Is it a failure of our imagination? I heard Dr. It is so very difficult for us to work for that kingdom. It is so very hard for us to see the kingdom Jesus spoke about. We fall right into the kingdom of this world. We have so much to guide us and yet we easily fall into a way of living in the world that causes so much harm. And in the fullness of time you sent your only Son, born of a woman, to fulfill your Law, to open for us the way of freedom and peace.” Book of Common Prayer, p. Through prophets and sages you revealed your righteous Law. Again and again, you called us to return. But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust and we turned against one another. “From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill. Yet, somewhere along the way, the system became perverted, maybe you could even say corrupt. They lived in and in some cases created a system that they believed loved God and followed the commandments. The religious leaders of Jesus time were steadfast. He goes on to say what the people, including Pilate, must have assumed, “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.” He ends by saying, “My kingdom is not from here.” “My kingdom is not from this world,” he says. In Jesus usual way, instead of answering the question in a yes/no fashion, he opens up a whole new way of thinking. The claim was put forward by the powerful religious establishment who for a variety of reasons wanted to silence the teachings of Jesus. Such a claim would definitely challenge the power of Rome. Pilate is questioning Jesus, especially about the charge that Jesus is the King of the Jews. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is in front of Pontius Pilate. This horrific abuse was interpreted as following Jesus. The founders believed they were being good Christians by forcibly taking children away from their families, their homes, their culture, their spirituality and their language. As many of you probably know, the first such school was in Carlisle. In the past year, we have heard more about the boarding schools for children who were from indigenous nations in the United State and Canada. What in our ideology and traditions of our faith give rise to ugly and horrific things some people do in the name of Jesus? Jones’ point is that that this ideology and these traditions influence how Christianity is lived right now. At one point Jones states, “…that there may be something in the ideology and in the traditions themselves that gives rise to the ugly and horrific things some people do in its name.” (p. Jones uses his own background growing up in Mississippi in a Southern Baptist Church to detail how the church or at least the people in the pews perverted Christianity to uphold the supremacy of Whiteness, thus supporting the enslavement and torture of people who were not White. Not a lot is new, frankly however, the details in some cases are horrifying. Yet, this is a really tough book to read. Having the structure also helps me read the book. While the times the 5-session class meets don’t always work for me, I decided to sign up anyway and take advantage of what I could. Jones and this book, having watched a video of a presentation he made. It’s called White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity by Robert P. Recently I have been taking a course through the Stevenson School. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.’ John 18:36 If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. Last Sunday After Pentecost, proper 29, Year B, Track 2