Looking into the lectionary - Prayers for the fall 🍎

Matthew 18:15-20 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time September 6, 2026 What if we actually did what Jesus teaches his disciples about handling conflict? This teaching on “dealing with sin in the church” immediately follows the parable of the lost sheep. In Luke, that parable is part of a “lost things” parables collection, alongside the lost coin and lost son(s), told strategically and deliberately to tax collectors and sinners who were open and eager and leaning in, and to grumbling Pharisees and scribes (Luke 15:1-2). Matthew only includes the parable of the lost sheep, and he uses it as a bridge connecting warnings to the disciples about the consequences of their sin and instruction on how they should respond when someone sins against them. Remember, you are sinful, and God pursues you when you are lost. Remember, when others sin and harm you, God loves and pursues them. And … be wise. In the simplicity of the teaching, Jesus corrects some of the most common behaviors of “good Christian people” when it comes to conflict. Some of the more unconfrontational among us focus on the passage that immediately follows this one – forgive not seven but 77 (or 70 times seven) times – and spend our days attempting (and encouraging others) to “forgive and forget,” “love overlooks wrongs,” as though it is better not to acknowledge injustice or wrongdoing at all. The teaching in Matthew 18:15-20 does not ignore the sin that harms you, but addresses it head on, out of love. Some of the more people-pleasing among us muster what feels like superhuman strength to tolerate wrong so severe that it can be rightly named abuse, effectively becoming doormats on which others may walk and wipe their boots. Jesus does not give a minimum bar for a sin that meets a standard of worthiness to address, but simply tells his disciples to address the one who has wronged you, and Jesus does not seem hesitant about getting others involved. Safe boundaries of increasing distance between someone who has been harmed and the offender is what Jesus is laying out, not shrugging harm away nor inviting the harmed to return for more. What Jesus teaches, with such succinct clarity, is a pathway toward reconciliation and restoration. It isn’t easy, but it is clear. Had Scripture included pictures or images, I think Jesus would get credit for inventing what we now know as flow charts. Here’s how it lays it out: ... Thank you to this week's writer, David Germer. Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for August 30, 2026? You can find them here.

Order of worship — September 6, 2026 by David Germer    Columbia Theological Seminary President Victor Aoloyo, Jr. to retire — Press Release A prayer for college students beginning a new school year by Caroline Garcia Blessing of the backpacks by Jess Rigel

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