Tangibility of the Kingdom

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.

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!"