Where?

Last night my wife, Tammy, and I had an interesting conversation.  The topic basically was, "Where do you see the Kingdom of God?"  It stemmed from her picking-up our son from Vacation Bible School where two boys prayed during the closing time.  When they finished, the room burst into applause and they literally were high-fiving people as they returned to their seats. 

It reminded me the many times I have been a part of a communion service full of kids during vacation Bible school.  It is loud and restless.  The kids pushed to see what was going on and then some were bashful when they final came to the point of receiving a pinch of bread and a drop of juice that represent to us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Following one of these services a retired clergy, Mike Young, came to me and said, "Communion needs to be like this more often on Sunday morning.  Noisy and energetic." 

Yes, I often brush-up against the divine and holy in private, quiet meditation, but somehow I do not see the Kingdom of God being very quiet.  Rather, I see it being noisy, energetic, a bit sweaty, and possibly dirty.  I say this because every time I go on a mission trip, I see the Kingdom of God.  When I see 100+ kids pushing to see what is going on and learning the stories of our faith, I see the Kingdom of God.  When I hear the stories Tammy tells from the Board meetings of the Women's Center, I hear a retelling of people who are working for the Kingdom.  Tammy says that she sees the Kingdom of God at the Downtown Y in Fort Worth where old white guys play basketball with young black guys. 

So, where do you see the Kingdom of God?