“In the Midst of the Mess”
Rev. Essie Koenig-Reinke
When I was in the youth group, there were two things my youth director referenced all the time. First, he would always ask us, where did you see God today? This has become so engrained in us as a community that to this day, it is not uncommon for us to ask each other this. Second, he would quote us the following scripture all the time, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am with you.” I have this scripture on hoodies, T-Shirts and written in my journals hundreds of times. However, it wasn’t until this week, after I had chosen this text that I realized the context of this passage. Jesus wasn’t talking about this in a beautiful moment surrounded by loved ones, or at the celebration of a birthday or community. It was not given on a mountain top or at a banquet table. No, this passage comes right smack dab in the middle of a passage of scripture about forgiveness and reconciliation, of a church. Jesus proclaims one of the most beloved scripture verses, that reminds of God’s abiding presence from Youth Lock-ins, Mission Trips, Ski Trips, Sleepovers and more, was originally about community conflict.
I’m sorry, what?
This verse is often one of those verses we take out of context and use in our everyday lives because it sounds so good, but when you have to read the first paragraph with it, suddenly you begin asking questions like, What were they arguing about? Who is mad? What was going on that was so bad Jesus had to preach about it? This verse, while beautiful on its own, actually offers us a much deeper insight into the life of Jesus following communities when the gospel of Matthew was written. In those times most churches were what we call house churches. Meaning most of the people who were part of that community were also bound to each other through blood, marriage, employment or being enslaved. While some neighbors were invited, most of these churches were made up of families. This reconciliation guide that Jesus writes here, would have been laughable. Because in those days, everyone knew that the patriarch of the family dealt with conflicts and what he said went. This method that Jesus proclaims asks them to do something different, it invites them to work it out themselves which is messy, and complicated. Instead of a conflict resolving because it was dictated by the head of the house, Jesus calls his followers to reconcile and to heal in community. It would have been an extremely difficult teaching to follow, and perhaps still is.
We don’t worship in house churches any longer, but we do consider ourselves a family of faith or church community, and the spirit of these words are just as important and challenging as they were then as they are now. These words were spoken at a hinge point in scripture. Before this text is all about who is living in community with each other, and this passage bridges the conversation of community with the litany of teachings and parables about forgiveness that follows. Right before this is the parable of the lost sheep. The one where Jesus will go in search of the one who was lost and bring them back to their community. Directly following this passage is the conversation Jesus has with the person who asks how many times they should forgive someone. Jesus replies Not 7 or 70 but 70X7, which in biblical numbers is absolute completion and wholeness, which means we work for forgiveness and reconciliation until healing and wholeness has been found.
Our text today brings those two together, where we learn the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation in community. I love that the author put this passage in here, I love even more that those men who sat around a table and talked about what scriptures to include in the canon that would become our bible, held on to this one. Because I think it is an important five verses. While so many epistles and letters from Paul talk about being church together, we do not get to hear this from Jesus very often. He has what some might consider bigger things to do, like feed the hungry, liberate the oppressed, teach people about the Kingdom of God and show God’s love for the world in full force. But the author of Matthew includes these five verses about navigating conflict as a family of faith. By simply including this in our bible, we can see that church and community conflict were happening even as the gospels were being written. Conflict in our churches and in our community will happen, and it matters how we care for ourselves and each other when it does.
This whole pericope, this whole section of texts teaches us that relationships matter, especially when we are experiencing conflict. My first call out of seminary was a hard one. I learned more about Administrative Commissions and the section in our denominations book of order Called Church Discipline, than I ever wanted to. There had been deep betrayals of trust and harm done to each other before I ever walked onto the staff but the reverberations of the pain and the cost of this conflict were felt even three years later. Y’all because of that call I have spent more continuing education hours on conflict resolution and non-violent communication than on anything else, because what I have learned, is that how we engage in conflict, how we care for those who stand on our side of the line and on the other, matters, because relationships matter, because where two or three are gathered God is there. The point of forgiveness isn’t to forget or wipe the slate clean, it is about valuing relationships and community more than individual pride, greed or anger. It is a hard and complex command to follow, and yet it is what we are called to
Before we are going any further, I want to make a disclaimer. Is this full proof, no? Does it take into account the harm caused by systems of oppression, not really. There is a difference between conflict and irreparable harm. There is a difference between being uncomfortable and being unsafe. There is a difference between healing from a disagreement and healing from trauma. God is not asking any of us to reconcile in a space that is unsafe. Only you can feel that difference.
However, when it comes to conflict, about the color church carpet, a vision statement, whether children should be in worship, or how many times a year we should have communion, Jesus is clear on this, our relationships with one another matter, because it is the heart of what is woven between us where God dwells. It is in being together as a community where God’s presence is felt in a profound way.
Rachel Held Evans once wrote that the gospel doesn’t need a PR manager, instead she writes about how we are called to live as christians, individually and as a community. It’s a tall order, but here is what she says:
“A Christian is someone who is trying to follow Jesus. And following Jesus means loving God and loving your neighbor. It’s not about checking off a list of rules; it’s about a posture of the heart.""The gospel doesn't need a PR manager. It needs people who are willing to live it out by feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and loving their enemies."
This is the heart of this text.
To lead with love.
To value relationships
To be in community, especially when it is hard.
Seek reconciliation where possible.
And when the growing gets tough, remember that it is when we are together, that God of the universe is wholly present.
May it be so. Amen.
