Reimagining the Kingdom

Have you ever looked for something and not found it, even though it wound up being right in front of your eyes all along?

Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, "Look, here it is!" or "There it is!" For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.'  - Luke 17:20-21

In parable after parable, Jesus tries to get his disciples to see something that is beyond their comprehension.  It is the kingdom they cannot see, with a king that doesn't look or act like a king.

The reason they don't get it is that they are trying too hard to see what they want to see.

Ironically, I think, Jesus was asking them to see things as a scientist would see them, to observe and report what they see, without prejudice, without preconceptions.

It's not easy to do.

The problem is, we all begin with a theory, an idea of what the outcome should look like, and then we test for the presence of that outcome.

But we can always find some evidence of what we are trying to prove.  That is why we have scientists on both sides of each issue, from climate change to the nature of life itself.

Owners of businesses do it.  If we believe we have a good product or service, we see evidence that supports it and we paint a glowing picture of future sales and prosperity.

Investors project the future continually, looking to capitalize on the evidence that the market will turn this way or that.

Developers and designers create products they imagine the consumers want or need.  If they build it, will we come?

We have to admit that we cannot be as objective as we think we are.

A hot topic these days is to reimagine things, like the car we drive.  The idea is to discover a new model, a new understanding, focusing on what is possible to achieve, like a car that drives us, rather than us having to drive it.

While that is an interesting concept, it may distract us from the truth.

What if we want to be the ones driving?

When we set out to reimagine the Church, we can't forget that we want to be the ones experiencing God's presence in our lives.  We need to stay involved, and not just be entertained or amused.

The kingdom is not something we need to invent in our image.  It is something we need to be a part of.

So, how do we find this kingdom that Jesus tells us is already here if we tend to see what we think we are looking for?

I think we need to stop looking and start listening. God is present and active in creation.  We are the ones who are deaf and blind.

So, when we come together to worship Him, why not let Him speak?

We may just get a glimpse of how God imagined us, rather than the other way around.

More to come...