An Extraordinary Key

​I have a lot of friends who think Jesus is really cool
but they have no interest in going to church.
​​You might be one of them?

The things I’ve heard people say (or pray) in the name of Jesus, leading up to and after the assault on our nation’s capitol help me understand my non-church going friend’s ambivalence about the Church. Sometimes I wonder if I would go to church if I weren’t the Pastor. I do feel obligated to show up on Sunday morning since it’s part of the job description . . . Or is it?
 
I wonder if “going to church” is what Jesus had in mind when he talked with Peter about his plans of building a church? He told Peter his church would be built on a rock; it would resist the forces of evil and stand against the gates of hell. If simply “going to church” was the point why did Jesus give Peter a set of keys to the “kingdom of Heaven?” These keys were intended to open life-giving forces that needed to be set loose in heaven and on earth. With the keys Peter could also lock down anything and everything that diminished life. I fear many church-going folk have forgotten the purpose of the keys.
 
I’ve been wondering here lately, “What are the keys that release blessing from heaven and bind evil on earth?” Psalm 85:10-11 helped me name two of the keys.
​

Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. 
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

Steadfast Love and Mercy is the name of one key to the kingdom of heaven. This is the key that casts out fear, sees the dignity in every human being, and is keenly aware when others lack what they need to live an abundant life. This key opens the heart to generous living, creating a desire to give of oneself to meet the needs of others. This key unlocks compassion and sets people free. With this key forgiveness is granted to those who offend; grace is extended to fill in the gap when another is unable to meet an obligation.
 
Righteousness and Peace is the name of the second key. This key opens the door of justice for all and affirms the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” With the key of Righteousness and Peace in our hands we will not rest until all forms of injustice are exposed. We will work diligently to lock down any form of evil that oppresses our fellow human beings. This key will bind all forms of racism, bigotry, social injustice, and hate.

When I read the red letters in my Bible I see Jesus paint a picture of a community that has the capacity to bring light to dark places, joy to those who mourn, hope to hopeless situations, release for the oppressed, freedom for the captive, and good news to the poor. It seems like “church” is more of a thing we do than a place we go. When I hear Jesus talk, it sounds like “church” is a community of ordinary people who are entrusted with a set of extraordinary keys.
 
That’s why I keep hanging out with a community of Jesus followers who focus their attention on the red letters in the Bible. I want to learn how to use these keys to the kingdom of Heaven. I want to know how to release the kind of mercy that sets people free. I want to stand with people who love justice and spend their lives binding up the forces of evil that oppress people and cause harm to our neighbors.
 
If you put me in a community of people who remember the purpose of the keys to the kingdom of Heaven I’ll go to the church meeting . . . even if I’m not the pastor.