Rev. Doug Floyd

Pentecost +15 – Community of Faith
Rev. Doug Floyd
Ezekiel 33:1-11, Psalm 119:33-48, Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 18:15-20

The Benedictine nun Joan Chittister writes, “In community we work out our connectedness to God, to one another, and to ourselves. It is in community where we find out who we really are. It is life with another that shows my impatience and life with another that demonstrates my possessiveness and life with another that gives notice to my nagging devotion to the self. Life with someone else, in other words, doesn’t show me nearly as much about his or her shortcomings as it does about my own. In human relationships I learn how to soften my hard spots and how to reconcile and how to care for someone else besides myself. In human relationships I learn that theory is no substitute for love. It is easy to talk about the love of God; it is another thing to practice it.”[1]

When I think of community, I think of eating together, sharing life through tears and laughter. That is I tend to think of the warm fuzzy aspect of community. And those are good things. I don’t immediately think of conflict, struggle, hurt feelings, frustration, and my own selfish offenses. Of course, I like all of you know the reality of living in family. Not only in my marriage to Kelly but in both our extended families who have all lived near us for over twenty years.

I have been blessed with close siblings and their families. We’ve spent life together. Movies, meals, holidays, birthdays and more. We’re passionate people: we cry easy, laugh hardily, and of course, we’ve also had our share of exploding at meals and storming out of the house. We are weak and frail humans in the midst of family.

During Covid, I was struggling between life and death. My brother-in-law Andy could not enter the hospital, so he laid hands on the building and prayed for life. Even as Andy prayed, Kelly’s sister came down from Jefferson City and prayed with her. This is family. Over the last few weeks, Christopher has been attending to his father and family.

All of us have stories of sacrifice and love and healing and struggle in the midst of family. The joys and sorrows are gifts of God. Our relations within our families and amid friends and church families all play a vital role in our formation as disciples of Christ.

The whole chapter of Matthew 18 is sometimes called Jesus’ “Sermon to the Church.” Matthew writes his account of Jesus’ life after the resurrection. He is remembering Jesus’ words in the context of the church family that now surrounds him. If we read today’s passage about confrontation in light of the whole chapter, we might hear a call to gentleness and humility during conflict. We are called by Christ to be childlike. At the start of Matthew 18 we read,

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3–4, ESV)

As Jesus continues to reflect on treatment of the children, he begins to talk about a brother sinning against you.

““If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” (Matthew 18:15, ESV)

We see the seeds of church discipline emerging in this sermon. The goal is not humiliation or shame but healing and restoration. RC Sproul reminds us that if this sin involves a crime, the police should be informed. Just think of the problems cause by failing to observe this directive when abuse has happened in the church.

At the same time, Sproul also reminds us that “I do not need to initiate the process of reconciliation every time my brother or sister annoys me, displeases me, or irritates me in some other minor way. Minor offenses are to be covered by grace and charity.”^[2] There is a difference between minor irritation and sinning against someone.

St. Benedict realized that offense and conflict would occur among his monks. His rule attempts to train people in this process of reconciliation. I sometimes have struggled with the application of Matthew 18:15-20 in some churches. Instead of a private restoration, people have often been publicly shamed and driven from the community in the name of church discipline. This seems almost opposite the directive we hear today.

Jesus is calling for reconciliation. Right after this discussion of restoration, Jesus tells Peter the parable of the unforgiving servant and says that we must forgive 70 times 7. As we walk in the way of wisdom, we must ask ourselves is this conflict simply a minor offense that we should ignore, or is this a sign of some deeper sin that should be confronted for the sake of the soul?

I can only think of two times in my life that Kelly and I followed this direction in today’s passage. In both instances, we had a single conversation with the individuals involved, and this prevented more serious problems and restored relations. It was all private and healing.

When I hear people talk about the need for church discipline, I want to add the words from our Romans 12 passage today. We have a need to live in communities of hospitality and love. Paul writes, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10, ESV)

All of chapter 12 gives a whole series of directions for living as a community of generosity, of humility, of serving one another in love. He calls God’s people to care for one another and for those in the world around them. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:15–16, ESV)

I believe that the community of faith is a place where we can grow as lovers of Christ and one another. I have often been convicted and challenged by observing other people who pour out their life and gifts for those around them. Their actions inspire me to ask, “How can I serve? How can I love more faithfully?”

When thinking about our life and Christians, St. Augustine says, “The rule of love is that one should wish his friend to have all the good things he wants to have himself and should not wish the evils to befall his friend which he wishes to avoid himself.”^[3]

I’ve had times in my life, when I started to send a text or email out of frustration with someone. In the act of beginning to write, I felt convicted. It seemed as though Jesus reoriented my heart and mind, and what came out was love.

When Jesus came, he grieved over Jerusalem, He cries out, ““O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37, ESV)

Then from the cross, He cries out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34, ESV). Jeremiah gives voice to the grief of God over the sin of His people by praying, “Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1, ESV)

What if we responded to the sin and offense of people with tears of grief? What if the Spirit of God led us to love those in sin like He loves and we cry out on their behalf before we ever speak to them. This is not a method to make someone repent, it is an impulse to learn how we might live and walk in the Spirit of Christ.

What if we kissed our enemies and bowed before them in prayer that Christ might make His love known to them? My prayer is that even as we seek to be faithful people in the community of Christ, we night resolve conflicts in love and that overflowing of Christ’s love might heal the angry, wounded souls in our world.

[1] Chittister, Joan. Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today (pp. 48-49). (Function). Kindle Edition.

^[2] Robert Charles Sproul, Matthew, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 546.

^[3] Thomas C. Oden and Cindy Crosby, eds., Ancient Christian Devotional: A Year of Weekly Readings: Lectionary Cycle A (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2007), 206.