“The Spirit’s Work in the Spirit’s Church”
“The Spirit’s Work in the Spirit’s Church”
Matthew 18:15-20
Matthew 18:15-20
In the name of the Living God and the Risen Christ. Amen.
I remember the moment, sitting as a young boy in church, and hearing the last couple of verses of this gospel reading: “If two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you…” and “Where two or three of you are gathered in my name…” And I have a distinct memory of thinking, “Awesome. I’ve got two brothers. All I have to do is get them to agree with me, and we can all have new bicycles!
Of course, it doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t work that way for a couple of reasons. In the first place, the context makes it clear that Jesus speaks here of things of the Kingdom, that is, spiritual things, or we might say “the Spirit’s things.” Jesus is talking about becoming like children in order to enter the kingdom; or seeking out the lost, like a shepherd searches for that one sheep out of ninety-nine; or of seeking face to face to reconcile with a brother or sister; or binding and loosing sins as the church, in the Office of the Keys. No, I’m afraid the Lord isn’t sitting there as the heavenly Santa, willing to dispense toys to all the good boys and girls, so long as they come to him in twos or threes.
In fact, we know the Spirit’s work in the Spirit’s Church. We confess it in the creed every Sunday: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian or catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” These are the Spirit’s things which, when we come together on them, they are granted us. And these are the most important things, aren’t they? Way better than bicycles! And what a powerful thing, indeed, that what we do here on earth, through the Holy Spirit, is established in eternity by Almighty God.
The other point is that we are to come together in agreement in his name. (The word in the Greek for agreement is literally “symphony.”) We are to come together in symphony, in his name. Isn’t that a great image? The Christian Church is a symphony of the Spirit in the name of Jesus. Gathering in agreement in his name is not simply a magic password we stick at the end of every prayer (“in Jesus’ name amen”) like a mantra that becomes more effective the more we say it. No, what this means is that God has promised to grant us the Spirit’s things we seek which are according to Jesus’ bidding, with Jesus’ purposes in mind, as representatives of Jesus’ work in this place. In his name, means by his authority. It is the things of Christ which he always grants to the symphony, his church, and which reveals his presence among us.
The symphony is not always in harmony, is it? It is discordant and disjunctive at times. It remains out of tune this side of eternity. That’s because the Christian Church is still made up of sinners—all of us equally condemned by God’s righteous law, but all equally forgiven by Christ’s cleansing blood. The keys Christ gives the Church are for the unlocking of his grace and mercy to all who repent and believe the good news. That’s why Jesus outlines here so clearly the process for restoration and reconciliation. Go privately. Go face to face. Seek to win your brother or sister. Persist in trying to restore them, and only as a very last resort use the keys to withhold forgiveness to the unrepentant. Jesus here gives us guidelines for restoring the harmony of the Spirit’s symphony, and amazingly enough, he gives us the authority to actually accomplish it.
Jesus is with us this morning. We are gathering in his name. There are at least two or three of us. We are uniting in symphony as his body, by means of his body, the Sacrament of the Altar. What will he give us? Just what we are asking for: sins forgiven, life renewed, faith increased, wounds healed, Satan silenced, and even eternal life.
Come soon Lord Jesus. Amen.
Take up your cross and follow.
Come soon Lord Jesus.