with intention

I echo mike in saying that last night's gathering was excellent. we read from the lectionary and prayed the psalms. discussion centered around Matt. 16:13-20:

And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples
to tell no one that he was the Christ.

We questioned why Jesus would tell his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. In context of the surrounding verses it seemed to make sense to us that the jewish people (and even his disciples on some level) were expecting the coming messiah to be a violent revolutionary and that he would choose the way of power to overthrow the powers of their age. But Christ immediatly begins to tell his disciples about the way of suffering and servanthood. From that time Jesus went on to make clear to his disciples how he would have to go up to Jerusalem, and undergo much at the hands of those in authority and the chief priests and scribes, and be put to death, and the third day come again from the dead. So much to unpack here about our relationship to the powers of our day...

Discussion also surrounded the part about binding and loosing... and earth and heaven. The body of Christ reveals that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand through binding and loosing, through forgiving one another's sins, offering words of healing, bringing restoration, offering reconcilliation. If one would ask "so then where is this 'heaven' you say has come to earth?" we would offer them the body of Christ in the manifestations of these very tangible tasks of the body. These things are glimpses into the Kingdom... showing very practically that there is a NEW WAY TO BE HUMAN

thanks friends
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currently playing::Matisyahu