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Built to Last


 I live in a town called Hadleigh, one of the best things about my town (other than Costa, a McD's and the bus routes) is its castle, Hadleigh Castle. Today not much of it remains and it's effectively ruins, good for pigeon's nests and the odd bit of graffiti. The area around the Castle is owned by The Salvation Army and is well kept, and makes for great walks and bike rides, but as great as the castle looks or its surrounding is, it remains a ruin.

The English Heritage website says that it was Hubert de Burgh who built the castle and that he did so "as a statement of his power." It's interesting how humans like to build things to show off their power, to impress others or to make a name for ourselves, pointing to this desire within us all to leave a legacy, to be remembered. But what kind of legacy will we leave? What will I build with my life?

On Sunday I spoke on Matthew 16:13-18, a conversation between Jesus and his disciples, where Jesus asks his disciples who people thought he was, and after hearing their responses Jesus asked them the most pressing question, "who do you say I am?"

This conversation takes place in an interesting setting, Caesarea Philippi, a city built by Herod Philip, the local ruler and he named the city after the Roman Emperor and, yep you guessed it, himself.

It was in this city, built to stroke an ego, that Jesus has this private conversation with his disciples. Peter responds to Jesus question saying "you're the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." Jesus acknowledges Peter's reply and blesses him. In amongst this blessing Jesus reveals what he came to build, and it wasn't a city in his name, a palace or a castle, but His Church.

This phrase Jesus uses, my church, is an interesting one. The emphasis in the greek is on the 'my', Jesus sharing that it would be his church. But the word church can be a little misleading to modern ears too. We hear 'church' and perhaps picture our church, or a particular building or particular type of building, but the word church, ecclesia in greek meant 'people.' Its use in the greek translation of the Old Testament (basically the Bible of Jesus' day) was to refer to the people of God. So Jesus came to build a people, his people. A people built around who he was and is, the Messiah, and Son of the Living God.

Jesus says that Peter would be a key part of this new people, as would most of the other disciples, and later in a letter Peter would write, he shares that we who now believe in Jesus as Messiah and Son of the Living God are to be living stones in this construction of Jesus, with Jesus as the cornerstone (see 1 Peter 2, where I think Peter shares some of his understanding from this conversation he had with Jesus).

Kings, Queens and people of power build castles and palaces, towns and cities and plaster their name all over them to boost their ego and flex their muscles, yet the King of Kings came not to lift his name on a building but to be lifted up on a cross, so that people could be saved from the world that seeks to serve itself, that they could know Jesus as messiah and Son of the Living God and be built into a people. His people. The people of God.

Today as I looked at the horizon and saw the ruins of Hadleigh Castle I felt a burden lift off my shoulder. I've started a new role in ministry and it feels like there is a lot of building to come, from building team, to vision to even potentially a new church building. If it was down to me, at best I might be able to make something quite good for a little while, but eventually it would fade away, just like a castle. But if I lean on Jesus, and seek to be obedient to what he calls me to build, if I focus on people above things, things of the kingdom above the things of this world, then I have a chance of building something that will last, because it won't be mine, it will be HIS.

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