Matthew 16:21-28
Proper 17 / Year A
Greetings my brothers and sisters in
Christ.
When I was five years old I won a
supermarket contest with a prize of $10.
As you might imagine I was itching to spend it, so off we went to a
local toy store. I fell in love with a
game called King of the Hill, a picture of which is in your bulletin. I remember distinctly it cost $5.99. I remember this because I thought you had to
have exact change to make a purchase. So
I said to my mother, “Can I trade you my $10 for $5.99?” Puzzled, she agreed and I bought my game.
The object of King of the Hill is to
move your marble up anyone of numerous circuitous paths. A spinner tells you how many spaces you get
to advance on your turn. Each space is a
little dimple in the path. Now, to make
the game more interesting, some spaces are holes. If this is where you land your marble
disappears into the mountain and reappears randomly at one of several tunnel
openings lower on the path. At the very
top of the mountain is a crown and the first person to get a marble to it is
the King of the Hill.
This simple children’s game provides
some insight into this morning’s reading from the gospel of Matthew. When Jesus tells his followers about the
challenges which await him in Jerusalem, Peter suggests nothing but good times
lie ahead. Surely someone as special as
Jesus will be subject only to special treatment. It is as if Peter is saying to Jesus “Your
marble will move right up the hill without a hiccup.” Jesus responds by saying, “If you want to be
my disciple you must pick up your cross and follow me.”
In this I hear him saying the way
forward in life will not always be easy.
There will be set backs, disappointments, failures, suffering, and (yes)
even death. You can’t avoid them. You can’t go around them. You just have to go through them. You just have to carry your cross, spin again
on your next turn and keep moving forward.
The good news is eventually, in the end, we are promised a crown of
glory which will never fade away.
I look forward to being with you all
next Sunday. Until then… be good… do
good… and go with God.
Keith+
