The Kaleidoscopic Kingdom

Early, on a kind Sunday morning, Jeremiah fiddled with the new toy in his lap on his way to church. He didn't quite understand it, as his father had only gifted it to him the night before and instructed him that it could only be used in the light of day. So, he sat and stared at the telescop— no, maybe one of those things pirates used to look at the ocean??? As he pondered at the bewildering shape in his hands, the august morning sun struck the backseat window in streams, flooding Jeremiah's eyes so that he squinted, but only a little. Jeremiah had always loved the morning sun, how it seemed to brighten the new day, every day, with wonder and life. His father thought the same. "Hey, Jeremiah, why don't you look through your new Kaleidoscope out the window." "Aha!" Jeremiah exclaimed. So that's what it was. A kalskydapope! Jeremiah now held his new toy with an air of kingship, just as one would hold a scepter or crown.

Slowly, as if he knew exactly what to do and expect, Jeremiah lifts the toy to his eye and points the large end of the kaleidoscope towards a — wait, that's the small end. He quickly flips the kalskydapope around, hoping that his mistake was unseen; his hope without prevail as his dad gives a knowing smile behind the wheel. Now that a new beam of light bounds excitedly through the trees, Jeremiah finds its path and meets it with the instrument's lens now held carefully in his hands. He falls uncharacteristically silent while the spectacle he finds seeps deep in his mind and his heart. He closely examines the collection of marvelous shapes and colors woven into the tapestry of his eye. He weighs a large fractal in his gaze that he finds particularly fascinating, noticing it has quite a rigid structure and is comprised of a quite bookish green. His focus quickly darts across the tapestry, learning of a bold and compelling shard of red. It seems to connect the rest of the fractals, not by choice but merely by the artist's design. Finally, before his dad announces they have arrived, he spots a small token of yellow that seems to not be significant at first glance. Still, Jeremiah cannot seem to take his eyes off of it before he is beckoned back into reality.

As he finds his way into church, he smiles, knowing he once again gets to see his friends. Of course, brother Andrew is greeting the congregation as they enter. He is easily the tallest man in the church, Jeremiah has noted, and he is always carrying a large bible with big letters because of his old eyes. As Jeremiah walks in, he compliments Andrew on his new coat this morning; it's a quite unique green, but one that Jeremiah is vaguely familiar with. He sits down eagerly, excited for the music this morning. The music was always Jeremiah's favorite. As they stood to worship, Jeremiah's other friend, Ezra, began to lead the church in a new song. Ezra had a bronzing voice, always filling the sanctuary with a hallelujah that raised even the lowest of spirits in the room. Today Ezra wore a very neat red sweatshirt, of which Jeremiah was the first to observe. After music, the congregation continued to worship through the teaching of God's word by Pastor John. Jeremiah knew they were in the gospel of Mark today, yet he couldn't seem to pay much attention because of a wonderful yellow dress two rows in front of him. The girl in the yellow dress was named Esther, something Jeremiah knew quite well yet never acted upon. Halfway through the sermon, she turned around and gave him a gentle, joyful smile. He smiled back in surprise, knowing he would never let that smile sneak out of his mind as long as he lived. Everyone in the church was like Andrew, Ezra, and Esther. They were all different, with different stories and colors and shapes. All are endowed with intimate beauty, as their creator makes no two alike. Just as the creator designed, they weave together to reflect eternal light through their individual stories, shapes, and colors, carefully shining as one Kaleidoscopic Kingdom.