Reconciling Quickly

Sometimes we focus so much on our right relationship with God that we forget that God wants us to be in right relationship with one another as well. Jesus talks about the importance of the way that we live in community in his Sermon on the Mount. He spends quite a bit of time talking about this issue, in fact.

Yesterday’s sermon on Matthew 5:21-26 deals with the importance of being reconciled. One of the things that Jesus teaches in this passage is the importance of reconciling quickly with another person when there is conflict. He uses the example of leaving your offering at the altar and going and finding a person to reconcile with them. This illustrates that our relationship with others has an effect on our relationship with God. If we think about it, most of us have someone that we need to mend fences with—a neighbor, a family member, a friend, or someone farther removed. I encourage you to think about it and take Jesus’ teaching seriously to be reconciled quickly.

I’d encourage you to read through the E-Gram. One of the things you’ll see is that the Mennonite Relief Sale committee has made the decision that there will not be an in-person event again this year. I know this was a difficult decision for them. Churches are being encouraged to contribute items for an on-line auction and they are encouraged to do bake sales as well. Some people from NDMC are making plans to bake pies and have a sale here. Keep watching for more details. We’ll include them when they are made available to us.

God bless,

Brian

Scripture readings for next Sunday Matthew 5:27-37—What do you think is the main point of this passage?

Exodus 20:1-17—Is there anything you notice as you read this very familiar passage?

Deuteronomy 24:1-4—What do you think is the purpose of this law?

Matthew 19:1-12—How does Jesus’ teaching about marriage here help us understand Matthew 5:27-37?