Pentecost 17, 09/07/2008

Sermon on Matthew 18:15-20, by James V. Stockton

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."

A VESSEL OF RESCUE FROM THE STORM

It's hurricane season again and I'm reminded of one of the many accounts of people's experiences the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and the floods. I heard a couple telling their story of how they found themselves suddenly rushing to find rescue from the danger. They're a couple on vacation, we'll call them Tom and Mary, and with the storm approaching they have bags in hand and are preparing to leave their hotel. The couple next door sees them. "Hey, where are you all going?" one of them calls out. "We're going to the airport." Tom calls back. "How are you getting there?" the neighbor asks. ‘We called for a cab," Mary replies. "Hey," the neighbor begins excitedly, "Do you think you've got room for Kim and me?" Telling the story, Tom relates that when he'd reserved the cab, the cab company had asked him specifically how many occupants, and he'd told them ‘two'. "Sure!" says Tom, "you two can come!" but he has to wonder, will the cab driver really agree to take them? Then, while making their way outside, yet another couple whom they've come to know see them leaving together. "Can we come with you?" ‘Sure,' says Tom, but again he wonders, will the driver really let them come along?

Though not a taxi cab, yet an ancient tradition of the Faith holds the Church to be a type of vessel. In the 12^th century Pope Boniface VIII wrote that the Ark of Noah was a prophetic symbol of the Church; each local church was adrift in an endless sea as God's offer and sign of rescue for all those souls floundering in the chaos and confusion all around them. As early as the second century, the theologian Tertullian writes of the Church as navis, as ship. It's for this very reason that the very space in which we worship is called the Nave.

And it is no cruise ship, this ancient and eternal vessel. Its source of energy is far more reliable and steady than refined petroleum products. This is a ship driven by the motion of the wind, by the movement of the Spirit of God, and propelled along its way by the collective energy of everyone in it pulling steadily at the oars. It is this vessel, the Church, that Jesus addresses in the Gospel for today.

As the Church is coming into being, the disciples remember this teaching of Jesus: If your brother, your sister, if a member of your family in the Faith, if someone who is your kindred in Christ, wrongs you, offends you, slights you, insults you, sins and errs against you, then there is a way to handle this. And first lets take notice: there is a condition that must be met before one person may begin addressing the sin of another. And it is that the sin must be directed at that person. Before you or I can rightly move to address a perceived sin, we need to question, ‘Is this really any of my business?' Just imagine how much discord in the Church could be put to rest if this test were applied. And because he likely knows that this sort of thing is going to happen, Jesus offers to his followers a way for them to address these grievances when they do arise.

It has been said of the Church that it is not a hotel for saints but a hospital for sinners. And while the contrast is a valuable one, still, the analogy works only so far. For, unlike a hospital, a ship is a place where people intend to stay for a comparatively extended period of time. For this reason, I think, Jesus gives his followers aboard the navis of the Church a process to follow. Step by step:do this; and if this doesn't work, then do this; and if that doesn't work, then do this; and then after all that, if it still doesn't work, then forget it.

He gives them a process because a process calls for a deliberate pace, not a speedy one; it calls for evaluation and re-evaluation all along the way. In a situation in which it doesn't come naturally, this process calls for, even imposes, patience. And perhaps Jesus does this so that tedium of such a process may help put things into perspective, and help you or me, when we are perhaps too-easily offended, to wonder, ‘Is it really worth all this? Maybe it's not so much of a problem after all.'

Maybe Jesus does this to help the infant Church, and to help us today, realize a better way. Jesus goes on to say that ‘if just a couple of you will agree on something, God promises to respond. In fact, where just two or three of you gather together, God is in the midst of you.' Does the Church catch the contrast here? Do we? Can we help the world to catch it? If we focus on how we disagree with one another, then look how complicated things must become. But if we focus on how we agree, then....consider the possibility!

It's not a call to pretend that followers of Christ don't have disagreements. The incredible number of Christian denominations speaks to this; each one has formed itself around disagreements with Christians who have gone before or who have come after. We need only note the turmoil du jour churning up our own beloved Episcopal Church. It's a discord so multifaceted that it continues to defy any real definition; which suggests, I think, that it's a discord fueled by love of battle and lust for power, and that this is why a great many have piled on, and that this is why a common clear description of the disagreement continues to elude us.

All of which goes to prove Jesus' point: Notice how much more we can accomplish, how much nearer we may draw to God, if we put our focus instead on the wonders and joys, the mysteries and blessings that all of us really want, and around which we gather and agree.

"Fleeing the storm," Tom says, "I didn't know what the driver would do." He is aware that the driver might tell him, ‘No! Only two passengers allowed.' He also knows that that she could say, ‘It's $29.00 for a couple, so it's $29.00 times three.' He knows that she could go further: ‘I'll get you there for $250,'or some exorbitant sum, and they'll probably pay it, too. But the driver doesn't do any of that. Instead, when Tom asks about the other two couples, she tells them, "Everybody in." When Tom asks her how much, she reminds him that the arrangement was for one couple, so the fee will be $2900. Furthermore, she knows the back way to the airport, so rather than milk the meter by taking the long way ‘round, she gets them there right away. No extra charge, no special fee, no restrictions, no hesitation. She welcomes them in and brings them safely on their way toward home.

The refugees from the floods of Katrina are reminding us still, the victims of the more recent floods are reminding us: We all want a place to call home, shelter from danger, nourishment for the body and encouragement for the soul. We all want to know that somebody cares about us, that someone is looking for us and looking out for us. When we're in trouble we want to climb in somewhere and find someone there who's as happy as we are that we're all safe now, and we can celebrate together.

Christ has made of us together the very rescue vessel that he first used to save you and me. Our Blood Drive is next Saturday, and I expect we'll see lots of us there. We're collecting donations for to help support victims of the storms and floods, some of whom have lost virtually everything. And someday, when these more recent floods have receded, and people have returned to their homes and families have found ways to move on and reclaim their lives, still, all around us, people will be materially or spiritually barely treading water; still starving in body and soul; still seeking a place that feels like a home; still looking for a community of people who care about them and who welcome the care that they have to offer in return; still wanting to know that there is a God who is looking for them, and a people of God who are reaching for them; a people of God concerned not so much with differences amongst themselves, or with differences with those outside, but a people truly of God who have agreed to work together to lift up their fellow human souls from chaos and confusion, out of death and dying, and into the vessel of God's own life. They still are searching for us, a people fueled by the Spirit of God, you and me, a people who, but for the grace of God alone, celebrate together the fact that, by our rescuer, we have been found.

And so may Almighty God, who has formed us together in a common life, so guide us in our search for His good will that where we are divided and bound by sin we may be freed and united under the gracious rule of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever.

Amen.

Rev. James V. Stockton
Episcopal Church of the Resurrection
Austin, Texas

E-Mail: jstockton@sbcglobal.net

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