This passage is intensely practical and important. Some of the most difficult conversations and issues of our time relate to sex, sexuality, marriage, divorce, and how and whether our identity is rooted and shaped by it all. The issues we wrestle with are not new to us. Modern Western culture and American sensibilities are not as revolutionary or novel as we might think.

On Sunday we will look to Jesus to see what he has to say and how he addresses marriage, divorce, and sex, and how our hearts and our world getting things flipped upside-down. I know that these are sensitive and deeply personal topics, and that many of us come with deep wounds and haunting doubts and questions. Let’s look together at the Word of God, who is love, to see how he can bring clarity, healing, and restoration.

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We pick it back up with Matthew 18:15-35. You may hear people reference “Matthew 18” as a kind of catch-all for conflict and confrontation for Christians, which can be as unhelpful as it can be helpful. The truth is that the church is messy. We’re God’s people and God’s family, brothers and sisters, but brothers and sisters don’t always get along well. At times they can be outright mean to each other. So, how do we handle it when there is conflict, or when someone sins against us?

Like so much in the Kingdom, Jesus calls us to clear and simple steps that flow out a radical posture within our own hearts. This Sunday we are going to tackle the difficult issues of conflict, forgiveness, bitterness, and reconciliation. If you’re out of town for Labor Day, I encourage you to make time to catch this sermon because it is such an important topic.

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This Sunday closes out our August celebration series, and I get to preach! We will return to our study in Matthew’s Gospel next week. This week we will focus our attention on Paul’s letter, 1 Thessalonians. This was the focus of our Leadership Retreat last weekend, and I think it will be important for the whole church to hear what your Leaders and CG Leaders are focused on as we look to the year ahead.

The theme for this Sunday is Tending the Vine, from 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13. There are lots of really important things that we done in church that build a good trellis, structures and systems to make sure good work happens. Ultimately, though, the work of ministry is vine work. As 1 Corinthians 3 says, we plant and water, but only God gives the growth. This Sunday we will see the passion and care Paul had for the believers in Thessalonica and how that can help shape our understanding of God’s calling on us as a church.

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