September 10, 2017 Proper 18 Semicontinuous Exod. 12:1 14 Ps. 149 Complementary Ezek. 33:7 11 Ps. 119:33 40 Rom. 13:8 14 Matt. 18:15 20 Conflict and Resolution Goal for the Session Youth will compare personal experience and faith claims that God works through us to bring reconciliation at times of conflict. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION Focus on Matthew 18:15 20 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective, Mitchell G. Reddish Even though this passage is primarily concerned with matters of church discipline, the emphasis throughout is on trying to reclaim the offender, not to punish him or her; this is made clear by the context in which Matthew has placed these verses. Preceding this passage is the parable of the Lost Sheep (18:10 14), with its emphasis on the joy that comes from recovering one who has gone astray; following it is Jesus saying about forgiveness and the parable of the Unforgiving Debtor (18:21 25), which emphasizes the need for unbounded forgiveness. WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective, Charles Hambrick-Stowe Jesus saying in verse 18 is susceptible to multiple interpretations. In light of his teaching on life in the church as the locus of God s mission in the world, and this verse s echo of the Lord s Prayer (God s will being done on earth as it is in heaven ), Jesus could mean this: if we in the church do not forgive and heal, who on earth is going to do it? If the church no matter how small, even just two or three believers will agree in Christ and seek prayerfully to do the will of God, then God will respond. The church will really be the church, because Jesus will be present. SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective, Jin S. Kim In this passage, Jesus seems to assume that there will be conflict among his followers. What makes us Christian is not whether or not we fight, disagree, or wound one another, but how we go about addressing and resolving those issues. When we enter into membership in Christian community, we bind ourselves to one another with Christ as our head. We are not free from each other; we are free in each other. In other words, we are most free when we bring the collective wisdom and discernment of the whole diverse body of Christ together. The ministry of reconciliation must be at the heart of any Christian community s mission. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective, Dale P. Andrews Scholars remind us that these verses have been called the Rule of Christ because they redefine the goals of confrontation or intervention in seeking to rescue and forgive, to offer care in a spirit of humility. Discipleship in Christ is conditioned by more than the sense of call and sacrifice in ministry to the world. Being in Christ involves living into the difficult discipline or discipleship of fellowship. We seek to care for one another even when injured or offended, which requires discipline in binding and loosing ourselves to repent and to forgive, all sustained in Christ. 1
Conflict and Resolution FOCUS SCRIPTURE Matthew 18:15 20 Focus on Your Teaching Jesus guidance for embracing conflict in the church found in Matthew 18:15 20 continues to be as relevant to us today as it was to the people who first heard it. When two or three gather in Christ s name, God will not only be in the midst of them, but there will likely be disagreement. This is true for people at all stages of life, but can be especially true for groups of young people. As youth learn about the blessings and challenges of Christian community, help them connect with Christ s instructions to keep reconciliation at the heart of their mission as Christ s followers. YOU WILL NEED two large signs, one that says Agree and one that says Disagree masking tape Bibles newsprint, markers copies of Resource Sheet 1 pens large white candle tealight candles matches or lighter recording of contemplative music music player For Responding: option 1: copies of Resource Sheet 2 option 3: newspapers and/ or newsmagazines, paper, pens, glue, newsprint, scissors For Film Connection: Remember the Titans (2000; PG) and movie-viewing equipment God of community, open my eyes to where there is conflict and evoke a spirit of communion within me. Amen. n LEADING THE SESSION GATHERING Post two signs on opposite sides of the room, one that says Agree and one that says Disagree. Greet youth by name. Read each of the statements below one at a time, directing the participants to move to the sign that best reflects their response after each statement. Invite participants close to each sign to explain their choice. P It is morally acceptable to experiment on nonhuman animals to develop products and medicines that benefit human beings. P Christmas should not be celebrated in public. We should be careful to avoid giving offense to those of other faiths or of no faith. P The minimum voting age should be reduced to sixteen years of age. P Media companies and software producers should not be allowed to use Digital Rights Management technologies to protect their media from illegal use, duplication, and reproduction. P The government should pass laws that punish parents who smoke around their children. Explain that, though Christian communities sometime disagree about important topics, Jesus offers direction for working through conflict in the church. Pray: Thank you, O God, for every person gathered here today and thank you for the opportunity to explore your Holy Word. May we pay attention to your Spirit among us as we grow and learn. Amen. 2
Conflict and Resolution EXPLORING Read Matthew 18:15 20. Invite the participants to paraphrase Matthew 18:15 20 on a sheet of newsprint by rewriting each verse in their own words. Once the passage is paraphrased, have the group think of a conflict that could happen in a Christian community between two people. Using the paraphrased version of the text, lead the group in working through the conflict by acting out Jesus instructions. Discuss: P What makes sense about this method of handling conflict? What is challenging about it? P How does this method of settling disputes compare to the way you normally handle conflict? P What is the goal of this method of settling disputes? (reconciliation; the emphasis throughout is on trying to reclaim the offender, not to punish him or her) P Why is reconciliation important in the life of a Christian community? Why is reconciliation important among all people in the world? Form two groups. Assign one group Matthew 18:10 14 and assign the other group Matthew 18:21 25. Have each group read its assigned passage. Give each group an opportunity to explain the highlights of the assigned passage with the rest of the participants before asking: P What is the theme of your assigned Scripture passage? How is this theme brought to life? P How does the fact that Matthew 18:15 20 falls between these two Scripture passages enhance our understanding of Jesus guidance about settling disputes? Consider playing contemplative music while the participants respond to the questions on the page. EASY PREP Consider recording each pilot episode and posting the episodes on your congregation s Web site. Call the participants attention to Matthew 18:18, both in the Bible and the paraphrased version from earlier. Give each person a copy of Resource Sheet 1 (Theological Perspective) and a pen. Read the quote together before inviting the participants to individually write a response to each question on the page. After a few minutes, invite youth to read their responses to the group. RESPONDING Choose one of the following learning activities: 1. Role Play Using what has been learned about Jesus instructions for settling disputes, have volunteers role play resolutions to the conflict scenarios found on Resource Sheet 2 (Conflict Scenarios). At the conclusion of each role play, discuss: P In what ways did the resolution connect with Matthew 18:15 20? P How did the resolution work for reconciliation? P Since it is possible to resolve conflicts in different ways while still following Jesus teaching, how else could this conflict be resolved? 2. Reality Show Form groups of three or four participants and ask each group to dream up a new TV reality show based on Matthew 18:15 20. Each group needs to create a title for its show and a basic concept including the show s setting, characters, and conflicts among the characters. Have each group create a sixty-second television commercial for 3
Conflict and Resolution the show that explains the show s setting, characters, and conflicts. Give each group an opportunity to present its commercial to the rest of the participants. 3. Setting the Example In groups of two or three, have participants search newspapers and newsmagazines for stories and images that describe conflict in the world. Give each group a sheet of paper and a pen. Using Jesus guidance for conflict resolution found in Matthew 18:15 20, have each group write a sentence or two of response to one of the stories or images. Give each group an opportunity to read its selected story and response to the rest of the group. Have the groups work together to create a collage on newsprint that features the selected stories and images, response sentences, and words and phrases from Matthew 18:15 20. If open flames are not allowed in your church, use battery-powered candles. CLOSING Write these questions on a posted sheet of newsprint: P Where is reconciliation needed in my life? P Where is reconciliation needed in the world? Place a Christ (white) candle in the center of the meeting space with tealight candles around it. Light the Christ candle and dim the lights. Play contemplative music while participants reflect on the posted questions. After a few minutes, invite each person to name a situation in his or her life or in the world where reconciliation is needed. After each one speaks, light a tealight candle. Close with a prayer of reconciliation for the conflicts that were named. n ENHANCEMENT FILM CONNECTION Remember the Titans (2000; PG) tells the true story of a high school football team that comes together during a tense time of school integration in Alexandria, Virginia, in the late 1960s. If your church has a viewing license, show these clips: P Clip 1: (17:00 19:25) Julius and Gerry are paired together at the beginning of training camp. P Clip 2: (1:25:44 1:29:30) After Gerry s tragic accident, Julius visits Gerry in the hospital. Discuss: P How do these film clips connect with Matthew 18:15 20? P How is reconciliation evident in the conversation between Julius and Gerry? P How does this Scripture passage connect with social problems such as racism in our culture? 4
September 10, 2017 Conflict and Resolution Youth Resource Sheet 1 Theological Perspective WHERE is God in these words? [In Matthew 18:18,] Jesus could mean this: if we in the church do not forgive and heal, who on earth is going to do it? If the church no matter how small, even just two or three believers will agree in Christ and seek prayerfully to do the will of God, then God will respond. The church will really be the church, because Jesus will be present. From Theological Perspective by Charles Hambrick-Stowe Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation of the Scripture passage? Why? What specific things can the church do to agree in Christ and prayerfully seek God s will? What does it mean to really be the church? 2017 Westminster John Knox Press
September 10, 2017 Conflict and Resolution Youth Resource Sheet 2 Conflict Scenarios Jorge and Angela are both members of their church s youth ministry council. Jorge proposed that the youth group have a paintball fight at a local field. Angela objected because she felt such an event is too violent and too realistically simulates combat. The youth council vote was close, but they decided to have the event and then discuss the evils of war afterward. Jorge sees this event as an excellent opportunity for youth group members to invite their friends who normally don t want to go to a church event. Angela has been sending e-mails and texts to other youth group members, telling them not to show up. Angela refuses to reply to Jorge s e-mail that accuses her of undermining the event. A week before the paintball fight, Angela and Jorge find themselves in the youth room before anyone else arrives for Sunday school. Marissa was shocked to hear her youth minister, Josh, speak in favor of the death penalty in casual conversation after a youth group gathering. Marissa believes strongly in the sanctity of human life and thinks that rehabilitation and reconciliation are possible, even for the most hardened of criminals. When Marissa tried to talk about the issue with Josh, he didn t listen carefully, and she felt he dismissed her too easily. Some of Marissa s friends agree that Josh isn t listening to Marissa. At Marissa s request, Marissa and Josh meet at a local coffee shop to continue their conversation about the death penalty. Isaiah has been attending church functions his whole life, and his family has belonged to the church for years. Michelle started coming to youth group with a friend a couple of years ago. Isaiah and Michelle started dating, but later broke up. Youth group meetings are now awkward when both of them are there. Michelle really loves youth group, but she feels that everyone in the church knows Isaiah and is on his side. Michelle wants to go on the summer mission trip, but she sees Isaiah s name on the sign-up sheet. Isaiah refuses to talk to Michelle or return her texts. Hearing about the conflict, Michelle and Isaiah s youth adviser arranges a meeting with them to talk through their predicament. 2017 Westminster John Knox Press