Sept 7 Mt. 18L15-20, Rom. 13:8-13
For most of my ministry, I worked in small churches,. Here our adult education classes are small church size. whenever a meeting is small, someone will say, where two or three are gathered. While well-meaning, they are ripping the quote out f context. We hear it in full this morning: it refers to people gathered together to make peace.
Conflict always occurs. the interesting question is what how do we respond when it occurs. Some repress its very existence; others swallow hard and let resentments build up; others seek to try to promote peace. Matthew’s gospel gives us a method of forgiveness or mediation. The last section of our book of Order apes the rule of v civil procedure to try to manage disputes in church settings.
Ritual of the passing of the peace in church as training for reconciliation. We do not do a very good job of working through elements of worship. At one level, passing of the peace is silly, a sif you are being introduced to people whom you have known for years. Hear these words form the book of Order on worship (W
The parties get heard. Some of us say that we are not listened to when others do not do what we want. Others merely require voice that they say their piece, they get a sense that they are at least understood, even if someone does not agree with them, and they are satisfied. this is vital as some hurt feelings occur out of simple misunderstanding and misperception that may be helped by clearing the air a bit.The initiator of story corps is doing a series on the improtance of listening to the stories we have to tell.
A mediator does not take sides for one party as in the adversary system but is interested in the parties arriving at an agreement they both can live with. It is less about winning and losing. Amos Oz said a compromise is something that both parties can accept with clenched teeth,
the rule of love in Romans as connected to forgiveness and a pattern of right behavior
Forgiveness is difficult. I am not sure of what is more difficult to admit wrong or to offer forgiveness when we are hurt. So Matthew gives us a structure to approach it in a more formal method. we heard precious little about forgiveness in Ferguson.Notice that sometimes people do not wish to be reconciled. I knew of a couple who would not go through any marital s therapy because and I quote, the therapist may agree with you that I could be wrong about something.Some folks need anger to give them the energy to make it through the day. Some folks like to fight forever.Sometimes then letting someone to their own devices, after trying, after keeping the door open, is the best limited human love can be capable of. some folks only want to win battles, large or small.Can it be an accident that this material is in a place where we encounter the word church in this gospel? I have puzzled over how people act more immaturely in church than they do in the work world or in other organizations.in part, that reslts from church being a place wher we declare our senseof dependence instead of independence. Second, we look to church to be a zone of no coflict and we react badly when that is not the case.Paul does give us a roadmap in our reading today. It is asterling reminder that one size doesn't fit all. Too often Christians speak of one option alone as he Christian way.
No comments:
Post a Comment