“People [won’t] say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

— Luke 17:21

Here’s an old Bob Dylan lyric: “I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.” When I hear that, I first picture a foolish young man. He’s sure he knows what’s what. Then I picture a wise older man. Like a child, he embraces the mystery of what he doesn’t understand. Is that maybe how it is with the kingdom of God?

People were bringing little kids—even babies—to Jesus. Parents wanted Jesus to bless their little ones. But the disciples knew better: Jesus was busy with important stuff, grown-up stuff. There was no time to waste on little kids.

Well, Jesus set them straight, didn’t he? “Cut it out!” he said. “Let the kids come right here to me. Don’t you know that the kingdom of God is their kingdom? That God is their God?”

The kingdom of God is kids’ stuff. And if we grown-ups don’t add a bunch of big words and picky rules, then kids will see the kingdom for what it is. And they will welcome it the way they welcome a carnival or a snow day. When something so unexpected and so wonderful comes along, of course they’ll want to be a part of it!

If we grown-ups don’t feel the same way about the kingdom of God, we’ve most likely missed the point.

Come on, Jesus. Bring your kingdom. We want to ride all day for free! Amen.