"Living in Two Kingdoms"

St. Paul reminds the Christians at Phillipi that their primary allegiance is to Christ. He writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (3:20) These words are still relevant for us today. This means that while we live in two kingdoms, we are called to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Additionally, we honor God-given authority of elected officials at every level of government.

God rules through His left-hand kingdom, the state, for the sake of the common good and to preserve peace and order amongst us. The response of the Christian to the state is to pray for those in all elected positions as God’s servants. We owe to the state what is required of us, such as respect, honor - even taxes.

Thanks be to God for His work through the right-hand kingdom, the Church. It is my prayer that our congregation members would demonstrate even greater zeal for their heavenly citizenship than our political allegiances. What we owe as citizens of Christ’s heavenly kingdom is our thanks and praise for His saving work. This means that there is great joy and celebration as the saints gather around Christ to praise Him for His gift of salvation. Each Divine Service reflects the throne room of heaven as seen in Revelation, chapters 4-5. The saints, angels, and all heavenly hosts lift their voices together to praise the Lamb who was slain, whose blood has ransomed people from every tribe, language, and nation.

We are thankful to God for the blessing that is this nation and the freedoms that we enjoy. However, it is a joy to look forward to the Church Triumphant which will be composed of people from every nation. May we be faithful as we live in both kingdoms and honor God and His gifts.

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan

Rev. Dr. R. Lee Hagan was born in Birmingham, Ala., and graduated from Concordia, Seward, Neb., in 1992. He holds both a Master of Divinity Degree (1996) and Doctorate of Ministry (2011) from Concordia Seminary. Hagan served as Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran in Concordia, Mo. (2002-2015) and was previously an Associate Pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Evansville, Ind. (1996-2002). He has been President of The Missouri District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod since June 2015. Hagan also served as Interim Director, LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission (2011-12), on numerous District Boards both in Missouri and Indiana, and during multiple Synodical Conventions as a delegate and on Floor Committees. He is married to Jill and they have two children.