Church as Aperitif

Jesus didn't say a lot about the Church, which wasn't around - but he did say a lot about the Kingdom. So how are we to see God's Kingdom? Is this term just an image (or metaphor) any way? I think it probably is - as soon as we start talking about God we move beyond language. Kingdoms were around in Jesus time, and still are - and I fully accept it is a useful way of describing the possibilities that God offers. Church and Kingdom are not the same. The Church is within the Kingdom - at least, hopefully, most of it is - but the Kingdom is a lot more. There are other images that can be used to explain God's presence and possibilities, one of the most common - and very much there in the Bible - is that of a banquet, or party. There's quite a few stories of parties, and they are all indicative of the invitation God offers to fullness of life (John 10:10). If we see the Kingdom, or whatever other metaphor, we want to use as an indication of the experience of God's love and presence, then perhaps, recognising the immensity of the possibilities, we might suggest that the Church is an aperitif* or perhaps even a starter. The Church should whet our appetite for the wonders of God's love. Does it? *I am grateful to material provided by Roots relative to this coming Sunday (Pentecost 2008) for the aperitif idea.