The Church—What It's All About
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Rally Sunday
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Matthew 18:1-20
Today is Rally Sunday. It might not seem like a big thing like
Christmas and Easter. What is Rally Sunday? For years I've wondered
why we call Rally Sunday, Rally Sunday. So I looked up "rally" in the
dictionary. It's what Jesus in the Gospel reading is teaching us about
His Church. Rally means "to bring into order again; to gather and
organize or inspire anew; to draw or call (persons) together for a
common action or effort; to concentrate or revive, as one's strength,
spirits, etc.; to come together for common action or effort."
We might think of Rally Sunday as simply the beginning of the new
Sunday School year. But why is it we have Sunday School? Why do we
have Bible Class? What is so important about gathering each week to
study God's Word together? Jesus shows us in the Gospel reading. He
shows us why we need to bring into order again; to gather and organize
or inspire anew; to draw or call each other together for a common
action or effort.
In a word, it's reconciliation. Reconciliation is something we don't
think about much. We go through our lives without thinking much about
how we relate to one another. We know who everybody is. That's my
neighbor. He's my co-worker. She's a parent of one of the kids my
daughter plays soccer with. He's a member of our church.
This shows us how we know each other. Even how we're related to each
other. But how do we relate with one another? And this is for all
those we know, whether they are Christians or not. Do we just know
them casually? Do we lean on them for emotional support? Do we just
get together with them for exercise? Do we live in the same
neighborhood they do? Do we happen to go to the same church they do?
Are we related to them?
We know a lot of people in a lot of different ways. Things may go just
fine, they way we'd like them to go. But what happens when they take
advantage of the relationship? Now all of a sudden you're relating to
them in a way in which this isn't beneficial to you, and you're even
being burdened. What do you do? Do you try to get out of the
relationship? Do you try to act as if nothing happened? Do you let
them know in some subtle way that you're hurt? Do you talk to a mutual
acquaintance to let them know so that they can try to get them to
apologize? Or do you just talk behind the person's back so that other
people will know what a rotten thing they did to you?
Jesus shows us a better way. It's not necessarily easier. And things
may not end up the way you'd like, but it's the true way of love. God
has brought us into the Church. There's a way things go in the Church,
and it's not the way where we try to shove things under the rug and
hope they'll go away. It's not the way of bitterness or revenge,
either. And it's not the way of dissolving the relationship because
it's not working out the way you anticipated.
It's the way of reconciliation. In the Gospel reading Jesus describes
a people who are in the Word of God and living out that Word. This is
why we teach our children the Word at home and in Sunday School. This
is why we're in the Word daily and in Bible Class weekly. Our sinful
flesh is all too willing to reciprocate a slight with a slight. We're
all too ready to put the worst construction on what someone does
rather than put the best construction on what they do. We're more
ready to criticize one another than we are to build up one another.
We're often more concerned about what will make us satisfied rather
than what will not cause another person to stumble in their faith, or
if they're not a Christian, to be turned off to Christianity.
Christ's Church is like a house. It doesn't matter if you're upstairs
or downstairs, it matters if you're in or out. Christ has brought you
in. He wants you in. But we who are in the Church sometimes act like
those who are out, don't we? We don't always treat each other, and
those outside as well, lovingly. We're in the Church, we need to act
like it. The way we do that is by reconciling with one another, with
those within and those without.
Reconciliation is an action word. It's not a static thing. It's an
actual thing. Without reconciliation there's always that guilt, that
grudge, those hard feelings, hanging around. Reconciling means
apologizing. It means admitting your guilt to the other person,
seeking restoration. It means gently telling the other person of their
sin against you so that they may make amends and receive your
forgiveness. It means bringing to the other person's attention how
they are bringing harm to a child or one who is weak in faith so that
that person may repent and be restored to the person they have harmed.
Jesus says that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, there
He is. It's true that Jesus is everywhere. He's God. But being
everywhere doesn't help us out, because He's just "there." We need Him
among us in an action way. Apart from where He is among us actively
giving us His grace, we receive only judgment. That's why we need
those things that give us Him. Those things that we gather around
where we can know He is among us and with His grace, mercy, and peace.
God is reconciled to us when we are united with Christ in Baptism. We
are restored to right standing before God when we hear the Gospel
proclaimed. We are forgiven when we receive Christ's very Body and
Blood in His Holy Supper.
Being Baptized doesn't just mean that you're forgiven. It means you're
born into the Family of God. You are a part of the Church of Christ,
with brothers and sisters in Christ. You need them. They need you.
Treat them as brothers and sisters. Bring the Good News of Christ to
those who are outside of the Church so that they too may know of the
power of reconciliation in Christ. Treat them always in love and
humility.
Receiving the Lord's Supper doesn't just mean that you are communing
with Christ. You are communing also with your brothers and sisters in
the Family of God. You are communing with the Christian Church,
including those who have gone before you. You are not alone. As they
have been reconciled to God and are now in heaven, so you will follow
in their footsteps. Nothing separates you from reconciliation, not
your sin, your guilt, not the distance between you and God, not even
death.
What the Church is all about is reconciliation. In other words, it's
about Christ. Because of Christ we are reconciled with the Father. In
Christ we may be reconciled with one another. That is something to
rally around. It's something to rejoice in. It's something to dig
deeper and deeper into, through the hearing and receiving and studying
of His Word—and for that there is ample opportunity. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.blogspot.com
It is the spirit and genius of Lutheranism to be liberal in everything
except where the marks of the Church are concerned.
[Henry Hamann, On Being a Christian]
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