Blessed Be the Tie that Binds

When I was a young girl, I loved the ending of Sunday evening service because of its simplicity and lack of formality. We had a closing prayer then sang a chorus of "Blessed (blest) be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship, the kindred minds is like to that above." Then we separated into the evening air, leisurely walked to our cars and headed home to watch the Ed Sullivan Show and The Amazing Kreskin (Sp?). I still love that simple chorus, but I don't remember thinking about the depth or meaning of the words back then. After all, they are simple words. Aren't they?

Jesus spoke of binding things very simply, too. He said something like this, "Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven. Whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven." Today those words cause me to pause and say, hmmm..., I have questions. Is it significant that what is bound on earth comes first? Is that "whatever" as big as I think it is? If we're doing the binding and the loosing here, who's doing it there? Could it be a committee? Which leads me to the proverbial chicken and egg dilemma. See, just because something appears to be simple, doesn't mean it's not worth wrapping  your arms around. Hey, that's a form of binding, isn't it?

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:18

Peace. Love, Linda