Keeper of the Keys

 

‘The keeper of the city keys
put shutters on the dreams…’

From ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ from the 1969 album ‘The Court of the Crimson King’ by  King Crimson.

 

 As with so many song words from the late 60s / early 70s (and not least in the ‘prog rock’ genre) Pete Sinfield’s lyrics for ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ are rather obscure (and somewhat flowery and overwrought for today’s tastes). However, the lyricist himself has suggested that the ‘Crimson King’ is a reference to the Devil. What is fairly evident in the whole of that album is that the various songs are depicting some kind of dystopia (past, present, or future? Who knows? Although perhaps all of these are envisaged). There is no care offered, people are abused, corrupt leaders exploit others; in other words, it is indeed as if people have become playthings of ‘the Devil’. And even the keeper of the keys has used his role to restrict and shut down the dreams of the people.

 

That image intrigues me. For I suspect that in many ways and in many situations, we each are ‘keepers of keys’ and may have the power to shut doors or open doors for others. We all have keys to open up possibilities for others or else to close them down.

 

What do we choose to do with this? Do we seek to limit and control, or do we offer liberation and possibilities? This is something we may wish to ponder in terms of our own close relationships or family settings, or else in our employment or voluntary associations, or in church (if we are part of it) and especially if we are church leaders, or again if we have a key leadership position in community or nation.

 

Do we open doors and unlock opportunities, or do we imprison, limit, deny, and shut off pathways for others?

 

In this Advent Season, there is another dimension to all of this. For we celebrate the One who has the Key of David and who opens the way to the coming Kingdom of God; Jesus Christ. If we are sometimes imprisoned and even imprison others, then he has opened the door!

 

As the Advent Antiphons have it (and you may recognise these from the version sung in the hymn ‘O Come, O come, Emmanuel’):

 

O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!

 

This is why he came, and this is what will happen when he comes again.

 

He is the Key that opens the door!