Conflict and Jesus Amongst Us

September 10, 2023 Matthew 18: 15-20 15th Sunday after Pentecost Year A Conflict and Jesus amongst us Prelude Welcome Call to Worship Pilgrims on the way, when we feel lost and ask for a sign to show us the way out of our confusion, We remember that when we gather to worship, we find God in our midst. When we face obstacles and barriers that keep us from the life God has called us to, We remember that God is always at work among us, protecting and tending our well-being. When cannot find our way out of conflict and discord, We remember that God calls and equips us for the work of reconciliation. When we struggle to pay attention to how God is at work all around us, We remember God’s call to sit, eat, and tell one another the stories of God’s faithfulness. Pilgrims on the way, when we watch for signs of God among us, Let us remember that we too are signs of God’s presence for others! Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, March 2023. Opening Prayer Holy God, even when challenges surround us and difficulties threaten to overwhelm, we turn to praise you with glad hearts and joyful voices. Thank you for the light of your presence shining in this space and in each of our hearts. Raise us up from our anxieties. Renew in us an awareness of your desire for us to know abundance. Assure us that you will not leave us comfortless, even as we rejoice in you. AMEN. ( Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Song Jesu Jesu UMH 432 Children’s Sermon Greet children, with a stapler and paper in hand—or other items, if desired: Hello, children of God! I am so glad to see you again. Today we are talking about a very important topic: we are discussing how we can get along with other people and have good relationships! God wants us to keep peace with one another, because when we do that, we can serve Him as His people and help others. In fact, I was just preparing a little craft to go along with this. I’m stapling these papers together, because the staples hold things together, just like Jesus, and…. (Pause as though the stapler is not working). Well, that’s funny. It won’t staple! Hmm…why is this happening? What should I do? (Attempt to use it again, without success.) Well this is frustrating. Should I hit it? Maybe a good smack would do the trick… Let me open it up and check it out. Any ideas? It looks okay. It has staples. (Use other ideas to try working on the broken tool: have students make suggestions, ask for help, or even fake a phone call to someone else to get help with finding a solution. Eventually, figure out a method to fix the item.) Hurray! I did it! It took a little effort, but now I can use this again to help me with my work! So, why in the world do you think I did that? Why bother sharing with you the process of fixing a broken stapler? Well, sometimes it takes a little extra effort to fix things. This is true in our lives, and even in our relationships with one another! The Bible tells us that it’s important to get along well with others, but it’s not always easy. In fact, the Gospel today mentions how we might have to go through a few steps to fix a conflict we have in relationship. If someone is having trouble or giving us a hard time, we should try to address the problem and restore friendship. If that doesn’t work, though, sometimes we need to get other people involved. We can ask friends for help, or we can even turn to parents or pastors to try to assist. Sometimes, people might still not want to fix issues. But usually, with prayer and care, we can resolve things and be able to work together. The point is, God values relationships. He wants us to do everything we can to keep peace and to stick with one another in friendship. He knows that friendships are important in our lives, as well as the life of the church. He wants us to love and live well with one another, and gives us helpers to keep relationships going. Most importantly, we hear that when we are together with others, God is with us. No matter what, HE is present with us, and will help us when things get rough. So if you have been having a problem with someone, talk to them about it. If that doesn’t work it out, you might bring others in for support, but most importantly, pray. Why don’t we do that right now? Children’s Prayer Moment Dear God, Help us to resolve our arguments To remember your grace And to have good relationships Thank you for your forgiveness Help us pass it on to others Thank you for your love We love you, God! In Jesus name, Amen! Affirmation of faith (from A Brief Statement of Faith) We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Presbyterian Outlook, John Wurster) Scripture Matthew 18:15-20 Sermon Conflict and Jesus…amongst us Sermon Conflict and Jesus…amongst us Melted Bible in the Wreckage of 9/11 (Sermon Illustration) ByBrandon Hilgemann09/19/2018 In the aftermath of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, photographer, Joel Meyerowitz, spent nine months at Ground Zero, documenting the recovery and the wreckage. On March 30, 2002, Joel was taking photos inside the area of the south tower, when a fireman called to him and handed him the remains of a Bible that he had found in the debris. The front of the Bible was obliterated. So the remaining fragments of pages sat open-faced, melted onto a piece of heart-shaped steel. While most of the Bible had been destroyed, the little more than half of a page on top was miraculously preserved. Of all the pages and all the verses, the melted King James Bible was open to Matthew 5. And the first thing Joel noticed was under the heading “Retaliation” in Mathew 5:38-39 where Jesus says, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, you turn the other to him also.” Joel was stunned. How remarkable is it that of all the fragile pages that survived, it was this passage in the midst of such an unspeakable act of evil? So Joel wrapped the fragile page of Bible melted on steel in a scarf and held on to the Bible for a number of years, until he decided to donate it in 2010 to the September 11 Memorial Museum. A photo of the Bible on display in the museum was published in a New York Times article titled, “At 9/11 Memorial, an Enduring Message of Forgiveness”. In the article, Joel is quoted saying, “My astonishment at seeing the page that the Bible was open to made me realize that the Bible’s message survives throughout time, and in every era we interpret its teachings freshly, as the occasion demands.” Indeed Jesus’ message of forgiveness endures today. No matter what we’ve been through or what has been done to us, it still applies to our situation. Christ still calls us to forgive today, just as he has forgiven us. Tomorrow marks the 22nd anniversary of September 11th – a moment in history that changed our country and the mission of the church in America forever. We all remember where we on that day. As I watched the events of the day unfold, the day reminded me of all that was important and mattered the most. I had spent the day in Chicago in meeting all day. Traveling on public transportation all day – I was spent the day in uncertainty about whether I would be able to get home safely. As soon as I returned back to Aurora, safe in my car, safe in my world – I called my son School to see if he was safe and to see what they were doing to take care of the children. The following night and in the following weeks, many churches held prayer services. Many people turned to their faith for answers and for assurance. As a pastor, we spent days in community trying to understand what this meant for our churches, and planning services where people could come together. That experience taught us a lot about the importance of our faith. Some of the lessons learned from that day were about forgiveness, but the importance of community, and trust in God. As we commemorate another year since that day we are still working on learning those lessons. We continue to remember that day because we are still working diligently to put our world back together again. When we think about it, that is the task of our faith – reconciliation. Paul Tillich, a theologian, says that the love of God is that power that draws everything that there is to be connected to everything else there is. All of world history is the story of the things that happen in life to separate us and the things that we had to do to bring us back together. God is indeed the God of reconciliation. God sent Jesus to the world in order to bring us all together. Jesus calls each of us into the ministry of reconciliation. We are called to reconstruction and rebuilding the connection of all people. That is the subject of our scripture in Matthew 18. By this time in the story, the disciples are well on their missional journey. Jesus has taken the time to gather them together, to inform them of his mission, he has trained them, led them out on uncharted waters. Remember, the waters were unsettling for them, but they made it to the other side. They have come to the mission field, and now they can reach the gentiles and bring them into the faith. They can save the world and make the world a better place for all of us, right? Wrong. Things start to fall apart within the community. Jesus mission has grown from the 12 disciples. There is a whole community to work with Jesus on his mission. Jesus comes into the world, knowing that he cannot do it alone. He needs not just 12 people but a whole community. Discipleship in Community Very few people are expert in anything all by themselves. They need a supporting community. Do you know a good musician who was not trained, nurtured and sustained by the music community? Show me an athlete who achieves excellence all alone, apart from the athletic community. Very few wise men become so without the accumulated wisdom of the centuries as expressed in colleges and universities and libraries. Medical people are more like ensembles and symphonies than soloists. What business tycoon does it all on his own without dedicated experts in finance, engineering, personnel, and marketing? Excellence requires participation in, and support of, a community of like-minded people. Likewise in the church -- a forerunner of the new kingdom. Very few achieve Christian maturity all by themselves. Seldom is the Bible studied diligently without the aid of scholars and teachers. Rarely are people led to generosity by their own impulses. Maurice A. Fetty, The Divine Advocate, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Community is important in spreading the gospel. It takes all of us working together. But whenever you have community, you have differences in opinion. You can’t have unity without conflict. Matthew 18 is known as Jesus’ 4th teaching in Matthew. He gives us lessons on how to handle conflict and resolution within the church. Sermon Opener – When Christians Quarrel: Resolving Conflict in the Church – Matthew 18:15-20 One of the things I like best about the New Testament is that it is so practical. It must have been the fact that Jesus had human beings called disciples always with him that forced him to speak in such everyday terms about everyday problems. Sometimes Christians disagree in the congregation of believers. Sometimes they quarrel. Sometimes they hold grudges against each other. The Scripture for today says that we must never tolerate any situation in which there is a breach of personal relationship between us and another member of the Christian community. In this eighteenth chapter of Matthew Jesus admits that disciples are going to have conflicts; but they are to resolve them. It is very true today that the behavior of us church members on this very issue makes Christianity to the outside world either repulsive or attractive. It isn’t a matter that Christians are perfect and will not have conflicts. There will always be quarrels, differences of opinion on how and who, disappointments with preachers and councils, hurt feelings, bent pride, loss of face, and lots of mistakes. It’s the idea that Christians can resolve these conflicts as no other fellowship can, that Jesus puts before us today. Comus, a Duke of Florence, had a saying that indicated the limitations of his religion: "You shall read that we are commanded to forgive our enemies, but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends." That can happen in the Christian proclamation of the gospel. We spend a lot of time in our pulpits talking about how Christians are admonished by Jesus Christ to love their enemies and to pray for their enemies. When in actuality, right there in the pew side by side are Christians who hold grudges, hang on to petty hurts, refuse to forgive and love each other within the fellowship. And when they do this, church and Christianity and the whole practice of religion for them is not the joyful experience it ought to be. They miss a large dimension of belonging to God’s family. This particular portion of Matthew (18:15-18) gives us a whole scheme of action for the mending of broken relationships within our "family of God" called the Christian fellowship… 1. Put Your Complaint into Words 2. Tell the Person about It in Person 3. Counsel with Other Wise Christians. 4. Make Use of the Christian Fellowship. 5. Never Give up Trying. It is interesting that we have to be taught how to love our friends. The scripture lesson for today starts out by saying brothers ( and sisters was added later). Jesus is speaking specifically to those within the mission. He realizes that before we can go out to bring others in, first we have to look at who we are as a community. In any community, we tend to gravaitate to people who think like us, who act like us, and who we don’t have to argue with. Are You Willing to Live in Hell? In his book The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis, the great Christian apologist, draws a stark picture of hell. Hell is like a great, vast city, Lewis says, a city inhabited only at its outer edges, with rows and rows of empty houses in the middle. These houses in the middle are empty because everyone who once lived there has quarreled with the neighbors and moved. Then, they quarreled with the new neighbors and moved again, leaving the streets and the houses of their old neighborhoods empty and barren. That, Lewis says, is how hell has gotten so large. It is empty at its center and inhabited only at the outer edges, because everyone chose distance instead of honest confrontation when it came to dealing with their relationships. “Look, she’s the one who said that about me. Let her come and apologize!” “We may go to the same church, but that doesn’t mean I’ve got to share a pew with that so-and-so!” “It’ll be a cold day in July before I accept his apology.” That’s all well and good, I suppose... if you don’t mind living in hell. Are we really so willing to give up our relationships with others – relationships that have come about and been forged by our desire to follow Jesus? Nowhere, and I do mean nowhere, in the New Testament gospels will you find Jesus saying that the first order of things is always to be right. But he does have a great deal to say about forgiveness, about relationship, about reconciliation, about service and humility and vulnerability. He makes it sounds like family, doesn’t he? Randy L. Hyde, Two or Three The lessons that we learn as the church, applies to all of the communities that we are a part of. The harder we work to pull together, the more obvious those things that pull us apart become. When we are anxious and under pressure it becomes even harder for us to stick together. Those natural grudges that we hold become larger, when under pressure. An 800 Year Grudge Many years ago, Colonel Jeff O'Leary served as part of the UN peacekeeping forces in the Sinai Peninsula region. While there, he encountered a number of Bedouin people, a nomadic people who travel this desert region. One afternoon, Colonel O'Leary had tea with a group of Bedouin men. Colonel O'Leary couldn't help but notice that his host kept staring at a man who was tending his camels. The host pointed out the man and hissed at Colonel O'Leary, "Do you see that man? He is a camel thief." Colonel O'Leary wanted to know why his host would hire a camel thief to tend his camels, so he began asking questions. Turns out that in his host's eyes this man was a camel thief because he came from a family of camel thieves. Why were they a family of camel thieves? Because one of their ancestors had once stolen some camels from this man's family. How long ago, O'Leary asked. Eight hundred years ago, the Bedouin host replied. For eight hundred years, the hosts' family and this man's family had hated each other, because one man had stolen the other man's camels. For eight hundred years, the host's family had passed down the story of the camel thief. Forgiveness was not an option for them. In the Bedouin host's mind, the crime was just as horrible as if it had occurred yesterday, and this man was just as much a thief as his ancestor who had actually stolen the camel. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Jesus encourages us to learn to clear the slate, restore community and to move on. He gives us the steps to restore community. But the end of the scripture gives us an interesting challenge. Jesus himself says to do everything that you can to reconcile with a sister or a brother, but if nothing works, then you should just walk away. Threat that person as a stranger and walk on. There are a lot of Christians who take Jesus at his word on this. We walk away from people. But doesn’t this sound a lot like CS Lewis’s definition of hell? A place where we are alienated from everyone? Earlier in Matthew, Jesus tells us that if our hand tempts us to sin that we should cut it off. If our eye leads us to greed that we should gouge it out. Now in a message to create community, he tells us to walk away from our friends, and treat them like strangers if they disagree with us. Is that really what the lord of reconciliation is asking of us? Is that really what the God of love is calling us to do? Is this a time to take the words literally, or is that a technique to get us to take the time to stop and think about what we are doing. The Stop-and-Think Chair - Matthew 18:15-20 Schools opened here last week, and I remembered something from one of the teachers. Like all good teachers, she has certain expectations — norms of behavior — for her students. The students agree to these community norms for the classroom that are posted in the room. That’s not new. What I find intriguing in her classroom is the consequence if someone breaks the norm. When a community rule is broken, the offending student is assigned to the clearly labeled stop-and-think chair. There the child sits ruminating upon certain actions and considering what he or she needs to do to return to the classroom community. I wonder if that would work in other settings — like the nation’s capitol or home and yes, the church. It’s a silly thought, but still. Imagine if all communities — even, or especially, those where there is so much blood being shed against one another, so much violence flowing out of their lives — imagine if all communities had a public spot designated for the stop-and-think chair. You’ve heard of stop, drop, and roll in a fire? How about stop, think, and pray in a conflict? You don’t have to be humiliated with a dunce cap; just stop and think. When we allow for a moment of reflection, it often provides enough space for consideration of another path. Such silence becomes a container for the Spirit of God to intervene in surprising ways.... The greatest lesson that Jesus gives us as Christians is the ability to stop and think. While the rest of the world continues on with business as usual, Jesus encourages us to take the time to stop and think and pray. In the midst of all of our anxiety. In the midst of our search for answers – to take the time to stop, to worship, to center, to find the God in the worst of our situations. What would the God of love have us to do. How does the God of reconciliation call us to treat others in the midst of conflict? What is our challenges and what is our job today? Are we called to put people out? Or are we called to let the spirit in? I think the church is the place where God comes into the our community, into our world. God comes in to the world through our hearts. We have been set apart in order to have a relationship with God. Every action that we take in community should be grounded in prayer. I think we are called to build bridges not walls. Building Bridges Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in their 40 years of working together. It began with a small misunderstanding, and grew into a major difference, and finally exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning, there was a knock on John's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's toolbox. "I'm looking for a few days' work," he said. "Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there that I could help with? Yes," said the older brother. "I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That's my younger brother! Last week, there was a meadow between us, but he took his bulldozer and dug a small river between us. Well I'm going to do him one better. See that pile of old lumber? I want you to build an 8 foot high fence between us. Then I won't need to see his place or his face anymore." The carpenter said, "Show me the nails and the tools, and I'll do a good job for you." The older brother had to go to town, so he left for the day. At sunset, when he returned, this eyes opened wide, and his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. The carpenter had built a bridge that stretched from one side of the river to the other, with handrails and all! And his younger brother, was coming toward them, his hand outstretched. "You're quite the guy," he said, "after all I've said and done." The two brothers met in the middle, and shook each other's hand. They turned to see the carpenter leaving. "No, wait! Stay a few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother. "I'd love to," the carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build." When you and I come to the end of our days, just remember this: God won't ask what kind of car we drove, but He will ask how many people we helped get where they needed to go. He won't ask how big our house was, but He will ask how many people we welcomed into our home. God won't ask what neighborhood we lived in, but He will ask how we treated our neighbors. And He won't ask how many fences we made, but He will ask how many bridges we built. Bob Tasler, Restoration: Confronting the Brother 22 years later are we any closer to peace justice and well being for all people? Are we any closer to a sense of community that includes all people? Are we any closer to the mission that Jesus calls us to? When we look at or world today, we are still in conflict. There is still war and dissension. It is a whole different conflict, we are praying different prayers for peace. In reality – I think that we are still building a world of reconciliations. Jesus ‘s lesson is Matthew 18 is that the closer that we come to community – we will find disunity. The closer we come to doing God’s will the closer we come to sabotage. Our challenge is not to let that stop us – to keep moving forward. To continue to seek the God of love. We Must Be Saved by Hope Reinhold Niebuhr, in The Irony of American History, writes, "Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime: therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone, therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness." Jerry L. Schmalenberger, When Christians Quarrel, CSS Publishing Company, Inc. Let is continue to believe in a savior, let us continue to be faithful to the mission, let us continue to pray. God is with us through our lord and savior Jesus. Amen. Prayers of the People When we pray for the church and the world, we lock into the loving things God wants for humanity. Let us pray. Loving God, Friend of the neglected and the despised folk, Friend also of the cherished and honoured ones, we offer to you our prayers for this world for which Christ gave his all. We pray for the overthrow of the arrogant and cruel, and for discontent in the souls of the greedy and the careless. We pray for the uplifting of the meek and merciful, and for the encouragement of the poor and the pure. We pray for the recovery of the bruised and the lost, and the peace of those who thirst for righteousness. We pray for the feeding of the hungry in body or spirit, and for the healing of those who are dis-eased in body or mind. We pray for the comfort of the suffering and the grieving, and for the befriending of the lonely, timid, or socially awkward people. We pray for the humbling of the church if it becomes proud, and for courage wherever it is shunned or persecuted. We pray for the strong and the weak in this congregation, and for the spiritual health of all other churches in the community. You, Holy Friend, are more eager to give than we are to receive. Deal firmly with your servants gathered here now, that we get rid of everything that clutters our souls and make way for all the new blessings you have in store for us. Through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen! Written by Bruce Prewer Lord’s Prayer Song I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light UMH 206 Stewardship Moment The Gospels refer over and over to the close relationship of those who are followers of Jesus. Matthew uses kinship language to describe how we are bound together – always recognizing “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among (you).” At our best, we treat one another with love and compassion, conscious of Jesus in our midst. When we act against that covenantal relationship, others are instructed to come directly to us, speak truthfully, and attempt to set us back in good relationship. It takes strong love to give someone the opportunity to acknowledge our faults and be restored to relationship in the church. It may take professional expertise. It may mean there is not only an emotional/spiritual cost, but a financial one, as well, to find a workable route back from brokenness to relationship. Our offering this morning is one way you can help provide the capital to allow restoration services to be available when they’re needed. This congregation takes seriously the teachings we hear in the Gospels. Your financial gifts help make our training, our resources and our practice of building up this community possible. Let us lovingly share our tithes, our gifts and our offerings. Prayer of Thanksgiving With gratitude, God, we share these financial resources as signs of our desire to build up this community of faith. Help us grow in our capacity to love one another, be honest with one another, and hold each other accountable to be true disciples of Jesus, the Christ, in whose name we pray, AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Travelers on the journey of faith, pay attention! God is at work all around you. May you go ready to witness the signs of God’s love in your midst and to be a sign of God’s love wherever you go. Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, March 2023. Community Time Joys and Concerns Benediction You are prepared to walk away from the darkness into the light. Go into this world confident in Christ’s love and God’s eternal presence with you. Go to be a witness for good and a bearer of peace to all you meet. Go in peace! AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations