A Posting from Pastor Lindy

Pilgrims,

It felt a little weird planning for this Sunday and not settling back into the story of our biblical ancestors as told through Genesis and Exodus. Instead, we land in the middle of Matthew’s gospel, chapter 18. And if that transition doesn’t feel adequately jarring, we don’t even enter with verse 1, rather with verse 15. So we could be forgiven if, like many before us, we mistakenly reduce our 5 assigned verses to a slogan as so often has happens, so names the lectionary commentator in the Christian Century this month. In fact, he shares, for many Christians “Matthew 18” is shorthand for “church discipline.” 

As we moved through the last week, I confess I found myself also referencing it in conversation with another Pilgrim about a specific Pilgrim matter. Like other churches, I was attempting to implement an understanding of this text in a specific way, with varying levels of efficacy. But like many, I failed to reference the larger context of the entire chapter. As the CC commentator noted, Jesus is not handing the church a timeless conflict resolution manual, however much we might long for one. Instead, he is describing what life looks like in a community committed to protecting the vulnerable, telling the truth, and pursuing reconciliation.

A community committed to protecting the vulnerable, telling the truth, and pursuing reconciliation is my prayer for Pilgrim always. But never more so than on the Sunday we install our newly elected officers into their respective roles. As I named last Sunday in thanking the outgoing officers, we are deeply grateful for their “yes” when asked to serve. Although last Sunday’s meditation was a reflection on a job well done by so many, this Sunday is an anticipatory blessing for how these new leaders will lean into the responsibility before them.

The CC commentator went on to write that church leaders tend to know what they’re supposed to do, what they’re supposed to say, and how members are supposed to behave with one another. Some can even point to Bible verses that should guide our conduct, the love that Jesus demonstrates for everyone, and the assurance of the Spirit’s role in curtailing actions that lead to discord. The author also names the harder reality of shared community–that conflict will arise—especially in communities of faith, where the shared beliefs that hold us together are so intimately tied to our understanding of our own identities.

So as we surround these faithful servants, let us hold them with compassion and grace as they lead and guide us along the way. Let us cheerlead and champion their efforts, especially if and when we stumble together. Let us lean in to our own responsibility of presence and participation, for they cannot do this important work alone. And let us find joy in one another for all of the ways we will faithfully try to be church together.

I can’t wait to see what the year will bring!

Pastor Lindy

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