Jesus begins and ends with the Kingdom. Yet, many people misunderstand this Kingdom. They either try to build it through human power or wait for it only after death.

 

Three Perspectives on the Kingdom

Pastor, author, and Professor  Young-Bong Kim categorizes how we view the Kingdom into three perspectives:

1. Christendom: This view seeks to establish God's rule through earthly institutions, laws, and culture. While it aims for transformation, it risks turning Christianity into a political ideology or an imperialistic power.
2. Celestial City: This is a purely eschatological view, much like The Pilgrim’s Progress. It sees this world as a sinking ship and focuses only on the "heavenly city" we reach after death. While it offers hope, it can lead to an "escapist faith" that ignores the suffering, climate crises, and injustices of our current world.
3. The Bethel Perspective: This is the biblical balance. When Jacob was fleeing from Esau, sleeping on a stone pillow in a barren wilderness, he saw a ladder reaching to heaven. He exclaimed, "Surely the Lord is in this place... this is the house of God (Bethel)."

The Kingdom of Heaven is not just a place we go to when we die; it is the reign of God that we "taste" here on earth. It is finding the "gate of heaven" in the middle of our "wilderness" moments.

 

< The Dream of Martin Luther King Jr. >

Tomorrow, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The world he dreamed of was not merely a "Christendom" of changed laws. He dreamed of a "Bethel" in the midst of the American wilderness of racial segregation. When he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, he was declaring that God’s justice could flow like a mighty stream even in a land filled with hate.

How did he rise again like a Rolly-Poly or a Balancing Eagle even when he was in Birmingham Jail or facing death threats? It was because his center of gravity was not anchored in human emotion or the hatred of his enemies. It was anchored in the love and justice of the Kingdom of God. He possessed the "Spirit of the Rolly-Poly." No matter how hard the world pushed him down, he bounced back because he had a massive spiritual weight at his core—the weight of God’s sovereignty.

 

< Seek the Kingdom and His righteousness >

Matthew 6:33 tells us: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness." In the original language, "first" implies an absolute priority.

As a mother, I tell my children not to eat desserts or sweets before a meal. Why? Because there is an order to nourishment. If you fill up on sugar, you lose your appetite for the nutrients that actually help you grow. In our spiritual diet, we often fill up on the "sweets" of worldly comfort, anxiety, or self-interest first. But Jesus says the "Main Dish" must be the Kingdom.

What does it mean to eat the Kingdom and His righteousness first? It means that when the storms of life push you, you don't react according to your fluctuating emotions. Instead, you do what God desires. If that means enduring with patience, you endure. If it means serving the "least of these" as if you were serving Christ, you serve with humility. It means tithing not just your money, but your time, your talents, and your very heart.

 

< Moving the Center >

Let us take a moment of silence to pray.

Lord, there are times when I am shaken by the winds of this world. There are moments when I fall, when I am tempted, and when my heart is broken. Forgive me for placing my center of gravity in temporary things. Help me to lift my eyes and see You, the one who upholds me.

Like Matthew, let my life be re-centered. Give me the "Rolly-Poly spirit" and the balance of the eagle. May my absolute priority be Your Kingdom and Your righteousness. As St. Augustine famously said, our lives remain restless until we move our center to You. Lord, grant us the grace to stand firm and rise again. Amen.

 

The Prayer of the Restless Heart -St. Augustine

 

Lord, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You. Grant us, O Lord, to know You, to love You, and to rejoice in You. Let the seeking of Your Kingdom be our first desire, that in finding You, we may find the peace that the world cannot give. Amen