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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
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Time After Pentecost – Lectionary 23 (A) Matthew 18:15-20 September 7, 2008 May grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God our heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. I was serving as the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church – a small congregation in Dayton, Ohio – when I first met Greg and his family. Greg, his wife Rebecca, and their two small children visited our church and soon joined. They became a very special part of our congregation in so many ways. They came to worship almost every Sunday – their six-year-old son Andrew especially loved coming up for the children’s sermon (and believe me, we loved him too because he was such a delightful character!). Greg was active in our men’s group, Rebecca in a women’s circle – and I can go on and on. They were more than just members – they became a beloved part of our congregational family. But then one day after they had been with us for two years, I received a letter from Greg which shocked me to the depths of my being. It was in August, 1997 – and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at its Churchwide Assembly had just rejected a proposal to enter into a “full communion” ecumenical relationship with the Episcopal Church. Greg, a former Episcopalian, was extremely upset about that and decided that he and his family could therefore no longer belong to the ELCA – which also meant, of course, that they were resigning from our congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church. I called Greg and asked if I could visit with him about this. Greg was cordial, and assured me that his issue was not with me or any of the members of the congregation – but also said that his decision was final – and that they would not be coming back. I shared Greg’s letter and an account of our subsequent phone conversation with our congregation council – and as you can imagine, their shock and sadness was every bit as great as mine. But together, we decided that although Greg and his family had decided to leave our congregation – we would still pray for them, reach out to them and let them know that we loved them, cared about them, and missed them. And that is what we did. In a number of ways we kept in contact with them. Many of us sent them Christmas cards, and also “get well” cards when one of their children became ill. Persons in our men’s group and also in the WELCA occasionally invited Greg and Rebecca to special activities that they had. One day, Rebecca saw me in a store and told me that they all really missed our church family, but that Greg was still stubborn in his insistence that they could no longer be a part of an ELCA congregation. I told her that we surely missed them too, and expressed my hope that somehow they would come back. And then one Sunday morning – the family showed up for worship. I will never forget how glad everyone was to see them! They were received with hugs and tears of joy! It truly was a holy moment, a real life experience in which all of us there shared the wonder of God’s reconciling love. I went to see them at their home the next day. After I shared how happy we were that they had come to worship, Greg said: “Pastor, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. I’ve come to realize that even when I might disagree with some decisions and actions of the church, what is really important is that we are a family. You and so many others at St. Paul have helped us to realize this. Thanks for not giving up on us – and we are so glad to be back home.” And this family has been “back home” ever since. Greg later was elected to the Congregation Council and also served a year as the congregation’s president. Yes, he – and we – learned that what is really important about the church is not that we agree about everything, but that we are a family – a family in Christ who love each other. I believe that this is what today’s gospel text is about. In our text, Jesus gives instructions about how to handle disagreement and conflict within the church – of what to do when “another member of the church sins against you.” Actually, this translation is a rather poor one – it is literally, “when your brother (or sister) sins…” The word “member” does not adequately convey the relationship Jesus is obviously referring to – that this person is someone whom we love and care about. Today’s gospel text has too often been misused as some kind of a legalistic order of discipline to be followed in the case of wrongdoing by someone in the church. We tend to focus upon words such as “fault”, “evidence”, and “offender” – with the implication that we are the ones who are in the right and that the other person is in the wrong – and that it is our “job” to get this person to repent or else drive him or her out of the church. But the ultimate purpose here is not to prove that the other “member” is wrong, but rather to seek healing and reconciliation with a brother or sister whom we love. As long as there is disagreement and conflict, the entire church community – the entire body of Christ – suffers. THAT is what Jesus is referring to in today’s gospel passage. Jesus is telling his disciples that when there is a problem, it should not be ignored and allowed to fester. Rather, if one of us has an issue with someone, we should go to that person and try to work things out – and not with an attitude of “I’m right and you’re wrong!” We should always have an understanding that perhaps we could be the one who may be wrong, or that perhaps both of us may be in some ways. The point here is that we need to listen to each other with love and with the hope that our issue can be resolved. If the issue is not resolved, then the next step is to seek the help of other Christian brothers and sisters – again, not with the purpose of trying to get “evidence” against the person – but rather with the hope that they may be able to assist us in resolving the issue when we are unable to do so by ourselves. And once again, when this step is taken, it should be with the understanding that we both may need to change some of our thinking and actions. And if even that step does not suffice, then Jesus says that the church – the entire community – should then be involved. But not with the intent of “judging” an “offender”. What Jesus is getting at here is that sometimes when we have a disagreement within our midst, a decision must be made by the community as a whole. And when the decision is made, then the one who has a different understanding has to decide whether he or she will listen to the community or – as initially in the case of Greg and his family at St. Paul Lutheran Church – decide that they can no longer be a part of the community. When a person excludes oneself from the church community, or when the church may have to exclude a person from its community because of his or her actions – no one ever “wins”. It is a painful sundering of the unity that Christ wants us to have with one another. Jesus says that such a person who is now outside of our community should be to us “as a Gentile and a tax collector”. This does not mean that we should look down upon or despise that person, but rather that we should continue to love and reach out to that person who is now outside of us – just as Jesus did to Gentiles and tax collectors and other “sinners” of his day – always with the hope that those who are now separated from us will eventually become a part of us again. That is what happened with Greg and his family at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Dayton, Ohio. Even though they were separated from us, our people kept loving and reaching out to them. And eventually, that love won them back. Greg never did agree with the ELCA’s decision (which eventually, of course, was changed – now we are in a “full communion” ecumenical relationship with the Episcopal Church), but Greg came to realize that our love for one another and our love for Jesus was more important than a disagreement on a particular issue. May we, like Greg, always remember this. Disagreements and conflicts may arise among us from time to time – but when Christ is in our midst our love for him and for each other will always keep binding us together. With Christ, may we keep on listening to each other, reaching out to each other, forgiving each other, and growing together in love. Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” May we always remember this in our life together. For Christ is here! Christ is here! Thanks be to God! Amen! -------------------- Pastor George R. Karres 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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