Where I Would Like to Live

“Therefore, we must be thankful that we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Because we are thankful, we must serve God with fear and awe in a way that pleases him.” Hebrews 12:28

Our daughter Sarah told me recently that she wants to live in Minneapolis. “That just seems like the city for me,” she said. She was raised in North Dakota before moving with us to the Northwest just before high school. So, the familiarity of the territory combined with the fact her only niece lives there makes Minneapolis the obvious choice.

She asked me what city I would most want to live in. I hemmed and hawed a bit, partly because I have enjoyed almost everywhere I have lived based upon the friendships we made along the way. But finally I told her, “Berkeley, California.” I have loved the free-spirited nature of “Berzerkeley” from my high-school days. Our family would often make the 30 mile trip from Concord to hang out there on Saturdays.

I attended the grand opening of the amazing Berkeley Art Museum in 1970 and heard poet Richard Brautigan read. I haunted the shops up and down Telegraph Avenue, wandering up and down the aisles of basement stores. I got lost in the bins of used records and sheet music. It was there I first discovered the riveting and muscular music of Leadbelly. I had never heard guitar work like it, nor voice and lyrics that wouldn’t let go. I also discovered Tom Rush, a pioneer of the new folk music and incredible singer-songwriter.

It was at the Bishops, a coffee shop in Oakland, not far from Berkeley, that I got my start reading original poetry. It had open mike on Friday nights and I would wait my turn with a manila folder holding a dozen or so handwritten pages. It was scary business, but it helped me hone my skills. And it makes for beautiful memories over 40 years later.

But the Bishops is no more. I worked in Oakland in the early 80s and wanted to take some friends to see the old stage where I once sat. I was greatly saddened that it no longer existed. And the stores where I set up camp for long Saturday afternoons now house some other wares, who knows. At least the beautiful Art Museum remains. Today’s city is not the one I grew up with, even if many still think of it as “The People’s Republic of Berkeley”.

Things change. Coffee shops shut down. Stores are sold and become store front churches or furniture warehouses. Some of the buildings themselves have been razed and parking lots put in their place. It is true, if we put our heart in things of this world, we will find our heart broken.

God’s kingdom, though, cannot be shaken. More than a place we go, His kingdom is the way we live out our lives no matter our geographical location. King Jesus presides over the kingdoms of this world and will forever. Berkeley has changed. Nations have come and gone. Poets keep writing, artists keep drawing outside the lines, but even the best will someday be forgotten. I am deeply thankful that God’s kingdom, which He has prepared for those who love Him, is safe from the ravages of time and cultural change.

When I realize that God established His kingdom for the good of humankind, I am overtaken with awe. God didn’t need worship; He is secure in His “ego”. He doesn’t need to conquer nations, He already rules the universe. He does not need masses of followers to affirm greatness; He is already completely great within Himself.

No, His kingdom is for our benefit! He loves us. He created this entire world for us to populate and nurture. He made a world keenly established to keep us alive and offer every sort of pleasure and joy. Had sin not crept in, the universe would have been perfection. Even then, Father God chose to annihilate the infection of sin we caused, and allow us to enjoy all His kingdom’s benefits again.

As we trust in the forgiveness Christ offers through His death on the cross, we place ourselves at the very heart of God’s kingdom. It is about far more than becoming religious folks who no longer sleep in on Sunday and who offer pamphlets full of new rules to follow. We are people set free to live like members of the holy, pleasurable, love-filled and joyful kingdom of God. And that kingdom will never, ever be shaken!

Yes indeed, I stand in fear and awe that God has done such a thing for us who are so insignificant. Time to send Father God a few thank you notes, and dash off a handful to other members of His kingdom as well!