Concordia Evangelical Lutheran Church
The M3 - Monday Morning Mail
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 6, 2026 (Slides)
Be the Greatest or The Shape of Your Life
The Gospel reading from Matthew 18:1-20 provided the text for yesterday's sermon. I began the sermon by noting that shapes are all around us. I pointed-out some of the shapes that make up our sanctuary. I then built the shape of a pentagon on the screen using triangles. Each tringle was using to reflect on one of the five sections of the reading. Jesus is responding to the question, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Like he often does, Jesus responds with a series of sayings that do not explicitly state the answer but invite us to consider more deeply what he is saying. He starts out with the example of a child. The greatest in the kingdom is like a child. He then talks about the seriousness of sin, saying that we should cut off our hand or foot and even pluck out our eye if they lead us to sin! The greatest in the kingdom recognizes sin and avoids it. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven has a different view of economny, recognizing that it is worth going after one lost sheep out of a hundred. The greatest of the kingdom confronts a brother or sister in Christ directly, taking more Christians if necessary. The lesson then ends with another shocking statement economically: the church is where two or three people are gathered in Jesus name.
All of these are huge callings. None of us do all of them, let alone one or two. Only the cross of Jesus and his loving forgiveness equips us to live as Jesus is calling us to do here. By forgiving you he give you a new start, helping you to love your neighbor in these ways!