For
Sunday, August 27, 2023, Readings: Isaiah 51:1-6, Psalm 138, Romans
12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20
…but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended. [Isaiah 51:6b]
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart…your love endures for ever… [Psalm 138: 1a, 9b]
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God ~ what is good, acceptable, and perfect. [Romans 12:2]
And Jesus answered [Peter] "...I
will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in
heaven." [Matthew 16:17a, 19]
This reading from the Second
part of Isaiah, reminds the People of God’s Covenant with Israel of their
heritage, their origin in the call of Abraham and Sarah that flourished as a
nation through their offspring. They are also reminded of the coming comfort in
wasted areas, a renewing act of God that would make their past sufferings in defeat
and exile seem insignificant. Isaiah says to "Listen to me" so they would
hear of the justice and enlightenment coming from God to all in darkness.
However, he also promised that deliverance would come swiftly and that until
that time the Law was to be the pattern for their life.
Then Paul reminds us that we are one body in Christ with God-given, grace-filled gifts that we are to learn to identify ~ and accept ~ within ourselves and offer in service to God and to each other. In his words, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God…” he both admonishes and encourages us to look beyond ourselves to work together for God's purpose; to be the welcoming all-inclusive community of the many members, with the many gifts, by the many mercies of God in Christ.
When Jesus asks who others think he is, perhaps the disciples were wondering themselves if Jesus was some sort of re-incarnation of the prophets. It is Simon Peter who gets the prize for getting the answer correct. Peter ~ a name meaning the stone or rock in Greek ~ is then awarded the keys of the kingdom of heaven to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. Did Peter, in that moment, feel the enormous weight of the responsibility?
Then Paul reminds us that we are one body in Christ with God-given, grace-filled gifts that we are to learn to identify ~ and accept ~ within ourselves and offer in service to God and to each other. In his words, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God…” he both admonishes and encourages us to look beyond ourselves to work together for God's purpose; to be the welcoming all-inclusive community of the many members, with the many gifts, by the many mercies of God in Christ.
When Jesus asks who others think he is, perhaps the disciples were wondering themselves if Jesus was some sort of re-incarnation of the prophets. It is Simon Peter who gets the prize for getting the answer correct. Peter ~ a name meaning the stone or rock in Greek ~ is then awarded the keys of the kingdom of heaven to bind and loose on earth and in heaven. Did Peter, in that moment, feel the enormous weight of the responsibility?
Binding
and loosing is a rabbinical concept that, as Jews, the disciples ~
and Matthew ~ understood. In very simplistic terms it means a communal judgment
to bind as in obligation or to loosen that requirement to a matter of one’s
individual judgment.
Many of us feel either
a strong binding obligation, or at least a personal commitment, to present
ourselves for worship each Sunday ~ in person in the Church or by watching
online ~ but of course we are free to not attend or view. So what
does a true obligation to the work of Christ actually mean? That's
where discernment applies. Discovering what are and how to use
our particular gifts, as well as offering them in the sincere attempt to
follow God's will, is the work of a lifetime, as Paul says, our spiritual
worship, our living sacrifice. Our human gifts are the keys to
unlocking our spiritual gifts for our life that is now, the
living and breathing and acting and working through each and every day of the
life we have been given to live here on Earth. All that was, is now, and, all
that is now, will come again. It is up to us, individually and collectively, to
recognize the connections we share with the past and the future that help us to
decipher the signs that we are on the right path or diverging from it. To
paraphrase mystic/monk Thomas Merton's helpful and hopeful prayer that
begins, "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going...”*
Among the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, sincerity of purpose is one key to the binding of trust and the loosening of apprehension. Connecting the lessons of the past and the present is another key. And, the most important key is in the form of a question and it comes directly to us from Jesus himself. The key to what we each bind or loose in this life in this time and the one we must reflect upon, pray about, and ponder regularly, even as we assume and presume to simply “know.” It is how to answer when we come face-to-face with Jesus and he asks: Who do you think that I am?
Among the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, sincerity of purpose is one key to the binding of trust and the loosening of apprehension. Connecting the lessons of the past and the present is another key. And, the most important key is in the form of a question and it comes directly to us from Jesus himself. The key to what we each bind or loose in this life in this time and the one we must reflect upon, pray about, and ponder regularly, even as we assume and presume to simply “know.” It is how to answer when we come face-to-face with Jesus and he asks: Who do you think that I am?
* Thomas Merton's Prayer: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, our whole hearts now give You praise for our spiritual heritage in the roots of Abraham and Sarah, for Your strength given us when we called, for Your care for the lowly, and for all Your holy ways. Grant us each the continuing awareness of Your ever-enduring love, and gratefulness for the works of Your hands.
O Lord, our God
RESPONSE: Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, empower us to be vigorous in the pursuit of re-forming the attitudes, agendas, and actions from callous to compassionate on the part of the political leaders in the small and large areas of this World, this Country, and this Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, infuse hope, healing, and comfort in all who are lost in the grip of serious or life-threatening illness, in body, mind, or spirit, and to all who give of their strength in support. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, open wide the gates of heaven as You receive in joy, those we now commend to the bliss of eternal life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, we offer our special thanksgivings for those who guide us by their teaching, preaching, and prayers, to discern our own gifts and discover our path to all that is good and acceptable to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
The Celebrant adds: Lord of All That Is, awaken us each morning with eagerness to offer ourselves in service to Your Holy Will, to escape the snares of conforming to what is of this world, to transform our thoughts and actions through continuous renewal, and bind ourselves only to Your Kingdom in each and every day. We ask through Jesus, our Blessed Messiah; and the Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Advocate; who together with You are one God, loving, eternal, and everlasting. Amen.
Leader: ~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, our whole hearts now give You praise for our spiritual heritage in the roots of Abraham and Sarah, for Your strength given us when we called, for Your care for the lowly, and for all Your holy ways. Grant us each the continuing awareness of Your ever-enduring love, and gratefulness for the works of Your hands.
O Lord, our God
RESPONSE: Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, empower us to be vigorous in the pursuit of re-forming the attitudes, agendas, and actions from callous to compassionate on the part of the political leaders in the small and large areas of this World, this Country, and this Community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, infuse hope, healing, and comfort in all who are lost in the grip of serious or life-threatening illness, in body, mind, or spirit, and to all who give of their strength in support. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, open wide the gates of heaven as You receive in joy, those we now commend to the bliss of eternal life. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
~ O God of Love and Faithfulness, we offer our special thanksgivings for those who guide us by their teaching, preaching, and prayers, to discern our own gifts and discover our path to all that is good and acceptable to You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord, our God
Transform and Renew us
The Celebrant adds: Lord of All That Is, awaken us each morning with eagerness to offer ourselves in service to Your Holy Will, to escape the snares of conforming to what is of this world, to transform our thoughts and actions through continuous renewal, and bind ourselves only to Your Kingdom in each and every day. We ask through Jesus, our Blessed Messiah; and the Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Advocate; who together with You are one God, loving, eternal, and everlasting. Amen.
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