'Keys of the Kingdom'
On Wednesday (17th July) we went along to see the ‘end of term play’ our granddaughter was taking part in, Year Six at Carglaze Primary School, St Austell, Cornwall. The play is a favourite for Key Stage Two children to perform, ‘The Pirates of the Curry Bean.’
This is a brief synopsis.
Anchors away and set sail for swashbuckling pirate adventure
on the high seas in this piratical musical that's sure to shake your booty!
Young twins Jack & Liza Periwinkle yearn for adventure, so imagine their
joy at discovering a real-life treasure map! But when the infamous Redbeard and
his pungent Pirates of the Curry Bean steal the map and kidnap their mother,
the race is on to rescue her, reclaim the map and find the treasure!
Accompanied by their faithful cat Fiddlesticks, the twins
join a mad admiral and his crazy crew on a voyage of adventure that takes them
from Old London Docks to the mysterious island of Lumbago in the sea of
Sciatica! Will they be first to find the treasure chest, or is a surprise
awaiting them that's even better than gold? With colourful characters,
sparkling songs and a witty script as sharp as a cutlass, this show is dripping
with piratical style!
Pirates of
the Curry Bean | Musical for KS2 Kids (musiclinedirect.com)
The Cornish accents also helped create the scene as did some
local references which are encouraged.
It was great fun and a delight to see Kerryn playing her
part along with the whole of Year Six.
Of course, there is a time when the treasure chest is found but it is locked and there is no key. And yet, one of the twins is carrying a strange locket that turns out to be the key.
This morning, (21st July) we joined the Church
Family of St John’s in Stafford. We were part of this Church Family for five
years and in some ways still are by extension. We travelled up on a Saturday to
join in the birthday celebrations of Anne, one of the Churchwardens, and a very dear friend, who
celebrates her eightieth birthday on Monday 22nd July. During refreshments afterwards (with birthday
cake) there was a bit of confusion over where the church keys had gone, the
ones Anne held, she had given them to
somebody who needed access somewhere. They turned up okay and all was sorted.
St John’s have just begun a Sermon Series on Hebrews, we
joined them on week two and Chapter 2 of Hebrews. However, rather than a detailed
exposition of Chapter 2 we had an explanation of the background to the Book of
Hebrews and why it may have been written and to whom it may have been written. The answer to these questions remains as conjectures
and the subject of ongoing scholarly debate. Therefore, we were offered one of
those conjectures that appears very plausible and certainly helps unlock
something of the complexity of this letter. (If indeed it is a letter, one
suggestion is that it is a ‘sermon’ with greetings at the end.)
In short, the author is unknown and several ‘candidates have
been suggested, including Priscilla and Aquila, which might account for the
lack of an ascription as to the author. As
to the recipients it was intriguingly suggested that the ‘Hebrews’ may have
been Jewish Christian living in Rome around AD 60 with Nero in the ascendancy
and Christian’s being treated badly and ostracised if not yet suffering open
and aggressive persecution. One way this ‘difficulty’ could be dealt with is
for the Jewish Christians to return to the Synagogue, duly recognised by Rome,
and publicly renounce faith in Jesus.
I found this ‘key’ to opening Hebrews very exciting and enlightening.
(The Bible Project
offers a great summation of Hebrews in this short video.)
Book
of Hebrews Summary | Watch an Overview Video (bibleproject.com)
One of the outstanding features of prison is the keys and
the importance of locking and unlocking, gates, door and cells. For me, after any prison visit, it is one of
those sounds that lingers in the memory.
In Psalm 84.10 we read,
‘Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.’
Not to put too fine a point on it, but simply put, some of those in our prisons have been living in ‘the tents of the wicked.’ Can we therefore become ‘doorkeepers’ and ‘key holders’ to enable them to move and come live in the ‘temple courts’ – in God’s presence. To discover there, the richest treasure of all time.
To discover that, ‘…we do not have a high priest (Jesus) who
is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.’ Hebrews 4.15
Stepping outside of prison what about those we meet in our
daily lives. Are we alert that God might be asking us to offer a word, a
resource, or something that would be a ‘key’ to a new understanding or maybe
even a new way of living. And are we
open and attentive to ‘keys’ that may be presented to us, such as I had this
morning regarding the Letter to the Hebrews.
Many Christians across
the world still suffer persecution to this day. And Hebrews is an encouragement
for them to remain faithful. For us though,
our ‘neglect’ of the Faith can come in more subtle ways, step by step we slowly
walk away as we are attracted by other things, maybe even by some of the perceived
treasures and trinkets available in the ‘tents of the wicked.’
We need to be wary of
this and, ‘… encourage one another daily, as long as it is called
"Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.’
Hebrews 3.13
And from Hebrews 10.24 ‘And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love and good deeds.’
Now, where did I put my keys!
