Dude-- it's like. . . .

(Jesus) told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 

--Matthew 13:31-32

We recently commemorated the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in this country, and there have been many, many references to his famous speech, "I have a dream." All this got me to thinking about faith and dreams, and the role imagination takes in a believer's life.

Jesus told so many stories that began, "The Kingdom is like. . . ." It was his way of trying to communicate with his disciples-- and now with us-- what the Kingdom of God is really like. The Kingdom of God goes beyond what we can know; yet there are "touch-points," places where we can begin to make sense or understand the Kingdom, based on what we know about this place.

The Kingdom is like a teeny, tiny seed. It begins small, and takes root, and with proper nurture and care, grows ever stronger in the world.

The Kingdom is like leavening in a dough. A little bit, worked in to the dough, affects the whole batch. Good yeast, good bread. Bad yeast-- flat bread.

The Kingdom is like a treasure in a field, so valuable that a person would give up everything to have a part of it.

All those, and so many more ways in which the Kingdom of God is communicated by the Christ to those who would be part of the Kingdom.

My elephants, the reason I started this blog, offer another way to look at the Kingdom and prayers of the faithful. The Kingdom is like a living room, filled with friends and toothpicks and elephants in the attic.

I like that. It works for me-- but I wonder what works for you?

When you think of the Kingdom of God, how do you imagine it? What things or places or ideas in this world help you envision a Kingdom world?

The Kingdom of God is like . . . a beautiful green field on a perfect summer day? 

The crisp, pristine beauty of a snow-covered mountaintop? 

The sweet crunch of a perfect peach, juice dribbling down your chin on a hot afternoon?

A warm puppy in your lap?

All of the above?

Stop what you're doing for a few minutes. (You've already taken a blog break. I won't tell.) Close your eyes and think about the Kingdom, and how you imagine it. What makes it easier for you to understand what God is doing, in your life and in the world?

Now-- be Jesus for a minute. Can you state it in a sentence, and then explain it so someone else would begin to understand?

This is exactly what we are called to do: to communicate what God is doing in us so that those who do not understand, might come to desire what we've got in our hearts and lives.

And yes-- this is a challenge. Grab a pen, grab a journal. And today's writing prompt is "The Kingdom is like. . . ."

Pray. Now-- go. Write. Tell. Share.

The Kingdom news is like wildfire, spreading from one heart to another burning away the old deadwood, making way for fertile new growth. 

Thank you, God, for imagination, for we know there is nothing we can tell or believe that fully captures the greatness of your work, in us and in the world. Amen