Being Church

THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL: MATTHEW 18: 15-20 (MESSAGE)

If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church. If he won't listen to the church, you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God's forgiving love.

Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there.

How do you respond to a friend who has hurt you?  Do you try to talk with that person one on one or would you rather talk around the person and the issue to anyone who will listen?  Holding each other accountable is never easy, but it is important in our relationships, especially our spiritual relationships. 

Think about it, more churches function out of parking lot committees (i.e. small informal gatherings of parishioners who talk about a problem, whether it is a person or action in the church, and make a decision how to deal with it without talking directly to the people who are involved) or talk around situations and people that could be addressed directly and compassionately.  If Jesus’ ministry teaches us anything, it is a direct approach to loving and relating to one another. 

As we explore what it means to be the church, let’s practice being more compassionate, gracious and loving with each other, with our neighbors and with the community.   In this way, we will not only be held accountable for our actions, we will learn that in relationships of mutual accountability and love that we aren’t afraid that we will be harmed.  When we trust one another, we will even grown more deeply in relationship with each other and with God.  Maybe that’s what Jesus’ means when he says that when two or three gathered together is where we find God.

Please join us this Sunday, September 4 at Christ Church at 10:00a.m. and experience the love of God and family as we explore the good, the bad and the ugly of Church and redefine what it means for us today.  Holy Communion will be celebrated. We will collect food for the Wellesley Food Pantry and we will celebrate Victoria’s last Sunday with us. If you are around this Labor Day weekend, please dress comfortably, bring a friend and join us for worship.  Looking forward to seeing you in Church!