Can we really enter the kingdom of God that Jesus describes for us without imaginations? We must become like "children," Jesus says. The kingdom is for "those with ears to hear and eyes to see". We live into the kingdom as we hear the voice of God and respond faithfully. This response is not some mechanical, rule-oriented, do-this, don't do-that, ritualistic, works obedience to God's law. As a matter of fact God's law is not static and unmoving, but flowing, adaptable to all situations and grace oriented as what is in the best interests of His creation at any given moment. The response to God's Word as Jesus explained and demonstrated is mystical, relational, in connection with all things, cosmic in significance whether small or large, and simply organic in nature. We cannot confine God and His Word into some tablet, book of law or even a self-help manual for life. The Word of God is alive, free-flowing, and speaks to us dynamically through the voice of the Spirit. At the essence of kingdom living is love. As we learn to live and love imaginatively and fully, without holding back, without reserve, we find ourselves in another dimension of reality, one that moves and breathes with all of creation as a positive healing force. This alternate reality kingdom is not reserved for special buildings, groups of people, cultures or nations, but is open and available to any and all who make themselves available to God through His living Word, Jesus Christ.
"Lord, do not allow us to run through the pages of your Bible without, somewhere, encountering you... send your divine breath, your Holy Spirit, so that we may indeed commit ourselves to the deep and come to you across the waters. Give us a simple heart, able to marvel and leap at the sound of your voice, as children leap to the voice of their father... We beseech you: "Let us hear your voice!" - Raniero Cantalamessa
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