Sunday School 10 May 2020

Keys

Hello again everybody. Hope you are all well.

Do any of you have keys? Keys are important things as they help you to open up and lock things.

What type of things do we lock up?

Animals perhaps, precious items, money in a money box?

Perhaps you lock the house when you go out?

Keys help you to lock things in but they also help you to set things free.

Imagine how happy a little bird is when someone unlocks the cage it is in and sets it free to fly away into the wide and open sky.

Keys are precious especially the ones that set us free.

About 1824 years ago on a remote island called Patmos a man being held as a prisoner had a wonderful vision of Jesus.

The man was called John. He was very old and was suffering. He had been locked down on the island because he was a Christian and had to work hard in the hot mines by day and the nights were cold. He felt lonely as many of his friends had died and he wondered if the early church would survive.

Suddenly Jesus appeared to him and gave him hope. One of the things that Jesus said was

“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1 v 17 – 18)

What fantastic news!

Despite our sufferings and loss we are not locked into death and suffering forever. The risen Lord Jesus has the keys to set us free from death and the  pain that comes from doing wrong things.

He is the first and last, He fills  all things with his love, all beginnings all endings, all hurts, all joys, all trials and all victories.

Though times are hard at the moment let’s take encouragement from these words of our Lord that have endured through the centuries and reach us now in our remote island.

Let us Pray

Lord Jesus, thank you for the hope you put into our hearts.

Thank you that you rose from death victorious and hold the keys of death and suffering.

Set us free from fear today, unlock your grace and life to flow over us and help us to fly free in the power of your new life.

Though we may weep now or be sad we know that in you Love and life is the final word

Amen.