Living in the Spirit
August 22, 2020
Scripture Reading:
Matthew 16:13-20
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘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.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
What do we think of when we hear the word “church?” The image that comes immediately to my mind is the church I currently attend. I then consider the churches I had participated in when I lived in various places. Finally, I flashed back to everything from a little one-room wooden structure I discovered on a hill in Austria to the Washington Cathedral and watching in horror Notre Dame Cathedral burn. My idea of a church is tied to buildings. I guess Jesus recognized that tendency in humans when he said and on this rock I will build my church in response to Peter confession of faith, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ That all too human reaction probably comes from the fact that food, clothing, and shelter are considered the necessities of life. Perhaps that is why Jesus chose the Last Supper as the symbol of his continuing presence with us.
Of course, the church is so much more than a building. The Greek word ekklésia translated here as “church” refers to an assembly of people. I like to speak of it as the Body of Christ in the world today. Strong’s* describes it as the universal (total) body of believers whom God calls out from the world and into His eternal kingdom.
We face grave consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic, over which we have little control, as it roars through our land. Some are doing the best they can to prevent and mitigate its impact while others are frozen in fear or are in denial. Climate change has picked up its pace as it produces more and more dangerous weather and its resulting repercussions. Some are realizing we have done too little, too late to curb its destruction. Not having the world operate the way we think it should causes us to turn on one another, forgetting to be the one Body of Christ in the world today. Bigotry and violence abound.
Loving God and loving like Jesus are the two responses we know work. Doing that together as the Body of Christ works the best. Depending on what translation one uses, the command “Fear Not” appears 365 times in the Bible.
Prayer: Lord, you have called us to be your Body active and engaged in loving the world into your eternal care. Help us renew our strength, so that we shall mount up with wings like eagles, run and not be weary, and walk and not faint** as you reignite our works of love. Amen.
*https://biblehub.com/greek/1577.htm
**Derives from Isaiah 40:31
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.