1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,500 This is the gospel of the Lord. 2 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:04,800 Thanks be to God. 3 00:00:14,100 --> 00:00:17,580 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts 4 00:00:17,580 --> 00:00:19,000 be acceptable in your sight, 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,460 O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. 6 00:00:21,460 --> 00:00:22,300 Amen. 7 00:00:22,300 --> 00:00:36,300 One of the greatest myths about churches is that we are a community of people who are free from conflict. 8 00:00:36,300 --> 00:00:38,300 The Mount Myth sounds something like, 9 00:00:38,300 --> 00:00:43,300 We've accepted Jesus as our Savior, we have peace in our hearts, we can sin no more, 10 00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:47,300 and we are perfect no matter what they say. 11 00:00:47,300 --> 00:00:53,300 Obviously any of you who have served on any kind of church committee knows that this is far from the truth. 12 00:00:53,300 --> 00:00:58,300 Conflict is alive and well in the church as it is everywhere else. 13 00:00:58,300 --> 00:01:06,300 But a sign of a faithful church isn't the one who pedals the illusion of perfection. 14 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:11,300 Rather, the sign of a faithful church is a church who admits that it is not perfect. 15 00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:20,300 The sign of a faithful church is the one who confesses, repents, and strives to live in love and charity with our neighbors. 16 00:01:20,300 --> 00:01:25,300 And that's partly what we're doing when we say the general confession here in just a few minutes. 17 00:01:25,300 --> 00:01:28,300 We're not only confessing our individual sins, 18 00:01:28,300 --> 00:01:36,300 but we're confessing that we as a church, as a people who are supposed to proclaim the truth of God, sometimes fall short of that. 19 00:01:36,300 --> 00:01:40,300 So while churches are not immune to conflict, 20 00:01:40,300 --> 00:01:47,300 churches do have the tools to manage conflict and life-giving in even healthy ways. 21 00:01:47,300 --> 00:01:53,300 Primarily we have Jesus. We have Jesus as our teacher and our Savior. 22 00:01:53,300 --> 00:01:59,300 And most of the time, Jesus is pretty vague on how to live a faithful life. 23 00:01:59,300 --> 00:02:02,300 He gives parables, he talks in code, it seems. 24 00:02:02,300 --> 00:02:08,300 But today he's pretty clear on how we are to handle conflict. 25 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:16,300 In a nutshell, Jesus offers a very relational, grace-filled way of dealing with conflict with our brother or sister. 26 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:23,300 Before publicly shaming someone for their sin, before casting them into the outer darkness, 27 00:02:23,300 --> 00:02:28,300 he says, go to the source of the problem. Talk with the person directly. Have a conversation. 28 00:02:28,300 --> 00:02:30,300 What a novel idea, right? 29 00:02:30,300 --> 00:02:35,300 Conflict resolution is so much easier when we can handle it one-on-one. 30 00:02:35,300 --> 00:02:42,300 But when the conflict level is relatively low, it's so much easier that way, isn't it? 31 00:02:42,300 --> 00:02:45,300 But we humans don't like easy. We like complicated. 32 00:02:45,300 --> 00:02:50,300 We are prone to deal with conflict in ways that make the problem even worse. 33 00:02:50,300 --> 00:02:56,300 One biblical commentator lays out five ways that we tend to deal with conflict. 34 00:02:56,300 --> 00:03:00,300 First of all, we are tempted to avoid it altogether. 35 00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:06,300 In reality, we're just postponing it. You can't avoid the problem. It's going to catch up sooner or later. 36 00:03:06,300 --> 00:03:16,300 Secondly, we are tempted to gossip. We are tempted to talk about it with everyone else, except the one we need to be talking about it with. 37 00:03:16,300 --> 00:03:21,300 Third, we are tempted to gang up on the other, to bully the other, basically. 38 00:03:21,300 --> 00:03:28,300 Fourth, we're tempted to air out our concerns and our issues in echo chambers with like-minded people, 39 00:03:28,300 --> 00:03:32,300 with people who won't tell us an alternative perspective. 40 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:39,300 Finally, we regard our opponents as the enemy and we'll do whatever we can to squash them like a boat. 41 00:03:39,300 --> 00:03:47,300 In theory, churches should be communities that help inform and inspire how we deal with conflict, 42 00:03:47,300 --> 00:03:54,300 inform and model how we deal with conflict in our homes, in our communities, in our workplaces, in our politics. 43 00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:58,300 But as I said earlier, sometimes we fall short of that. 44 00:03:58,300 --> 00:04:02,300 I think one of the reasons we fall short of that is because we think we have to be perfect. 45 00:04:02,300 --> 00:04:06,300 And so we will do everything we can to create that illusion of perfection. 46 00:04:06,300 --> 00:04:10,300 But as we tell our children, the lie is always worse than the action. 47 00:04:10,300 --> 00:04:14,300 The cover-up is always worse than the actual sin. 48 00:04:14,300 --> 00:04:20,300 Again, churches aren't supposed to show us how to avoid conflict. 49 00:04:20,300 --> 00:04:25,300 That's just another part of the problem. Rather, the church is supposed to model conflict 50 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:28,300 in a way that gives witness to the hope of the gospel. 51 00:04:28,300 --> 00:04:31,300 Dealing with conflict is actually evangelism. 52 00:04:31,300 --> 00:04:41,300 It's actually a way to show that our hope is firmly rooted in God's desire to reconcile us to God and each other 53 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:44,300 to proclaim the good news through conflict resolution. 54 00:04:44,300 --> 00:04:46,300 I know that sounds really exciting. 55 00:04:46,300 --> 00:04:53,300 There's the two lessons that are book-ended today's lesson, the parable of the lost sheep, 56 00:04:53,300 --> 00:05:01,300 leave the 99 to find the one, and then the unforgiving servant, the forgive 77 times 7 times. 57 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:05,300 So those two lessons bracket today's lesson. 58 00:05:05,300 --> 00:05:11,300 So keeping that in mind, God's reconciliation project, God's conflict resolution project 59 00:05:11,300 --> 00:05:15,300 includes a heavy dose of grace and mercy. 60 00:05:15,300 --> 00:05:20,300 With the cross of Christ being the ultimate boast of God's mercy. 61 00:05:20,300 --> 00:05:24,300 To show us how far God will go to reconcile us to each other. 62 00:05:24,300 --> 00:05:30,300 And to see in today's lesson, God's reconciliation project is full of grace and mercy. 63 00:05:30,300 --> 00:05:37,300 God's mercy and grace makes plenty of room, ample room, for the transgressor to confess, 64 00:05:37,300 --> 00:05:41,300 repent, and return to seek amendment of life. 65 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:45,300 For starters, if it's something serious enough to bother you for any length of time, 66 00:05:45,300 --> 00:05:47,300 go directly to the source. 67 00:05:47,300 --> 00:05:51,300 Don't let it fester until you blow up in an inopportune time. 68 00:05:51,300 --> 00:05:53,300 No one wins in that situation. 69 00:05:53,300 --> 00:05:57,300 Secondly, before posting on social media how terrible so-and-so is, 70 00:05:57,300 --> 00:06:00,300 approach the person who offended you first. 71 00:06:00,300 --> 00:06:04,300 It might have been a simple miscommunication or misunderstanding. 72 00:06:04,300 --> 00:06:07,300 Don't escalate the conflict if you don't have to. 73 00:06:07,300 --> 00:06:09,300 You can't take back, right? 74 00:06:09,300 --> 00:06:12,300 You can't take back what you put on the internet. 75 00:06:12,300 --> 00:06:16,300 While the Scripture says we should do this first step alone, one-on-one, 76 00:06:16,300 --> 00:06:20,300 I do advise there are some situations that's probably not a good idea, 77 00:06:20,300 --> 00:06:22,300 especially if abuse might be involved. 78 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:24,300 Take someone else with you. 79 00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:27,300 If the person still doesn't listen, take two or three people as witnesses 80 00:06:27,300 --> 00:06:29,300 to help moderate the discussion. 81 00:06:29,300 --> 00:06:33,300 Don't take 10 or 15 to intimidate or bully. 82 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:37,300 That's just going to make the offender more defensive and create more problems. 83 00:06:37,300 --> 00:06:43,300 Jesus also advises going against going to your physical or virtual echo chambers, 84 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:46,300 our social and traditional media outlets, 85 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:51,300 instead bringing the issue before a group of diverse people 86 00:06:51,300 --> 00:06:55,300 who can help you talk through the problem with as little bias as possible. 87 00:06:55,300 --> 00:06:57,300 Now, finally, it sounds like Jesus says after all this, 88 00:06:57,300 --> 00:06:59,300 excommunicate the person. 89 00:06:59,300 --> 00:07:02,300 Well, it's not that easy, right? 90 00:07:02,300 --> 00:07:05,300 There are situations where someone should be removed from the community 91 00:07:05,300 --> 00:07:08,300 for practical reasons, for their own sake, for the community's sake. 92 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:11,300 But Jesus doesn't completely shut the door. 93 00:07:11,300 --> 00:07:15,300 He says those who don't listen should be treated like Gentiles and tax collectors. 94 00:07:15,300 --> 00:07:17,300 At first blush, that sounds kind of mean. 95 00:07:17,300 --> 00:07:23,300 But what, as we know, Gentiles and tax collectors are not outside of God's saving embrace. 96 00:07:23,300 --> 00:07:26,300 As the story of Jesus unfolds all the way to the cross and beyond, 97 00:07:26,300 --> 00:07:30,300 we see that the outsiders are actually included 98 00:07:30,300 --> 00:07:34,300 and the leaders of Jesus' ministry in his community. 99 00:07:34,300 --> 00:07:39,300 German, I can't preach on this passage without quoting Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 100 00:07:39,300 --> 00:07:42,300 He wrote in his book, Life Together, 101 00:07:42,300 --> 00:07:49,300 Nothing is more cruel than the leniency which abandons another to their sin. 102 00:07:49,300 --> 00:07:53,300 Nothing can be more compassionate than the reprimand 103 00:07:53,300 --> 00:07:59,300 which calls another back to the community, back from their sin. 104 00:07:59,300 --> 00:08:03,300 In other words, we all need to be held accountable for our actions. 105 00:08:03,300 --> 00:08:08,300 We all need to be held accountable in ways that also make space for growth and new life. 106 00:08:08,300 --> 00:08:10,300 That's how we grow is through our mistakes. 107 00:08:10,300 --> 00:08:16,300 Our mistakes can be our greatest teachers if we allow them to, if we let grace inform us. 108 00:08:16,300 --> 00:08:23,300 Today's gospel lesson articulates both not only the need to understand the consequences, 109 00:08:23,300 --> 00:08:27,300 but also to have mercy as an avenue for a new start. 110 00:08:27,300 --> 00:08:33,300 Now, I know I don't have to tell you that we live in a polarized world, this amplified by media. 111 00:08:33,300 --> 00:08:37,300 If we want to, we can spend most of our time in our little echo chambers 112 00:08:37,300 --> 00:08:40,300 being affirmed again and again with what we already believe. 113 00:08:40,300 --> 00:08:44,300 There are infinite ways to surround ourselves by people who think and act just like we do. 114 00:08:44,300 --> 00:08:49,300 And as long as we stay in those chambers, we're never wrong. We're always right. 115 00:08:49,300 --> 00:08:53,300 But that's just one way that we as humans self-justify, 116 00:08:53,300 --> 00:08:57,300 that we justify our own actions and thoughts and behaviors. 117 00:08:57,300 --> 00:09:03,300 But the gospel tells us there's only one who can justify us or make us right with each other and God. 118 00:09:03,300 --> 00:09:08,300 There's only one who holds the truth that will set us free to live in peace and charity with the other. 119 00:09:08,300 --> 00:09:13,300 There's only one who can reconcile us to God and each other, and that one is Jesus Christ, 120 00:09:13,300 --> 00:09:17,300 the one whose property is always to have mercy. 121 00:09:17,300 --> 00:09:22,300 At the end of the day, the church is called to be faithful to Jesus Christ and the truth he proclaims. 122 00:09:22,300 --> 00:09:28,300 A truth that is ultimately about reconciling the world to God and each other. 123 00:09:28,300 --> 00:09:34,300 As Jesus himself says elsewhere, being faithful to the gospel might actually cause conflict. 124 00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:39,300 The conflict usually arises when we extend grace and mercy to the other. 125 00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:44,300 The good news, however, is that faithfully engaging with conflict, as I said earlier, 126 00:09:44,300 --> 00:09:48,300 is actually a form of evangelization. 127 00:09:48,300 --> 00:09:53,300 When we use Jesus as our moderator and guide, our churches will grow. 128 00:09:53,300 --> 00:09:55,300 Our individual faith will grow. 129 00:09:55,300 --> 00:10:01,300 We will be able to reflect the truth that the world is desperate to hear and see. 130 00:10:01,300 --> 00:10:08,300 A truth that says God can reconcile even the most broken of relationships. 131 00:10:08,300 --> 00:10:14,300 So I hope and pray that our churches and her people don't get pulled down into the outer darkness 132 00:10:14,300 --> 00:10:17,300 where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. 133 00:10:17,300 --> 00:10:21,300 I hope and pray that our churches and people don't get lulled into thinking 134 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:27,300 that completely avoiding these conversations that matter is the way to go either. 135 00:10:27,300 --> 00:10:29,300 We don't need any more echo chambers. 136 00:10:29,300 --> 00:10:31,300 The church doesn't need to be an echo chamber. 137 00:10:31,300 --> 00:10:35,300 We need more communities who are brave enough to address important issues 138 00:10:35,300 --> 00:10:39,300 in constructive ways for the welfare of the community, 139 00:10:39,300 --> 00:10:43,300 especially those keeping mindful of those without a voice. 140 00:10:43,300 --> 00:10:47,300 That there is any community that is primed to model constructive dialogue. 141 00:10:47,300 --> 00:10:49,300 It's the church community. 142 00:10:49,300 --> 00:10:54,300 Even more, we as Episcopalians have been uniquely formed to be able to do this, 143 00:10:54,300 --> 00:10:58,300 to have these conversations because we are born from the Church of England. 144 00:10:58,300 --> 00:11:04,300 And the Church of England was sought comprehension for the sake of truth. 145 00:11:04,300 --> 00:11:06,300 They were reconciling the Catholics and Protestants. 146 00:11:06,300 --> 00:11:08,300 Now I feel myself going on a church history tangent. 147 00:11:08,300 --> 00:11:10,300 So I'll stop. 148 00:11:10,300 --> 00:11:12,300 Y'all have been victim to too many of those. 149 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:14,300 I'll stop and say this. 150 00:11:14,300 --> 00:11:19,300 The good news of Jesus and his kingdom is that ours is a God who does in fact 151 00:11:19,300 --> 00:11:22,300 want us to live in peace and charity with our neighbors. 152 00:11:22,300 --> 00:11:25,300 And sometimes that conflict is a result of that. 153 00:11:25,300 --> 00:11:28,300 On our best days, we do reflect that truth, 154 00:11:28,300 --> 00:11:32,300 a truth that will be established in the fullness of time for Jesus Christ. 155 00:11:32,300 --> 00:11:36,300 But in the meantime, God and Christ is making room, 156 00:11:36,300 --> 00:11:41,300 ample space through His grace and mercy for His people and His church 157 00:11:41,300 --> 00:11:44,300 to live in peace and charity with all. 158 00:11:44,300 --> 00:11:48,300 And when we do manage to reflect that gospel truth, 159 00:11:48,300 --> 00:11:53,300 we inspire hope in a world that seems destined to fall in on itself. 160 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:55,300 Now if fighting to proclaim that truth, 161 00:11:55,300 --> 00:11:59,300 that truth of a reconciled world through Jesus Christ isn't worth it, 162 00:11:59,300 --> 00:12:01,300 then I don't know what is. 163 00:12:01,300 --> 00:12:06,300 Thanks be to God that ours is a Savior and a Lord who will never stop fighting for us. 164 00:12:06,300 --> 00:12:10,300 Never stop fighting for all of us to make sure that each and every one of us 165 00:12:10,300 --> 00:12:13,300 have a place in His Father's kingdom. 166 00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:15,300 Amen. 167 00:12:15,300 --> 00:12:19,300 Now we proclaim our faith with the words of the Nicene Creed, 168 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:41,300 I believe in one God, the Father.