The Gospel for this Sunday’s sermon is particularly challenging, and it struck me—why should I be the only one struggling with this? It’s time to share! So what follows are some initial thoughts as to where the scripture is going.
The Gospel is one of those passages that we wish didn’t have Jesus’ name attached to it. I’m sure we all have stories of churches that have used these instructions to their own destructive ends, shunning and shaming anyone who didn’t agree or behave or whatever. Those things get in the news because they are hardly the church on best behavior. There’s no way we would follow Jesus’ advice here, and I think that’s a good thing. But are we missing something here? There has got to be a positive way to see this advice.
I’m thinking that Jesus had to have known that his advice would be abused. Yet he said it, maybe because he was hoping that sometimes we might actually figure out his real intent. I think this has something to do with the importance of the Christian community. Those churches that do the shunning and the shaming—they really do believe they are doing it for the best of reasons—it’s not all about abusing power. They throw the misbehaving member out, hoping for repentance. It’s a punishment that’s for your own good, at least that’s the thinking.
These guys take church seriously because they think it seriously makes a difference. We’re more casual, figuring that it’s nobody else’s business whether I go to church or not, and that’s probably better than throwing people out when they disagree, but are we missing something?
It’s not like our disagreements work out all that well. People would rather leave the church than risk a confrontation, so by the time I know someone is unhappy, they’ve left the church. There’s not a lot of honesty or faithfulness in that behavior either. Those other churches may be all about power, we’re all about privacy and avoiding confrontation, and that doesn’t seem to help either.
If we believed that our participation in the church was that important, we’d be here every Sunday, not because we need it but because someone might need us. Conflicts would be different. What I have here is a theory, but I’m looking for experience and stories. So are there any? Do you think it makes a difference to someone else if you are here on a Sunday? Has anyone had the experience of knowing that your being in the pew on a particular Sunday made a difference to someone else? Do you think there is someone who is part of the Body of Christ because of something you said or did?
I’ve got a few days until I preach, and I could use some ideas here!
One Response
I have been watching to see what the answers would be on here because I am interested to see what others think, and well, I have my own theory.
I believe at a very basic level, the desire is to be noticed and wanted within a church. We attend a church or pick a church to be a part of that family. If the leaders go out of their way to create that sense of belonging, that's where the work of a great leader can be carried out thru the congregation. I think we all like to 'think' we are needed or are making a difference, but I think the strongest ties are based on the relationships built through the community–because the desire is to know you are noticed and wanted within that Church family.
I think the Church is more about creating a sense of community and fostering it rather than disciplining when disagreements arise. I agree that ruling with a heavy hand doesn't really solve anything. But this may be more about a sense of belonging rather than making a difference just based on attendance. Yes that's important too, but how often do we 'really' know our impact on others? Sometimes we can guess, but true knowledge enough to make me come to church? Hmmmm. Don't know.
Do I come to Church because I might be needed? Maybe. Do I feel like I am making a difference by being there in that pew? Nope. Do I feel like a part of the church family and that I'm noticed? Yup. I started coming to this church because of you. I stayed because of the community. Hmmm….And maybe that's where the 'needing' comes in…once a person has been noticed, they wait for their “call to action”…….. Just a thought, and I may be wrong, or deliriously tired at the moment, or not really helping…. 🙂
–Kayla