09/08/2026
Here is the short version for the service on 9-6-26, the summary and devotional: https://youtu.be/voyt82Ka7j8
Welcome! I am Pastor John, and for our service on September 13, 2026, I began a sermon series exploring who God wants us to be as the church. Our focus was on being a community of God's grace and specifically what it means to be "people of the truth".
The Scripture Readings
During our worship, we listened to three scriptures that call us to remembrance, love, and reconciliation:
Exodus 12:1-14 (The Old Testament Lesson): We heard God's instructions to Moses and Aaron in Egypt to establish the Passover. Each family was to take an unblemished lamb, slaughter it at twilight, and place some of its blood on their doorposts as a sign of protection. God declared this a perpetual day of remembrance to celebrate how He passed over their homes and delivered them.
Romans 13:8-14 (The Epistle Lesson): The Apostle Paul challenged us to "owe no one anything except to love one another," because love is the complete fulfillment of the law. He urged us to wake from sleep, lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the "armor of light" and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 18:15-20 (The Gospel Lesson): We read Jesus's guide for conflict within the church. He laid out a clear, step-by-step path for dealing with a fellow believer who sins against us, promising that "where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them".
The Sermon: "People of the Truth"
I began with an old story from the West Virginia hills where I grew up. A boy and his friends pushed an outhouse over a hill. When confronted by his father, the boy confessed, saying, "Father, I cannot tell a lie—my friends and I pushed the outhouse over the hill." But when his father grounded him for six weeks, the boy protested: "Dad, we've been studying George Washington, and when he told his father he chopped down the cherry tree, he wasn't punished!" His father replied, "Yes, son, but George Washington's father was not in the cherry tree."
Telling the truth can be expensive, but as the church, we are called to be people of the truth—even when it costs us. The church is a wonderful place of fellowship and comfort, but it is also a community of sinners. Church members can be the kindest people in the world, but we can also hurt and offend each other. (I'm reminded of the joke about a pastor introducing a woman who had been in the choir for over 30 years as a "wonderful Christian," prompting another pastor to exclaim, "30 years in the choir and still a Christian? That's amazing!").
When we do experience stings and hurts, Jesus does not want us to sit around waiting for an apology. In Matthew 18, He outlines a precise plan for restorative truth-telling and reconciliation:
Step 1: Go to the person privately. Jesus places the responsibility on the one who is hurting to start the conversation. Most hurts in the church are completely unintentional; people often have no idea they have offended us. It is much easier to gossip to others or engage in passive-aggressive behavior, but this only allows pain to fester. If a friend complains to you about someone else, gently tell them, "You need to go talk to the person who hurt you."
Step 2: Take someone spiritually mature with you. If you are too afraid to go alone, take someone the other person respects. The goal is never to beat the offender down, but to restore the relationship.
Step 3: Take it to the church. In our Presbyterian style of government, this means taking it to the Session to resolve the issue at the lowest possible level.
Step 4: Treat them as a Gentile or tax collector. This does not mean ostracizing them. Remember how Jesus treated tax collectors and sinners—He treated them with immense care and love. It simply means accepting that they may not change on this point, and taking sensible steps to avoid bad behavior while continuing to love them.
Finally, we looked at our responsibility when we are the offender. We must have the courage to apologize and the humility to listen to difficult things without getting defensive. I once worked with a highly talented, loving staff member who was so defensive that she made giving her feedback "emotionally expensive". Because people were afraid of her anger or tears, they stopped telling her the truth, which sadly left her surrounded by resentment.
Jesus never promised that telling the truth would be easy or cheap. But He did promise that the truth will set us free. A healthy, loving, and encouraging church is only possible when we answer His call to step out of the dark, speak the truth in love, and make things right with one another.
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