Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“‘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. ”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, September 5, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: Now is the time to embrace living in community with those we agree with, and with those we do not.
We are emerging from over a year-long battle with a deadly, global pandemic. As we begin to come out of our isolation, we can only begin to see the long-lasting effects that it will have on us as individuals, and also as a community. People were not created to be isolated. We were hardwired to live in community.
Today’s reading is about solving conflict between members of the church. But it is more, too. It demands that we be thoughtful about how we interact with one another. This reading is not to teach us how to win an argument. It teaches us to take care when approaching conflict, to work hard to see conflict resolved, and to reach out to others when the conflict is too great for two parties to navigate. The entire reading expresses how critical it is that people find common ground, forgive, and live in harmony.
These past months have isolated and divided us more than any other in history. We have been challenged physically, emotionally, financially, politically, and relationally. As anxieties rise, we dig in our heels, trying to steady ourselves against the storms that threaten to destabilize us.
But now is the time for reconciliation. Who do you need to reconcile with?