成人快手

Good morning.聽 My family often tease me about the huge bunch of church keys I carry round like a stereotypical gaoler, but at least keeping them all-together makes them harder to lose. Keys maybe small in size but they鈥檙e hugely important for the smooth running of our lives.

They鈥檙e often seen as a symbol of power: I once knew a parish where a member of the congregation wielded tight control in her village by closely guarding access to the church key; so every baptism, wedding and funeral depended upon her willingness to unlock the doors. When a new vicar arrived, and opened another church building, lots of keys were cut for the new door, and given to many people in the community. The previous idea that, above-all the building needed to be protected, was suddenly transformed by a new understanding of church as a place of welcome.

Jesus says to Peter in Matthew鈥檚 Gospel, 鈥淚 will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven鈥� and gives him power to 鈥渂ind and loose things on earth and in heaven鈥�. These words are symbolised by two crossed keys used in papal coats of arms and in the heraldic shields of dioceses including my own in St Asaph. Although these keys have different functions: one unlocks, the other binds, intriguingly they鈥檙e both the same shape.

We start or stop engines and open or lock doors with the keys in our pockets. But we also figuratively open and close spaces and commence or halt activity by the way we allow and prevent people from having their say, coming close to us or contributing to whatever鈥檚 happening.

Living God, help me make wise choices today: Make me aware of the effect of what I say and do upon others, and enable me to be more responsive to the needs of those around me. Amen.