12 Pentecost/Year A/August 23, 2020
Back to school Sunday & Uncommon Music Festival Guests
Psalm 138; Isaiah 51:1-6; Matthew 16: 13-20
The keys to the kingdom of heaven are in your hands now
It’s back to school time, all over the country now…And with this time of year, it is natural to have lots of questions…questions marked with perhaps fear and anxiety, but also questions full of hope and excitement….
Parents may be asking…what kind of school supplies their child will need? What will the bus schedule be like? Will their kids be able to keep up with schoolwork this year? Who will be their child’s teacher? Will their child have friends and be a good friend to other kids?
Kids may be wondering, too….who their teacher will be… Who will ride the bus with them? Will school be too hard or too easy this year? Will any of their friends be in their class? Will they make new friends this year?
Teachers might be asking themselves if they have all the supplies they need for their classroom…Does the classroom look and feel like a place of welcome for the students and parents? Will the kids come ready and eager to learn? Will they be able to make a difference in the lives of the children entrusted to their care and teaching this year?
So many more questions….That is certain.
So many more unanswered questions….That is certain.
Especially, as we are set to begin a new school year…in the midst of a pandemic…A pandemic that changed the end of school lessons and plans last spring, and is changing the landscape of what school is going to look like this year…in many ways…
So many questions…with so many uncertain answers…or clear direction…yet choices, decisions are needing to be made every day…
The good news, in the midst of so many uncertainties…is that we need not believe that we have to navigate these ever-changing, difficult decision making times, alone…we are not left to wrestle with life’s questions – big and small…alone…
God is with us always…and Jesus, came among us, to live as one of us…to reveal to us…the certainty of God’s love, living in us, and among us, uniting us to God, and one another, here on earth…and as we envision in heaven…
In today’s gospel…It is Peter who affirms this good news for us when he tells Jesus, that he believes…that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. It is Jesus who affirms this good news for us, in his response to Peter….
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 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.”
Jesus, came among us, as the living God…and placed the keys of the kingdom of heaven, in Peter’s hands…and is eager to place them in ours too…
Keys of the kingdom of heaven…that will open the doors and windows of our hearts and our minds… to follow the light of Jesus, and the way of love that Jesus taught and showed others throughout his lifetime…and as we learn today, and every time, in the hearing of the scriptures…
Keys of the kingdom of heaven, that help us to love one another, and reach out to one another, to offer companionship, compassion, friendship, kindness, encouragement, and joy-filled moments with one another…
Keys of the kingdom of heaven, that help us to seek justice and peace, among all people…and to seek Christ, in all persons, respecting the dignity of every human being…
Keys of the kingdom of heaven…that will assist us with all the questions, and unanswered questions, in our daily lives, and the choices and decisions we are faced with every day…
Throughout our entire lives, there will always be questions….many unanswered questions…
But that shouldn’t discourage us to stop asking questions, to stop seeking answers, to stop learning new things, or to give up hope…that the answers will ever come…ot that the dream of God’s beloved community will ever be realized…
I invite you today, to imagine Jesus, standing in front of you, asking you, Who do you say that I am?
Will we be as bold as Peter with our answer? “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
I pray that you will take a bold stand, and step out in faith and with a hope…that affirms this good news today….and open up your hands to receive this gift of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, that Jesus is eager to place in your hands….
And whether you are starting school soon, or starting something new, or just beginning a new day…. Give thanks to God with your whole heart for this gift, and use this gift, use these keys to open up your heart, to let God’s light shine in you…all around you…and wherever you go…
***Video of St Peter’s children/This Little light of Mine/Kathi Jones/Piano
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
*The Blessing at the end of the service… August 23
A Back to School Prayer (by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller)
Bless the school year ahead –
fill it with compassion for those making difficult decisions,
comfort to parents wondering how to manage home, work, and school,
and strength to teachers navigating new ways of learning.
Bless the school year ahead –
reminding us to see our neighbors as ourselves
and Christ in all that we meet.
Bless the school year ahead –
remembering that God always goes before us
and claims us as beloved children of God.
Bless the school year ahead –
trusting your grace in our lives
and hope for what is to come.
Be with us this year.
grant us your wisdom, Lord,
that we continue to seek it,
and look for signs of your love all around us.