Rev. Roland J. Wells, Jr. - Pastor

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost - September 8, 2002

Lessons: Ezekiel 33:7-11; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20

" Unity Through Applied Love"

Introduction:

News update. Last weekend we spent the entire weekend putting a new transmission into Tim's car. About 70 man-hours putting a new transmission into Tim's car. The amazing thing is - we got it in! And we started it up, put it into gear- and it worked!!! -but it did exactly the same thing it did with the old transmission. The transmission shop mis-diagnosed it; it needed a new transmission computer- which may have given out because a youthful driver had spilled a very large Coke on it. End of story?

No, it works for our sermon intro. How? I was really concerned last weekend, because this was the most tricky car repair I've ever tried, and according to the mechanics and junk yard we had a really good chance of wrecking it. All those little pieces have to work just so. If they're put together wrong, as soon as the car starts, the whole transmission will be destroyed. The parts have to fit just right, or it breaks the machine. Inelegant, but that's what Jesus is talking about too. In our Gospel text Jesus talks about relationships in the Church. Let's see:

I) The Path to Restoration

If we look at this passage in Matthew, we see a section about the care of the individual. The paragraphs before our text come again and again to the theme of caring for all the 'little ones.' At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus talks welcoming 'little ones,' then about the danger of causing "little ones" to fall into sin; then he talks about sheep-leaving 99 to find the one; then again that (Matthew 18:14) In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. "Little ones" does not just refer to children. As the text goes on it's clear that it means all of those called to faith.

That's the introduction to our text. Jesus goes on: "If your brother sins (against you,) go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over."

At this point we hit a problem. The oldest and best Greek texts of the Bible do not have the words 'against you.' That makes a big difference. It's a question of coming to the brother if he sins, or coming to the brother if he sins against you. Many Bible translations include the "against you"words, because they came down to us from the Latin into the King James Bible. But the words just don't exist in the oldest texts. And, historically, most Lutheran church Constitutions point to this verse if a brother or sister is caught in sin. Its purpose is clear, if rarely used.

Perhaps we can go for an easy answer, and say that if a brother or sister is caught up in sin, including sin against you, you should go to them. Because one falling away, or two in dispute will hurt the Body of Christ. And he wills that no one should fall away. That's what this section is about.

II) Three Steps to Wholeness and Restoration

There are three steps here- first you go to the person. You are your brother or sister's keeper! The text is emphatic in Greek- you go, you alone. That's how you handle things. You don't go to everybody else, hoping it gets back to that person. You don't go to their family; you don't talk behind their back; you don't heat up the phone lines, you don't ignore it, and hope it goes away. Do those sound like things Scandinavians do? Maybe all people do; we all want to win; we all want to avoid conflict; but time after time, everything just gets worse, unless we sit down with the person and get things settled. That's true if it's an interpersonal conflict, or if we believe someone is falling into something broken.

Pastor, is it really my business? Pastor, doesn't that just play into the hands of busybodies who just want to stick their nose into other persons' business? How much sticking into other people's business will a busybody do if they first go to the person?

In a church where ...a pastor I know... once served, there was an infamous gossip. She's gone now, but was said of Irene that if she hadn't heard a good rumor by 9 AM, she'd make one up. About 40 years ago, one day she got ahold of a particularly tasty, completely untrue and absolutely devastating piece of gossip, which she embellished and fired out on the party lines. Did I mention that it had to do with the pastor who was serving there then?

In a couple of days it not only had the whole town stirred up, it also got back to the Pastor. He was very frustrated, but wise. He found out that it went back to Irene. In an action I wouldn't suggest, he drove out to Irene's house, and with a straight face, asked Irene to help him. He said that some malicious gossip had started a terrible rumor about him, and he needed Irene's help in tracking it down, because he was planning a defamation of character suit for $100,000 against whoever it was that started the rumor. Oddly, he never had problems with Irene again.

Now, I give him points for going right to the source; and maybe it was the most direct way he thought he could deal with the person in question. But the Church is called to be made up of tender people. People who talk. People who are brave enough, and love enough to risk love in action. It means that if we've got something to get settled, we need to talk about it. It means if we think we see someone falling into brokenness, we need to quietly and individually go directly to them. In most cases, that sort of thing will start the talking that will lead to healing. Maybe we heard wrong, maybe the person hasn't fallen into sin, but if we love them enough, without being judgmental, we are called to go and talk to the person. Even more important, if we think the other person has hurt us, we need to go and get things worked out. Otherwise it builds and builds, we start being offended by other things, and pretty soon there's pain in the body. And sometimes people, Christian people do hurt each other. Sometimes churches make decisions that some members don't like. At St. Paul's, we try to make decisions by consensus, but even so, there are many ways to look at a decision. Many American church members in that situation vote with their feet. But that's not God's way. The only way we grow is to work our way through those things together.

The next two steps follow up- if the person won't listen, you bring two witnesses- now who are these witnesses? They are not people who agree with the accuser. They are simply other Christians who come to silently listen, and help to work the process through. The purpose isn't to gang up on the one. It's to listen to the issue, listen to the response and help talk it through.

Then, if that doesn't work, the assembled body of the Church is to be brought together to help to mediate this through. That's not done very often in our litigious society today. Mostly today, the person just walks away, or the church ignores it and either splits or is weakened. I think sometimes that people could be so much more readily healed if the church really did help support people when they were tempted or falling. But the concept is very alien today. The Body of Christ was created to love hurting people- to restore them to health and wholeness in their relationships. Trust and maturity are built in times of conflict. But I think 21^st Century Americans are a bit too individualistic to see church membership or discipline in those terms.

Building on last week, are these words Law or Gospel? Both. They are Law- words for order and for conviction; but more than that, they are powerful words of Gospel promise, of what God desires to build in our midst.

III) The Fruit of Unity

Our text finishes with three little pieces about that Body's working and unity: [18] "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. [19] "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

The binding and loosing promise was given by Jesus to Peter a couple chapters back, now it is given to the disciples, just as Jesus will give it to them again on Easter evening in John's Gospel. There Jesus says: (John 20:22-23) When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

There's an overlap in these two texts. John's passage talks about binding and loosing sins. That's what we do as we confess our sins, and someone always proclaims the words of forgiveness. That's what Lutherans call the 'Office of the Keys.' Christians are given the power, as 'the priesthood of all believers' to proclaim Jesus' forgiveness. Matthew goes further than that, and says that 'anything' we bind on earth shall be bound in the heavenly realms; whatever we loose by action in the earthly realms will be loosed in the heavenly realms. We are given spiritual authority, as the body of Christ to loose the Holy Spirit, to loose the blessings of God, to break bondages, and destroy curses, all in the Name of Jesus. And when we suspect demonic involvement, we are given authority over all evil in the Name of Jesus to bind those powers.

Finally, we have promises given to the church. In unity, there is power. We maybe can't understand it, but I Peter 3:7 even tells us that our marriages need unity so that our prayers won't be hindered. So it is in the Church- so Jesus even gives us two promises: [19] "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Jesus Christ desires to build unity in his Body. For American Christians of 2001, that's probably the hardest thing. In that unity, there Gospel steps to healing, there are promises of answered prayer and the presence of Jesus himself with us. What more do we need? Invitation, Amen.

Pentecost 16 - September 8, 2002

Ezekiel 33:7-11

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. [8] When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. [9] But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.

[10] "Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: "Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?" ' [11] Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'

Romans 13:8-14

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. [9] The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." [10] Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

[11] And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. [12] The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. [13] Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. [14] Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Matthew 18:15-20

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. [16] But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

[18] "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

[19] "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."