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Saturday 28 December 2013

Matthew 2:13-23 God, Our Refuge, Strength and Protector


Poor baby Jesus! He’s only a small child, and already his life is in danger, as we read in the passage from Matthew 2:13-23. This passage is an example of how the events in the New Testament Gospels are the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. For example, the fact that Joseph is called to lead Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt parallels Jeremiah 31:15, where the Ephraimites were led into exile after the fall of Judah and Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC. Jesus was led out of Egypt to save his people, just like Moses led the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery. The warning God gave to Joseph in Matthew 2:20 is a parallel to Exodus 4:18-20. Joseph made a home for his family in Nazareth, which was the fulfillment of the prophecy from an unknown source, possibly Judges 13:5, Isaiah 11:1 or Isaiah 53:2.

This fits in with the purpose of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew’s Gospel was written for a Jewish audience. He wanted to prove to his audience that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah Matthew shows how Jesus initiated new people of faith in whom the salvation history of Israel becomes a new salvation history that is open to everyone.

God’s plan of salvation was opposed from the start. With the birth of Jesus, salvation emerges within us and within our problem-filled society. Salvation wrestles with our enemies. Jesus becomes Emmanuel-God with us-so he can lift us, especially when we battle the forces of evil. Matthew states in his Gospel that the Old Testament prophets foretold that Jesus and his followers would be hated, and they are still hated today. Jesus and the disciples often clashed with the establishment. Jesus and his disciples were persecuted. All of the early disciples except for John were put to death. It is appropriate that the term Nazarene is used to describe Jesus. The term Nazarene is a synonym for someone who is hated or despised, and people from that region of Israel were characterized in that manner. Herod’s murder of innocent children in Bethlehem led to the death of the hope people had for the future. God’s leading of the Holy Family into exile reminds us that the hope of God’s providence is the answer to the hopelessness of evil.  

Joseph and Mary had to let go of a lot of things when their faith journey took them into Egypt. They left behind everything they knew, including their deepest comfort level. Sometimes we feel the same way when we have to make changes in our lives. After all, old habits are hard to break, but the only way we can grow and change as Christians is to do uncomfortable things especially when God asks us to do them. If we refuse to make changes, we turn our backs on God, the ultimate source of comfort.

Sometimes we only give in and turn our lives over to God when we are broken and without hope. Sometimes we only let God take the wheel of our lives when we are hopelessly lost. Sometimes it is only in our brokenness that God can mend us and make us whole. When God called the Holy Family to go to Egypt, he saved them from evil, and he can save us from our own place of exile today. Sometimes God puts us in a place of exile to protect us from someone or something, or to teach us something. That place of exile where we are does not have to be the place where we spend the rest of our lives.

Even when we are in a place of exile, we must demonstrate unwavering obedience to God just as Joseph did. Joseph could not see all of God’s plan except for the next step. We can’t always see the fullness of God’s plan any better than Joseph could, but like Joseph, we can be assured that our faithfulness will lead to great things even if we can’t see them. 

 Bibliography

1.      John Shearman’s Lectionary Resource, 1st Sunday after Christmas, Year A. Retrieved from http://lectionary.seemslikegod.org

2.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible Software package.

3.      Augsberger, M.S. and Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)

4.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr. :The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)

5.      Exegesis for Matthew 2:13-23. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

6.      Tom Holliday, “To Obey God, Let Go”. Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com

 

Saturday 21 December 2013

Luke 1:1-25 Waiting for the Messiah

We are deep in the Advent season-a season of expectation and preparation. Many of us are looking forward to Christmas-a time of celebrating with family and friends. It is a time when we remember the greatest miracle of all-the coming of Jesus.

Before Jesus was born, there was a great sense of expectation among the people regarding the coming of the Messiah. The reading from Luke 1:1-25 talks about two people who had a different expectation. Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth had prayed for years for a child, but their prayers were not answered.

On this particular day, Zechariah was the priest who was chosen to enter the Holy of Holies portion of the temple to carry the prayers of the people to God. Now the Holy of Holies portion of the temple was a special place. The only person who could enter this room was the priest, and even then he could only enter on one day of the year-Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement which is still observed by Jewish people today. . That was the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. Its central themes were atonement and repentance. Jewish people traditionally observed this holy day with an approximate 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.

When Zechariah entered the Holy of Holies, he carried the hopes and dreams of the people as expressed through their prayers. Included in those prayers were the prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth for a child. They had given up on their dream, but God did not give up on them or their dream. Their dream fit in with God’s plans for their lives, but we must remember that God operates on his own timetable. God gave Zechariah and Elizabeth their desires in his own time and in his own way.  

Zechariah gave up on his dream, but he did not give up on God. God rewarded Zechariah, but Zechariah could not believe that his dream would come true. After all, he and Elizabeth were old. Because of his disbelief, Zechariah lost his voice until his son was born. When Zechariah could not speak to the people, the people realized that he had seen a vision from God. Silence protects the fire of the spirit in our souls. It is a gift from God. It prepares us to speak, just like it prepared Zechariah to speak after he named his son John-as in John the Baptist.

Zechariah forgot that with God, all things are possible. Sometime we forget this lesson also. We, like Zechariah, believe in the big miracle of Jesus’ birth, but we have trouble believing that God can grant us our smaller miracles. The story of Zechariah reminds us that nothing is too hard for God.  

This season of Advent is also a season of busyness. There are so many gifts to buy, parties to attend and events to plan for. We must remember the real reason for the season. We must keep our eyes and minds focused on God. We need to hear God’s words of assurance, confidence, faithfulness and hope. We need to talk to God instead of talking to ourselves. We must give God time to talk back to us. Only then can we understand the true meaning of the words of the carol, “Joy to the World”. Only then can we experience true joy. Only then can God move through our actions. God wants to remove anything that robs us of our dignity. He wants to give us what we desire.

We don’t stand in God’s presence like Zechariah did when he was in the temple. We do have a relationship with God through Jesus. We receive God’s truth through Scripture, so we must spread the Good News to the people. We can’t make anyone believe anything. Instead, we are called on to bear witness to who God is, what he has done and what he continues to do. Since we are in God’s Kingdom, we are meant to be a greater source of blessing than John the Baptist.

 
Bibliography

1.      Daniel Darling, “Your Story, God’s Story”. Retrieved from Crosswalks@crosswalkmail.com

2.      “Staying Spiritual during the Holidays”. Retrieved from www.dailydisciples.org

3.      Mark D. Roberts, “Being Like Gabriel”. Retrieved from www.TheHighCalling.org

4.      Larsen, B., & Ogilvie, L.J. : The Preacher’s Commentary Series; Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)

5.      “Yom Kippur-The Day of Atonement” Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur

6.      John E. Harnish, “Zechariah II: The Prayer is heard”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

7.      Dr. J. Howard Olds, “Be Silent”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

 

Matthew 1:18-25 Heavenly Dreams

Today we begin the transition from Advent to Christmas. We are led to the stable. Our hopes, dreams and longing for a Saviour are the same hopes, dreams and longings people had on that first Christmas 2,000 years ago. The birth of the Messiah pointed to the promise of the Kingdom.

To many people at that time, the promise of a coming Messiah was like a dream. They dreamed of a Messiah who would change their lives by driving out the Romans. Their dreams meant the end of their old world and their old way of life and the beginning of the kingdom. This change would not be dramatic. It would be brought about by God entering in the lives of two very ordinary people-Mary and Joseph-and an extraordinary circumstance. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He used two ordinary people to be the parents of the baby that would bring salvation to the world.

At that time, Jewish marriages took place in three stages. First, there was engagement. This was where the marriage was arranged between both sets of parents when the couple were still children. Second, there was the betrothal, which took place one year before marriage. At this stage, the girl could refuse the agreement, but if she accepted, the only way the agreement could be broken was by divorce. The couple was legally married but could not consummate the marriage until the third and final part of the marriage took place. That part was the wedding celebration, when the groom took the bride home to be his wife.

God interrupted the plans that Mary and Joseph had for their lives, and for a good reason. God’s plans for their lives had to take priority, just like his plans for our lives have to take priority. Mary was pregnant out of wedlock. That was a scandalous situation in those days, and could lead to death by stoning, unlike today where this situation is commonplace. Mary’s pregnancy was disrespectable in the eyes of the people in their home village, but it was honourable in the eyes of God. Honour also fell on Joseph because he was made part of God’s plan for his people.

Human plans were overridden so that God could do good things for us. It shows that something good can come from a messy situation. We don’t always have the control over our lives that we thought we did. We need to ask God to deepen our faith so we can accept things when the absurdities of life happen. This reminds us that Jesus is “God with us.” Jesus revealed the entirety of God. Jesus became the sins of the people so he could save us from these sins. He showed the love he had to give us the precious gift of salvation. This would not be possible if Joseph and Mary did not follow God’s call and his plans for their lives.

Speaking of dreams, God often speaks to people in a variety of ways, including dreams. Take Joseph for example. He wanted to divorce Mary privately and quietly because she was pregnant out of wedlock, but God spoke to him in a dream and told him not to divorce Mary. Dreams were a special mode of revelation by which God gave instructions to his people.

Joseph tried to live according to his faith and its traditions, but Mary’s pregnancy created a conflict between Joseph’ head and his heart. Life is like that. Life isn’t black and white, and neither are law and grace. Often we find ourselves in situations where opposites create conflict and we have to find ways to make them work together. In this case, the solution led to the miracle of Jesus’ birth. This miracle led to the gift of salvation for all people, including the religiously unclean, the poor, women and the Gentiles.

God intervened in Joseph’s plans to quietly divorce Mary by encouraging him to make a decision out of love instead of following the rules. Love is supreme in God’s Kingdom. There are times when society’s rules will have to be overruled by love for our fellow man in order to make something happen that will save lives. In other words, salvation comes when we put love above rules.

Christ was the same when he was on earth. He came into conflict with traditions, beliefs and the way of doing things. His work as the Messiah conflicted with the type of Messiah the people expected. He often clashed with “the establishment”. Man tried to resolve this conflict by nailing Jesus to the cross in hopes that he would be silenced forever. Jesus used the cross to resolve the conflict by offering his people the gift of eternal life to those who believed in him. 

Our response to God when he speaks to us constitutes our prayer. Prayer is not easy, but obeying God is not easy. We will face difficulties when we obey God. It is in these times that we must remain steadfast in faith and trust God to bring us through these difficulties. We can face any hardship when we trust God. This hope is an attitude to the future.

Joseph is an example of how Christ wants his people to act. Joseph could have made a public spectacle out of the situation, but he didn’t. He acted out of love and not out of anger. He obeyed God, and God rewarded his obedience with grace. God’s grace to Mary is the starting point of the story of salvation-a story that includes suffering. God’s grace extends to everyone, and that grace includes suffering for his sake. We must endure our own suffering and encourage the suffering of others. In this painful situation, Joseph’s only concern was for Mary. This is righteousness in action. Joseph also did not make a hasty decision. He took time to consider his options, and during that time he positioned himself to hear God’s word. God instructed Joseph through his dreams.

Joseph was a righteous man, but he was not self-righteous. He did not want to cause Mary any pain, so he decided to divorce her quietly. He showed Christ-like compassion in the face of what was a “sin” in the eyes of the people. He was as perfect as humanly possible, even as God is perfect. He was righteous and obeyed the word of God perfectly. God drafted Joseph into a difficult position. If we are faithful, would we be willing to be drafted by God?

Joseph’s righteousness was deeper and more profound than observing laws and customs. It grew out of God’s presence in his life, and it allowed him to hear the voice of the angel in his dreams and obey its commands. He could look directly at confronted him, see it and all its implications and obey God without regard for his own reputation. He could accept the angel’s message that Mary’s unborn child was of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph was a common man who dared to obey God’s will for his life. Joseph put his own ego aside and put Mary and God first. He is an example for all of us-an example of humility based on a simple trust that all things work together through God’s grace for those who love the Lord and are called according to his purposes.  

Christmas is not just a holiday. It is a holy day. It is the day God came to earth as a baby to reconcile us to him. Reconciliation would lead to an exciting life of faith. To live that exciting life of faith, we have to keep on trusting God. Joseph didn’t understand what God told him, but he trusted God. He knew things that Joseph didn’t know.

The Virgin Birth was God’s greatest affirmation of humanness. God showed that he could become human without becoming sinful. He had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he died on the cross for our sins, he would have already experienced all the pain and testing himself and would be able to help where help was needed.

Today is the last Sunday of our preparation to meet Christ at Christmas. We might feel confused and troubled like Joseph was. We might feel unworthy to receive Christ because we lack the virtues that Joseph displayed-charity, faith and hope. We must strive to imitate Joseph’s qualities of humility, faith and obedience.  Our Advent might not have been the season of preparedness that we wanted it to be, but it is not too late for us. We can become full of purpose and believe the promises of God that Joseph believed.

God works with us where we are, but he can bring us to where we ought to be. He came into the life of Joseph and brought him to great sanctity. He works with people who are more flawed than Joseph was and does great things with them and through them.

Christmas is a chance to worship God, to bow down and pay homage to him for humbling himself and appearing in human form. God’s word is more certain, more secure and more immoveable than any event on earth. He is the answer to our needs. He sacrificed himself to save us. That is the mystery of the Virgin Birth and the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Advent invites us to let go of the expectations of society. Advent calls on us to forget about our own expectations and remember the love of Jesus and Joseph and the love of God. We are called on to let God’s peace gradually warm our souls and free us for new expectations and the birth of something within us and for us. We need to remember the essential message of Christmas-God is with us.

 Bibliography

1.      Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. XXV, No. 1 (St. Paul, MN: Luther Seminary, pp. 27-36)

2.      Exegesis for Matthew 1:18-25. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

3.      Ray Hollenbach, “Great Preaching Through the Christmas Season”. Retrieved from www.sermoncentral.com

4.      Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 4th Sunday of Advent (A)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

5.      Billy Graham, “Responding to God’s Call”. Retrieved from www.billygraham.org

6.      Dr. Charles Stanley, “Holiday or Holy Day?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

7.      Tom Holladay, “You Obey God by Trusting God”. Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com

8.      Greg Laurie, “Why We Celebrate Christmas”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

9.      Greg Laurie, “The Essential Message of Christmas”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

10.  Dr. Jack Graham, “When God Calls You into Hard Times”. Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

11.  Timothy Gardner, O.P., “How inscrutable His Ways”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org

12.  Euan Marley, O.P., “A Link in the Chain”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org

13.  Augsberger, M.< 7 Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.: 1982)

14.  Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2010)

15.  Austin Tucker, “The Virgin-Born Savior”, Preaching Magazine, Vol. 29, No. 2, pgs. 38-40 (Nashville, TN: Salem Publishing Inc.)

16.  Elizabeth Morris Downie, “Joseph the Righteous”. Retrieved from www.thewitness.org

17.  Dr. Philip W. McLarty, “The Faithfulness of Joseph”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

18.  The Rev. Charles Hoffacker, “When the Moment of Crisis Comes”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

19.  Dr. Keith Wagner, “God Is With Us”. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

20.  Fr. John O’Connor, O.P., “Our God Comes to Meet Us”. Retrieved from www.torch.op.org

21.  The Rev. Maxwell Grant, “Expecting Christmas”. Retrieved from www.day1.org

Matthew 18:1-25 Dreams and Angels


Hello boys and girls!

Are you starting to get excited for Christmas? Are you getting excited over all of the Christmas decorations? At this time of year we see lots of colourful ribbons, candles, stars, wreaths such as our Advent wreath, Christmas trees, Christmas lights and angels.

When you see angel decorations, what is the first thing you think of? Most of the time the first thing we think of is the angels announcing Jesus’ birth to shepherds in the field, but there is another, more important time that an angel appeared before Jesus was born. Can anyone tell me what that was? It was the time that the angel appeared to Mary and told her she was going to have a baby.

There was another time that an angel came before Jesus was born, and that story is part of our Bible lesson for today. That visit was to Joseph, and I’ll tell you about it right now. 

Joseph and Mary were going to be married when Joseph found out that Mary was going to have a baby. He thought long and hard about what he should do. He decided to break off the engagement, but an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel told Joseph to go ahead and marry Mary, because the child she was carrying was Jesus, the Saviour of the world.

Joseph obeyed the angel, and he obeyed God’s plan. He didn’t understand what was happening, but he didn’t have to understand what was going on. He did not have to worry about what other people would think. He trusted God and obeyed God.

Have you ever found yourselves in a situation where you didn’t know what to do? Did you ask yourselves “What do I do now?” If we stop and listen, God will tell us what to do. He might not speak to us through an angel. He could speak to us through our friends, family members or even total strangers. He will speak to us through His Word. We have to listen and obey like Joseph did.

Let us bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, the story of Jesus’ birth fills us with joy and lessons. Help us to read your Word and listen as you give us the answers to our questions and problems. We ask this in Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Bibliography
 

1.      “An Angel Appears to Joseph”. Retrieved from www.sermons4kids.com

2.      Carolyn Larsen, The Bible Storybook, pgs. 234-236 (Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing; 2009)

 

Saturday 14 December 2013

Matthew 18:15-20 Conflict Resolution God’s Way

There was a church where the pastor and the minister of music were not getting along. As time went by, this began to spill over into the worship service. The first week the pastor preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of God. The music director led the song, "I Shall Not Be Moved." The second week the pastor preached on tithing and how we all should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The director led the song, "Jesus Paid it All." The third week the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The music director led the song, "I Love to Tell the Story."

With all this going on, the pastor became very disgusted over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The musician led the song, "Oh Why Not Tonight?" As it came to pass, the pastor did indeed resign. The next week he informed the church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus who was taking him away. The music leader led the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." 
                                                                                                                   

The passage from Matthew 18:15-20 was intended to give the early church guidance about how to deal with conflict and broken relationships. The first step toward reconciliation involves listening. Sometimes what we hear is not actually what was said. A good example is gossip. Several different stories or rumours often result from one story or incident. True listening means going to the other person. In other words, we are to take the first step. This is often painful, but it is necessary if there is to be any hope of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace. If a relationship is important to us, sooner or later we will need to swallow our pride. 

If one-on-one efforts fail to resolve the problem, the next step is to involve two or three outsiders. Unfortunately, most people do this step first, and not in the way it was intended. People are often dragged into disputes as the parties involved look for allies. I’ve seen this happen in my day job. Several of my co-workers have tried to drag me into disputes that they are having with other co-workers of management. I tell them politely that I’m not going to get involved. There are times, however, where it is not possible or even desirable for the two conflicting parties to meet one on one, and therefore this second step actually has to be carried out first. Examples of situations where this is necessary include situations where the conflict is serious or sensitive in nature.

If the involvement of two or three outsiders fails, the next step involves taking the dispute to the entire church, usually through the governing body, but sometimes through a congregational meeting. This body has the final solution that can be used as a last resort-exclusion from the congregation by means of suspension or expulsion. Unfortunately, denominations such as the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses have used this to justify their policy of shunning former members. This is not what Jesus meant when he told the church to treat outsiders like tax collectors or Gentiles. After all, Matthew was a tax collector, and Jesus certainly didn’t treat him harshly!

We must remember that Jesus was the friend of tax collectors and sinners. His entire ministry revolved around bringing outsiders into the kingdom by reconciling them to God. He is doing the same thing today because we are all outsiders. All of us are outsiders of God’s kingdom because we are all sinners. Even if we have done nothing wrong in our lives, we are still sinners because we are tainted by the original sin of Adam and Eve.

While it appears that the church is forcing the offender outside its circle, it is, in reality, only acknowledging publicly that the offender has already placed himself or herself outside its circle. Jesus promises that God will support the church in this vital function. If the church doesn’t order its life, who will? If the church doesn’t deal with people in its midst that threaten its existence and mission, who will? The hope is that the offender will be motivated to take steps to regain membership in the fold. While the church regards the offender as a Gentile or tax collector, Matthew’s church regards Gentiles and tax collectors as a mission field.  

Reconciliation is the key to healing rifts and conflicts. Is it possible? Yes. Icy conditions don’t provide a very growth for new growth-spiritual and otherwise. In the words of a Jesuit martyr, “The natural world is for everyone, without borders. God’s table is a common table, big enough for everyone, each with a seat, so that each one can come to the table to eat”. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross changes our concept of the role of violence in God’s protection of us; that is, violence is not a tool of our protection but rather our protection absorbs and transcends violence.

The process of reconciliation is made easier by the knowledge that God is with us if we come together in his name during the process. God is with us whenever two or three are gathered together in his name. God sustains us even when there is no hope. When we turn to the deepest centre of our hearts, we will find God and hope will spring forth. Reconciliation without God is not true reconciliation. It is merely peacemaking. When a believing community works to settle disputes, Christ is in our midst working to achieve the same goal. He is the ultimate peacekeeper and peacemaker. He is the role model for peacekeeping forces in trouble spots worldwide. Just like Christ laid down his life to reconcile us to God, peacekeepers are prepared to lay down their lives to bring peace and reconciliation to warring parties.

Matthew’s purpose was to make everything in the early church perfect. After all, he was a tax collector, and we all know how modern-day tax collectors like to have everything perfect and in order, especially when they want our hard-earned tax dollars! Matthew and Jesus wanted to restore order among believers. That’s why Matthew included these words from Jesus in his gospel. That does NOT mean that they went to the extremes the Pharisees did by making up rules to cover every potential situation. On the contrary, Jesus liked to keep things simple. That’s why he replaced the Ten Commandments with the two Great Commandments-“Love God and love people”. Reconciliation is easier to do if we keep these two Great Commandments in mind.

Although reconciliation is a desirable goal, there are times when it is not possible or desirable. For example, at the time I’m preparing this sermon, it will be only a few days until the world marks the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. No one in his or her right mind would want to forgive or reconcile with Osama bin Laden and his colleagues after they committed mass murder.  

Jesus isn’t interested in who is right or who is wrong. He only cares about getting a broken relationship fixed. Our concerns about who is right and who is wrong often lead to giving up on relationships with others. Our natural response is to wage war with the other person, but that’s not part of the blueprint God has for our lives-and that blueprint is the Bible. God’s blueprint for our lives includes having conflicting parties sit down face to face and reconcile. The process of reconciliation is helped by prayer. When we are involved in conflict, we need to seek direction in prayer. If an outcome or resolution is reached through prayer, it will be accepted by God. Living a Christian life within a community of faith is not easy and demands some maturity from us. We have to determine how to love one another. It is more than being nice. Real love in our world requires informed thought and tough choices.

Matthew 18:15-20 is not meant to be taken as permission for those in authority to harm others or abuse their power. It is about listening, accountability and a larger vision of God’s kingdom. It is about being accountable to others for the power we hold. It is about using the power of God’s kingdom to care for the least and most vulnerable.  

As I mentioned earlier, the process of reconciliation is helped by prayer. For example, Corrie ten Boom worked to save several Jews from the Nazis in Holland during World War II. She was arrested and taken to the infamous Ravensbruck concentration camp. She later wrote of her experiences in the famous book, “The Hiding Place”. She often thought back over the horrors of the Ravensbruck concentration camp. How could she ever forgive the former Nazis who had been her jailers? Where were love, acceptance, and forgiveness in a horror camp where more than 95,000 women died? How could she ever forget the horrible cruelty of the guards and the smoke constantly coming from the chimney of the crematorium?

Then in 1947 Corrie was speaking in a church in Munich, and when the meeting was over she saw one of the cruelest male guards of Ravensbruck coming forward to speak to her. He had his hand outstretched. "I have become a Christian," he explained. "I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, will you forgive me?"

A conflict raged in Corrie's heart. The Spirit of God urged her to forgive. The spirit of bitterness and coldness urged her to turn away. "Jesus, help me," she prayed. Then she knew what she must do. "I can lift my hand," she thought to herself. "I can do that much."

As their hands met it was as if warmth and healing broke forth with tears and joy."I forgive you, brother, with all my heart," she said. Later Corrie testified that "it was the power of the Holy Spirit" who had poured the love of God into her heart that day. This is the only way true forgiveness can take place. We turn our hurt over to God. We ask God for the ability to forgive.
 

The Holy Spirit lives in each and every one of us, but Jesus promises to be with us in a unique and special way when we gather in His name for worship, service and mutual encouragement. He is in our midst when we work together to right wrongs. Forgiveness and justice should characterize the Christian community. If it does, others will recognize something unique about the church and might even recognize Christ alive and active in our midst doing what isn’t “do-able” without him.

Some of you might have heard of a country song entitled, “Anyway.” It reminds us of how we are to treat each other as Christians, and it also sums up how and why Jesus wants us to resolve conflicts. I’d like to share some of its words as I close my message.

People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered,
Love them anyway.
If you are good, people will accuse you of ulterior motives,
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable,
Be honest and frank anyway.
People really need help, but may attack you if you help them,
Help them anyway.
In the final analysis, it’s between you and God,
It was never between you and them anyway.


The late Jack Layton put it another way in the last letter that he wrote to Canadians before he died. He wrote, “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving and optimistic, and we’ll change the world”. If we remember his words and the words of Jesus, especially when we are in conflict with our fellow man, we will change the world. Loving our neighbour fulfills any and every other divine command, for genuine love does no harm to its neighbour.

Bibliography

1.      Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, NASV

2.      Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 23rd Sunday (A)”. Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

3.      Phil Wise, “Heartlight Daily Verse-Matthew 18:15”. Retrieved from www.crosswalkmail.com

4.      Dr. Randy L. Hyde, “Two or Three”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

5.      Pastor Steven Molin, “Blueprint for Living”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

6.      The Rev. John Bedingfield, “Resolving Conflict”. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

7.      Exegesis for Matthew 18:15-20. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

8.      Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Lessonmaker Bible software package

9.      Matthew Henry Concise Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker Bible software package

10.  Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Part of Lessonmaker Bible software package

11.  ESV Study Bible. Part of Lessonmaker Bible software package

12.  King Duncan, “On Picking Your Battles”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

13.  Clayton Schmit, “Lectionary for September 7, 2008”. Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching_print.aspx?commentary_id=136

14.   Deanne Langle, “A Careful Road”. Retrieved from www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3263

15.  Abingdon Commentary. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

16.  Dr. J. Howard Olds, “Radical Love is Reconciling”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

17.  Kristen Swenson, “Shaping Heaven”. Retrieved from http://christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2008-09/shaping-heaven?print

18.  Glen L. Borrenson, “A Protecting Grace”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

19.  King Duncan, “Building Relationships”. Retrieved from www.esermons.com

20.  Michael L. Sherer, “For Christ’s Sake, What’s Going On?” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

21.  King Duncan, “Set Free Through Forgiveness!” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

22.  Roland McGregor, “A Brotherhood and Protective Order”. Retrieved from mcgregorpage@intenex.net

23.  “Jack Layton’s Last Letter to Canadians”. Retrieved from www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/08/22/pol-layton-last-letter.html

24.  Daniel Clendenin, PhD, “Between Resistance and Submission: A Question from Dietrich Bonhoeffer”. Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.net/index.shtml?view=print

25.