As I sat at breakfast with my friend, Pete, this morning, something came clear to me. One of the things that drew me to reading this book was the title - "The Tangible Kingdom." I grew up in a Southern Baptist church that didn't talk much about the tangibility of the kingdom of God. I grew up thinking that the Kingdom was much more cerebral...and even something that would come later, not necessarily something that was now. Part of this may have been by accident, but some was by design. As Baptists, we had a very strong aversion to works-based salvation. We believed, as do I today, that our salvation is not earned by good works, but by the grace of God's sacrifice of Jesus. It's a gift. However, this also kept us from ever really emphasizing the "good works" that are referenced in the book of James. I grew up thinking that the correct "good works" were going to Sunday School, going to church, reading the bible, giving to the church, going to discipleship training, going to visitation, going to prayer meetings and possibly going on a "mission trip" once a year.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tangibility of the Kingdom
Those all seem tangible, but not very Jesus-like. The tangible kingdom of God seems to be more about caring for the orphans and widows, giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, releasing captives and proclaiming freedom to those in chains. Today, it's the latter tangibility that I desire. I've tried the other and there was still a void left in me. I am now looking for more and am finding that more in opportunities to serve others - cookies to this neighbor, watching this neighbors house while on vacation, helping build a house for someone in need, helping repair a home for a family who can't do it themselves, gathering shoes for AIDS orphans or gathering supplies for those same kids. I even love walking through valleys of disease, wayward children, deaths of parents with those in my circle of community. I love the tangibility of hanging out with my community, in my neighborhood, of sitting at a friends bar on Sunday afternoon and him on the kitchen counter, talking about...it really doesn't even matter. It's people.
People are the tangible expression of the image of God, aren't they? If you think you can experience the kingdom of God apart from people, I believe you are missing it. But that's just me. "I would hate the ministry, if it weren't for the people!"
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Having been insistent on my being able to avoid people (church) and still have full fellowship with Christ I really think you hit it on the head Brad. For a long time I was able to commune with God without the junk of the church (slept in on Sundays, didn’t get forced into “serving”, or asked for $) but at some point I felt something was missing. Didn’t know what it was and when my wife got into a group years back I found myself jealous of it. Here I was on my own and she got to talk to people about God- it wasn’t fair. But being an introvert by nature it was easy to stay out of the way (don’t make eye contact, slip out right away, have her pick up the kids) and not get too close. It was only after I got into a group did I realize how much I had been missing. I was ruined by group and have struggled since then to get out of my shell and give of myself to others (I serve people all day at work and sometimes it’s really hard to want to have more contact with others).
The problem I’ve experienced with church is that we tend to circle up. The group dynamic changes but it usually ends up being about us and not those on the outside of the circle. It’s like a high school lunchroom where the lost are wandering around with their trays looking for a table to sit at. What happens is they sit together and get comforted by their own kind, and rarely does anyone ask them to sit down and eat. If we could just take a chance and pull up an extra chair or better yet go sit with the disenfranchised/the loners/the preps/whoever it is and listen. I know things would change- I’ve seen it in my life. Had I not been approached by my good friend Tom when I arrived in Houston almost 7 years ago I’m not sure where I would have landed. He reached out and made me feel welcome in a room full of strangers. He took a chance and I’m blessed because of it.
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