We celebrated my 22nd and Ben's 26th birthday last night. Again I was quietly surprised by something of the kingdom of God found amongst friends while enjoying food and each other.
During the meal as a part of saying 'grace' we ask each other where we've seen God during the past week.
Josh my friend and I got talking about this. We talked about community, family and friendships. Out of this came a discussion as to what the Kingdom is. We got cut off.
I would love to hear thoughts about it.
- What is the Kingdom of God?
- What does it look like, feel like, taste like, sound like?
- When have you seen it in the past week/month?
Please share with me Josh, Grubb, Kegs, Mark, Pangas, and anyone else. Share your thoughts
posted by Josh and Melody @ 12:23 pm
3 comments
3 Comments:
my experience of the kingdom is one of both extreme joy + extreme desperation + loneliness. the theology books tell me this is a shared experience by many. i wish to be where God is. i now see this world differently + a bit like waking up in the matrix, i can now see + notice what God is up to + what he is doing + i want to be a part of that. but i still feel like there is part of me missing that is only just starting to be filled. this means that there is great joy in what is to come but also sorrow at not being there yet.
looks like.. a high school assembly sitting in contemplation after a song has been played that has opened ppls souls + placed a new spirit into the room. ppl leave with smiles + laughter even thou they dont know what exactly is going on.
feels like.. when u are out on the rugby field. sometimes u r working ur bum off to get out of ur own end. sometimes ur winning easily + u can put it into cruise mode. there is crippling fear + there is great joy in victory.
tastes like.. josh's birthday feast cooked by monica.. man that was good!
sounds like.. 'Fight For Your Mind' Ben Harper album or edges guitar lick in 'Where The Streets Have No Name" or my upcoming album
smells like.. the boys after a nite on mexican + the beans
My experience of the kingdom is one of continual discovery. It looks like this! Err...wait, no...it looks like this. Umm...actually no it doesn't...
What I thought was the kingdom of God was actually the kingdom of men. Good men no doubt, but men caught up in maintaining the machine of church. So I have had to re-evaluate the kingdom and discover it hidden within both the ordinary and extraordinary.
I've discovered a God who is absolutely within and throughout ever fibre and substance of the world. Every word and sound is full, every picture tells a thousand words. The world is bursting at the seams with life, and I've been too blind to notice until now.
So here is where I've discovered the kingdom recently...
Looks like: A classroom of children blissfully unaware of the chaos and heartache outside the walls of their classroom. Their identities are safe and secure, they are part of a family, a community, a class. They are shielded from the world, and they place their complete trust in the adults around them who are shaping them for the future.
Feels like: Marriage. Incredibly high highs, difficult character-building lows. Unconditional love, regular experiences of joy, and a dash of everyday-ness. Trust, trust, trust.
Tastes like: Chunky beef pie with thick, life-sustaining gravy.
Sounds like: Dave McClain's pounding drums on the last Machine Head album, an unstoppable force of nature that will not be denied or resisted.
Also Poets of the Fall
"in our headlights, staring, bleak,
beer cans, deer's eyes
on the asphalt underneath,
our crushed plans and my lies
lonely street signs, powerlines,
they keep on flashing, flashing by"
There's something of a haunting loneliness that I feel in those lyrics. We were not made for this broken world. It's empty without God...so, so empty.
Smells like: Wet, freshly mowed grass after the rain.
Hi Josh and Mel.
How are fings? It seems fings change dramatically so quickly. But you don’t need me to tell you somefink like that. Congratulations on your new addition.
I thought I’d reply to your question regarding the kingdom. We spoke about it some time ago and I wanted to reply.
What is the kingdom, I arsked myself…
Already mentioned, I feel that kingdom is a journey of continual discovery … that the kingdom, or the feeling of it, has always been there, but it is only on your life journey that you discover things, experiences both large and small, that bring you closer to recognising it.
So what is kingdom? Sharing, family, friendship, love, faith, togetherness, unity. Working together to achieve a common goal. Community. Where does Mr. Allmighty fit into the picture? Accepting us and loving us unconditionally, regardless of creed, colour, gender or speech impediments, encouraging us through love to be able to love and accept ourselves and each other, no matter what.
After a recent death in my family, I felt that I needed to rethink the concept of the Kingdom. For me, what helped me and kept me strong through this journey was the support Mr. Allmighty and the incredible love of my family. Family is number one.
In sum, Kingdom:
Looks like… Flowers in full bloom in City Park.
Feels like… A group hug with the people most important to you.
Tastes like…A barbecue in Summer, just before the sun is going down.
Sounds like... ‘Daystar’, by former Tea Party front man Jeff Martin:
I am surrounded by a light that shines
In your eyes, I see my soul’s reprise
There’s so many things I need to tell you
There’s so many things I need to show you
That could take a while
I’ve seen daylight rising like a dove
The edges of twilight in the skies above
But nothing compares with what you gave me
I didn’t know that you could save me now
You knew all along
Smells like…Roses in spring.
Cheers,
Josh M
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