Known by Name, Given the Keys - Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost,

SummaryMother Suzanne draws from the gospel of Matthew to explore the deep, God-given longing within each of us to be truly known. Just as Peter's bold declaration of Jesus as Messiah unlocked a hinge moment in salvation history, our own willingness to be seen and known — by God and by one another — empowers us to live with purpose and intention. Through baptism and the Eucharist, we are given nothing less than the keys to the kingdom, and Mother Suzanne calls us to get busy and do something with them.THE GOSPEL Matthew 16:13‐20When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are theMessiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.