Conflict and Relationships: Last Sunday's Sermon

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The Readings



Old Testament

Exodus 12:1-14

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.


The Gospel

Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”



The sermon



Conflict and relationships

When I was in the process of thinking through these lessons and looking for a common thread between them I came to the conclusion that common ground was relationships and the conflict that occurs between people.

The old testament reading is a continuation of the story of Moses and his conflict with the Egyptian Pharaoh. What we did not read today were the dramatic events leading up to today's reading of the Passover. Moses and Aaron tried to convince pharaoh to peaceably let them leave Egypt but pharaoh would have none of it. So, God sent plagues upon the people of Egypt. God sent frogs, gnats, flies, the river ran blood red. boils, and still pharaoh would not listen. Finally, the last plague does it. It results in the death of the first born of everyone and everything in the land. However, if certain rituals were performed in the households of the Jews then the angel of death would passover those households. Pharaoh's son dies with this plague. He finally sort of gives up and the people are allowed to leave.

In our reading from Matthew, Jesus talks about conflicts and how to settle them. He says if a member of the church sins against you talk to him in private and try and settle it that way. He progresses with further steps, each a little more serious in nature until he finally says if the person still will not listen then you should have nothing to do with the person.

We are a social people. Christianity is a religion that is meant to be practiced in community. In other words, we need to get along. The last thing we want is to be a caustic church. In-fighting among church members can poison the very foundation of a church community. Believe it or not there are people who join a church and then actively work to tear it apart. I have heard the stories and I have seen it happen.

I love our church family and I believe you do too. I have seen that we genuinely care about each other and I am so grateful for the care and love you have shown me. When I say, “let us share the peace.” and we a we all shake hands or give hugs it means something to me.

Please remember that at the end of this gospel reading Jesus says, “when two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them” he is telling us that he is a part of our community and he is present among us. So, remember that Jesus is among us when we gather to worship. Amen


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