Matthew 18

Restoration
I thought Pr. Wietelmann did a remarkable job yesterday of weaving together Matthew 18 and what it means to be the reconciling community of the church, especially in light of the original act of forgiveness in the Garden of Eden. Matthew's version of the Lord' s Prayer pushes us even further to consider our acts of forgiveness in light of God's forgiveness (Matthew 6:9-15).

You may also want to read the rest of Matthew 18 (verses 23-35), which further details our little acts of forgiveness (or lack thereof) in light of God's big act of forgiveness.

Pr. Wietelmann also spoke of the thrust of the text being restoration and wholeness, not only individually but as a community. There is a store I used to visit when my parents lived in Michigan called Restoration Hardware. That got me thinking: What is the "restoration hardware" of the church? Certainly, it must begin with Confession, where we are reconciled with God and one another. It also happens in the sharing of the Peace. Probably the first person you should share the Peace with is the brother or sister in Christ with whom you are most at odds. And finally and most fully restoration happens in Holy Communion, where we are knit together into one Body, no longer Jew or Greek, no longer slave or free, no longer male or female, but ONE in Christ Jesus.

Holy Cross
This coming Sunday we will celebrate the Festival of the Holy Cross. Here is what one source says about this festival: "Helena, mother of [the Emperor] Constantine, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and found what may be the actual site of Jesus' crucifixion. Her son built two churches there, and the dedication of one of them gave rise to this celebration of our Lord's victory on the cross." For all Christians the Cross is absolutely central and essential to our faith and identity. For in the Cross we see simultaneously the humiliation of Christ and his victory, the depth of human sin and the enormity of God's love, the ugliness of evil and the beauty of redemption.

How does the image of the Cross feature in your life, your place of work(or school) and your home? Perhaps you wear a cross (sometimes over your clothing, sometimes tucked in your shirt). Perhaps you make the sign of the cross before or after prayer. Perhaps you mark the sign of the cross on your childrens' foreheads before bedtime.

One of my favorite services of the year is the service of promise and commitment for 6th graders that we had yesterday where parents mark their children over and over again with the sign of the cross. Here is the text from that service:
+Receive the sign of the cross on your ears, that you may hear the voice of the Lord.
+Receive the sign of the cross on your eyes, that you may see the glory of God.
+Receive the sign of the cross on your lips, that you may respond to the word of God.
+Receive the sign of the cross over your heart, that Christ may dwell there by faith.
+Receive the sign of the cross on your shoulders, that you may bear the gentle yoke of Christ.
+Receive the sign of the cross on your hands,that Christ may be known in the work which you do.
+Receive the sign of the cross on your feet,that you may walk in the way of Christ.

As we prepare to celebrate Holy Cross Day, we take great comfort in these words from the baptismal service: "You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ forever."

Happenings
There is a lot happening in the next weeks. Next Sunday we present Bibles to the fourth graders in fulfillment of promises made to them in Holy Baptism. There is a youth luncheon/fundraiser following 10:30 am worship. The public phase of the capital fundraising campaign program will begin. And the Bible in 90 Days program begins a week from this Wednesday.