Keys To The Kingdom

Ever get lost in the mundane tasks of daily living?  Ever wonder how significant your life is while you are changing diapers, stuck in traffic on the interstate, or washing dishes?  The mundane and seemingly "insignificant" are of more eternal value than you think!

Prayer

Jesus save us from our blindness to the magnficence of daily tasks!  Open our eyes to see the potential in every moment for love and grace, to see that all time is an opportunity for Your Kingdom to break into time, to crash into this broken world of ours.  Help us acknowledge Your presence in the kitchen, at work, in bed, in our cars, and everywhere we go.  In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we pray, amen.

Matthew 16: 15-19

Comments

Remember the first time you had car keys dropped into your hands with that thrilling jingle?  You had the power and authority to take the car!  You were the master of the engine, telling it where to go, how fast to go.  You had freedom and power, and your world of possibilities grew exponentially!  If you were like me, you also had to pay for gas and $3500 for the car! 

Jesus says some astounding things in today's passage.  He says to Peter,"I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind (tie to/connect) on earth will be bound (tied to/connected) in Heaven, and whatever you loose (untie/disconnect) on earth will be loosed (untied/disconnected) in heaven."  Peter has been given a measure of authority and power in the Kingdom of God!  The Church, the followers of Jesus on earth, in fact, have been given the authority and power to expand the Kingdom of God or to expel destructive influences from the Kingdom of God!  What power and freedom and possibilities open up for us, and what great responsibilities we now bear!

So what does this mean for people learning to follow Jesus today?  Among many things, it means there are no fans, no observers, no Jesus followers who can sit in the stands of life and cheer on "those other Christians" who are confronting sin and the evil powers of this world.  When we say "yes" to Jesus' invitation to "come follow me" we say yes to being participants in advancing his Kingdom.  That means we point out and celebrate what is good and right with the world (bind on earth what is heavenly!).  It also means that we confront sin and evil where we find it with the saving love of Jesus (loose on earth what is not of the Kingdom). 

We have an obligation now, a calling.  Our daily lives possess a great significance.  When we see love expressed in a thousand tiny ways (a kiss on the cheek, taking the garbage out, working to secure a livelihood for our families and to serve others, showing courtesy and kindness to others, putting a hamburger in the hands of the man with the sign near the overpass, a visit with a lonely person), we point it out and celebrate it, for it is a sign of the Kingdom of God among us.  And when we see abuse, dysfunction, destructive conflict, hunger, pain over a lost job, disease that causes suffering, greed that takes from others, we are called to point it out and help offer a counteractive solution. 

Unfortunately, this week's events at Penn State remind us of how vitally important it is to oppose sin.  With proper intervention and reporting of the alleged cases of abuse, it is likely that further abuse could have been prevented, the integrity of an institution and its people could have been preserved, and deeper trauma could have been avoided.  May God help all of us be more attentive to protecting the weak and powerless among us.

One final word about the passage this week that is vital for the hope of all creation is that the powers of death will not overcome the love we find in God's Kingdom.  Love really does win in the end.  Paul wrote "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor demons, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8: 38-39)." 

Life Questions:

1.  Where do I see sin and evil around me that I need to stand up to?
2.  Where do I see beauty and love and service to those in need in big or small ways that I need to celebrate?

Prayer:

Your Kingdom is at hand this moment!  Give us grace to enter it and grace to help you bring it more fully into this day we live in and into the lives we interact with!  Come, Lord Jesus!

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