Matthew 18,15-20,2026<\/p>\n
God of Word and Wisdom, send us your Holy Spirit, so that by your light, we may see clearly what you call us to be and to do. Engage us by your truth so we know how best to follow Christ Jesus, your living Word.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This morning we sang:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are the hands and feet of Christ<\/p>\n
Serving by grace each other\u2019s need\u201d<\/p>\n
When we think of what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ we probably think of things like offering leadership in our congregations, helping with community groups that serve the needs of the disadvantaged, or speaking up for God\u2019s justice<\/p>\n
Our gospel lesson today gives us another way to be the hands and feet of Christ<\/p>\n
We are directed as to how to offer forgiveness<\/p>\n
What is there to be said about forgiveness?<\/p>\n
It is hard to do<\/p>\n
It is good to receive<\/p>\n
Jesus taught about it<\/p>\n
Forgiveness doesn\u2019t change the past but it does enlarge the future (Paul Boese)<\/p>\n
In looking about for what I could learn about forgiveness I discovered that forgiveness talk can have more to do with questions and less to do with answers<\/p>\n
This reminded me of the work of Walter Wink<\/p>\n
Wink developed a method known as Transformative Bible Study<\/p>\n
This involves not looking at scripture as a factual text, but as a text with which we engage<\/p>\n
One needs to be centred<\/p>\n
To listen to and ask questions<\/p>\n
As I worked with this text it seemed that in more than one place that I looked I was being directed to the questions<\/p>\n
In following Wink\u2019s method of Bible study we think about how our experience touches upon the experience of the text<\/p>\n
This can sound good to some and frightening to others<\/p>\n
Some of us expect that study will lead us to more information not to more investigation!<\/p>\n
For today, let\u2019s try that method in relation to today\u2019s gospel text<\/p>\n
What might it be like to be the one who had a problem in the story?<\/p>\n
What if you were the one who felt that someone in the congregation had sinned against you?<\/p>\n
How would you feel being told to go and talk to that one?<\/p>\n
What would it be like to know that you were going to talk to someone and quietly lay out the problem as you see it?<\/p>\n
Might the person be open to you?<\/p>\n
Or defensive?<\/p>\n
Or just plain angry?<\/p>\n
Have you ever done this?<\/p>\n
How did it work?<\/p>\n
Taking all those questions to the text, how does it read for you now?<\/p>\n
As I worked through this passage I remembered a synod meeting a few years ago<\/p>\n
We were in Pictou Co.<\/p>\n
New Glasgow I believe<\/p>\n
Laurence DeWolfe was preaching<\/p>\n
And he was touching on forgiveness<\/p>\n
He asked us to do a few things<\/p>\n
We were to pray for someone in the room<\/p>\n
And then we were invited to go stand beside someone with whom we needed to be reconciled, or had forgiven<\/p>\n
We were invited<\/em> to do so, not commanded<\/p>\n And we all just stood there<\/p>\n Later I was talking with a friend about the experience<\/p>\n I thought if the process was changed a bit<\/p>\n If we were all invited to pass the peace, or process forward<\/p>\n Maybe that would have helped the process<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t think so<\/p>\n We had 10 minutes or so to move, she said if we weren\u2019t going to do it in that time we weren\u2019t going to do it<\/p>\n I\u2019m still not convinced<\/p>\n I think that sometimes forgiveness needs to be helped<\/p>\n If we could have felt that we were in a room where forgiveness would have been supported rather than judged, what might have happened?<\/p>\n That is the story that came to my mind as I thought about what it would be like to be a part of the experience Jesus was describing<\/p>\n This is how I connected to the gospel story this week<\/p>\n What about you? Or maybe you haven\u2019t connected yet<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus has given a list of things to do when there are problems in community<\/p>\n First he says, go talk to the person<\/p>\n Now this is not, go tell the person what others are saying about him or her<\/p>\n And it is not go talk about that person<\/p>\n It is talk to the one who has wronged you<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus goes on to say<\/p>\n If the member listens to you, you have regained that one<\/p>\n What does Jesus mean by regained?<\/p>\n How might being listened to affect the way the two people would interact?<\/p>\n How much courage would it take to approach someone with whom you have a difference?<\/p>\n How much courage would it take to accept the word of someone who felt you had sinned against him or her?<\/p>\n Is there anything that comes to your mind as those questions are raised?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The lesson continues and we read:<\/p>\n But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you so that every word might be confirmed<\/p>\n We know that we who know new life in Jesus are called to live together, in community, in harmony<\/p>\n And it is not always easy to get along with other people<\/p>\n And so Jesus tells us that if going to talk to someone 1:1 should not lead to reconciliation<\/p>\n We are to take one or two others with us so that in the presence of others you may work together toward reconciliation<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The others are there as a witness to what is said, not to take sides<\/p>\n They are part of the community too<\/p>\n They are not there to weigh evidence, but to support the reconciliation<\/p>\n Jesus is not instructing us to bring witnesses to testify against our “brother” who has sinned against us,<\/p>\n but to testify to the exchange between brother and sister.<\/p>\n This is not just about safety in numbers, but the safety of the numbers.<\/p>\n The health and welfare of the community are part and parcel of the problem of sin between two of the community’s individual parts.<\/p>\n At each point along the way, from the start as two individuals are together to the inclusion of witnesses and supporter to the involvement of the assembly as a whole, there is something else at stake.\u00a0 (Karl Jacobson The Text This Week)<\/p>\n How would that be?<\/p>\n To be in a room with one who disagrees with you and two who support you both?<\/p>\n How likely would it be that such a gathering could happen?<\/p>\n In the incident that I mentioned earlier that happened at synod,<\/p>\n it was concern over what people would think that kept me in my seat.<\/p>\n How would our ability to be reconciled to one another be affected if we believed that the community would support us completely?<\/p>\n Jesus then says, that if that one still refuses to listen, let the offender be as a tax gatherer or a Gentile<\/p>\n And how did Jesus treat the tax gatherers and Gentiles?<\/p>\n There are at least 2 takes on this passage<\/p>\n There are those who feel that to treat someone like a Gentile or a tax collector is to wash your hands of that one<\/p>\n This is not a light statement<\/p>\n This comes from understanding the view that the Jewish people and the early followers of Jesus would have had re Gentiles and tax collectors<\/p>\n Gentiles were those who were outside of the covenant<\/p>\n They were not people with whom you broke bread, or with whom you worshipped<\/p>\n They were outside of your notice<\/p>\n The tax collectors were even worse<\/p>\n They were employed by the conquering Roman government to collect taxes from the residents of Israel and Judah<\/p>\n While Gentiles were looked at askance, the tax collectors were held in even lower regard<\/p>\n And Jesus said, treat those with whom you can\u2019t be reconciled like a Gentile or a tax collector<\/p>\n Some commentators suggest that there is a point of no return for some members of the community of faith<\/p>\n If a place of compromise or agreement can\u2019t be reached, then the solution is to exclude that one<\/p>\n It is a solution that appeals to the human condition<\/p>\n Just put that one outside your circle of notice<\/p>\n In reality this rarely happens<\/p>\n It seems that those we try to shun, occupy as much of our attention as those we want to keep as friends<\/p>\n We talk to others about what they did to us<\/p>\n We rehearse in our minds the conversations by which they upset us<\/p>\n We remind ourselves over and over of what we should have said or done<\/p>\n In fact this person that we have decided to put beyond our notice can often gain a great deal of our notice<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is another way of looking at his passage<\/p>\n When we look at how Jesus treated Gentiles and tax collectors<\/p>\n He taught them<\/p>\n He ate with them<\/p>\n He forgave them<\/p>\n With Jesus the door to reconciliation is never closed<\/p>\n Jesus let all the people he met know what God expected<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t lower his standard<\/p>\n But the invitation to reconciliation was always there<\/p>\n He told parables, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan, to help us know more about God<\/p>\n He called different kinds of people to be his disciples, like Levi the tax collector<\/p>\n He ate meals with all sorts of people, and the righteous of the day called him a glutton and a drunkard<\/p>\n Jesus really wasn\u2019t about drawing lines in the sand to say who was in and who out<\/p>\n He made many attempts to draw people in<\/p>\n He spoke to the leaders of the people<\/p>\n He spoke with those who were outside of the covenant<\/p>\n In the verse immediately before our passage this morning<\/p>\n Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep in which the shepherd leaves the 99 and goes out to search for the one that is lost<\/p>\n And in the verses following this passage, Jesus talks to Peter about forgiveness<\/p>\n He says to forgive 70 times 7<\/p>\n Jesus was always ready to talk reconciliation<\/p>\n If there another way we could look at what he said?<\/p>\n So might Jesus mean that if we go to one who has wronged us and we are not heard<\/p>\n And we take one or two with us to talk again<\/p>\n And we are not heard<\/p>\n That to treat that one as a Gentile or a tax collector would be to always leave the door open to the possibility of restoration?<\/p>\n To pray for that one<\/p>\n But not to gossip<\/p>\n We never saw Jesus gossiping in the stories we read in the gospels<\/p>\n He would sometimes say forthright things to those with whom he disagreed<\/p>\n But he didn\u2019t back stab, or undermine or assassinate another\u2019s character<\/p>\n He was open to conversation<\/p>\n He told parables that would help people understand what he was all about<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t carry the burden of going over and over the wrongs that this or that person had done<\/p>\n He had compassion for those who had wronged him<\/p>\n And so we are invited to have compassion for those who have wronged us<\/p>\n To not talk about them<\/p>\n To wish them well<\/p>\n And if that is too much, to pray that no wrong will befall them<\/p>\n Jesus says, essentially, that being a member of the church means you have a responsibility.<\/p>\n If your sheep gets lost you don’t look for an hour and call it quits.<\/p>\n You get out there and find that sheep.<\/p>\n If your brother sins against you seventy-seven times (another hypothetical certainty),<\/p>\n That\u2019s how many times you forgive him.<\/p>\n And of course, we know from the Gospel of Matthew how Jesus treated the Gentiles and tax collectors.<\/p>\n Jesus then says whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven<\/p>\n (To continue with Wink\u2019s method)<\/p>\n What does binding and losing mean?<\/p>\n How can what we do on earth affect what happens in heaven?<\/p>\n If two of you agree about anything it will be done<\/p>\n This is a huge promise!<\/p>\n How can we accept it?<\/p>\n Have you experienced this?<\/p>\n \u201cFor where two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them \u201c<\/p>\n Do we act as if we believe this?<\/p>\n Notice that Jesus follows this with talk about the power of agreement,<\/p>\n saying that anything that is agreed upon by two on earth will be done for them by the Father in heaven.<\/p>\n This is a promise.<\/p>\n But notice as well that this is not where Jesus ends.<\/p>\n Jesus says last, “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”<\/p>\n There is no question of agreement at this point.<\/p>\n Jesus is present, really present, where two or three are gathered in the Divine Name,<\/p>\n not just where two or three agree in Jesus’ name,<\/p>\n but where two are three are gathered;<\/p>\n presumably this includes the two who cannot listen to each other about a matter of sin, and how to handle it.<\/p>\n Even there, perhaps especially there, Christ Jesus is present.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus knew that being a follower of his was not always going to be easy<\/p>\n And yet he invites us on that path<\/p>\n Jesus was not trying to side step what was coming<\/p>\n He knew that if he continued to stand up for the poor<\/p>\n If he continued to attack the status quo<\/p>\n In short, if he continued to do what God wanted him to do<\/p>\n Then he would be arrested<\/p>\n And given the political situation of the day<\/p>\n He would be tried and he would die<\/p>\n But he also knew that wasn\u2019t the end<\/p>\n Jesus knew that God wanted him to stand up to what was going on to make a new way possible<\/p>\n Jesus would not slink around trying to avoid the wrong doing in the world<\/p>\n He would confront it and defeat it<\/p>\n As much as Jesus has made a new way of living possible<\/p>\n As much as Jesus has conquered sin and death<\/p>\n Jesus also knew that the new community of faith would not be like the Garden of Eden<\/p>\n There would be problems<\/p>\n People who knew God<\/p>\n People who trusted in Jesus<\/p>\n People who were living the new way Jesus made possible<\/p>\n Would still have trouble in their lives<\/p>\n The paradox would be that they would be living a new life, but still plagued with the same temptations<\/p>\n It may seem contradictory to say that Jesus knew these things for sure<\/p>\n And that we may bring our questions to the text<\/p>\n Sometimes we can get the idea that Christianity means accepting a series of dogmas<\/p>\n That God is not happy with our queries<\/p>\n We can bring the inquiries we have to our reading of scripture so that we are open to what God has to say to us<\/p>\n Scripture is a living thing<\/p>\n In reading the Bible we are engaging with God<\/p>\n So there will be something more to be gained in each reading<\/p>\n God wants to help us to grow in faith<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus has given direction for how to be in harmony with one another as individuals and small groups<\/p>\n It is not too much to think that Jesus intends for us to be in harmony on a larger scale<\/p>\n To be involved in working for the good of our families, our schools, our businesses, our communities, our world<\/p>\n We can come to think that our hope is that we are reconciled to God through Jesus<\/p>\n That we rejoice in this reconciliation<\/p>\n That we endeavour to live in harmony in our church<\/p>\n And pray for the world<\/p>\n Our relationship with God is one that can be expressed in all we do<\/p>\n And being reconciled to God in Jesus we can bring harmony to all of life, not just to our church life and our prayers<\/p>\n Lord make us servants of your peace<\/p>\n Where there is hate may we sow love<\/p>\n Where there is hurt may we forgive<\/p>\n Where there is strife may we make one<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Creator, and ever-creating, God,<\/p>\n all creation draws life and breath from your Spirit.<\/p>\n We remember those whose breath<\/p>\n is drawn with difficulty,<\/p>\n and those who mourn breath\u2019s ceasing.<\/p>\n For the sake of healing,<\/p>\n for the gift of comforting,<\/p>\n for companionship in all of our days, we pray:<\/p>\n We pray for youth and elders,<\/p>\n for bodies still stretching with growth,<\/p>\n for minds still seeking wisdom.<\/p>\n For the sake of roots that stand firm,<\/p>\n and love that branches out and returns again, we pray:<\/p>\n We listen for your voice:<\/p>\n in wind that rustles leaves and new ideas;<\/p>\n in birthings bearing grace and midwifing hope.<\/p>\n For the sake of holy mystery<\/p>\n encountered in community and creation, we offer our prayers<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bless<\/p>\n You are wonderfully made,<\/p>\n one of God\u2019s wonderful works!<\/p>\n Invite people to greet those near them with:<\/em><\/p>\n (Name), <\/em>you are one of God\u2019s wonderful works!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Matthew 18,15-20,2026 God of Word and Wisdom, send us your Holy Spirit, so that by your light, we may see clearly what you call us to be and to do. Engage us by your truth so we know how best to follow Christ Jesus, your living Word.\u00a0 Amen. This morning we sang: \u201cWe are … Continue reading “Written Sermo for September 6th, 2026”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t