When We Get There, Will We Like God's Kingdom?

Today's meditation from The Rev. Dr. Michael Battle of CREDO:

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

I remember watching a Twilight Zone TV episode about a man who thought he was in heaven because he always got what he wanted. In the typical twists and turns of Twilight Zone episodes, the audience learns the moral lesson that it is precisely in getting everything that you want that you also get bored. The man discovered therefor that his boredom with food, sex, and wealth created his own hell.

In God's kingdom of heaven, we won't have this problem. The source of happiness will not be self-contained. God's kingdom continually converts us to God's whereabouts as we learn to love self through others. We'll be happier in ourselves as others also enjoy life to its fullest.

Finally, we come to the definitions and differences between the Kingdom of God and the church. The Kingdom of God is that place where our behavior and thought fully reflect our living in the presence of God; whereas, the church is the rough and tumble people of God on the way to this ideal state of being. The kingdom is the destination already in sight. The church is the van full of people trying to get there. God's kingdom beckons us to where God is- within us and outside us.

Let us pray,
O heavenly Father, who hast filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve thee with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.