Tag Archives: two

Where Two or Three Are Gathered…

two people

The Gospel reading in the lectionary at my church for September 10, 2023, was Matthew 18:15-20. It can be a rather uncomfortable passage to hear, talking about how to best confront people who have sinned against you. But in the last verse, we read these words, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Out of context, these words sound rather comforting. We think of people coming together to pray or worship and sing a song of praise to Jesus.

But the sentiment here and the reality is that sometimes when people gather, even in the name of Jesus, the situation or experience can be awkward or difficult or embarrassing. But the truth of the matter is that even in uncomfortable times with fellow believers, Jesus is with us.

He helps us and guides us to resolutions with each other. He makes it possible to dwell together in unity. He reminds us that we as Christian brothers and sisters are not perfect, but he is, and he can make all things right through his death on the cross.

Two Screens

two screens

There was a computer upgrade at my office a couple weeks ago, so now I have a two-screen set-up with one large screen to do my work on and one small screen with a camera on a laptop to use for Zoom calls. I find it a little disconcerting to look at different screens for different tasks and sometimes I move open windows from one screen over to another for certain types of work. I sometimes am on a Zoom call looking at the other bigger screen and not on the small screen where the camera is. Confusing.

I say all this because it reminds me in some ways of Jesus’ words: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). If we spend time going back and forth from the “screen” of God’s way to the “screen” of the devil’s way or the love of money’s way, things can get confusing for us mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Jesus knows this and wants us to be single-focused and single-minded on the way of God. There is no room for other points of view to take control of our attention when we are a child of God. So don’t lose your focus on God. Don’t be distracted by other outlooks. Let your master be God and no one else. That is the key to a successful Christian life.

The Feeding of the 5000

The feeding of the 5000 is a good example for us of the generosity of Christ. Taking 5 loaves and 2 fish and turning them into enough food to feed 5000 is a clear depiction of how Christ takes the little we have and makes it more than enough for all who are gathered. The Bible says that there were 12 basketsful of leftovers. Again the number 12 is a symbol of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 disciples to mean all of God’s people and all who follow Jesus.

In one version of the story, the 5 loaves and 2 fish come from the lunch of one little boy. This detail is a reminder to us of our own generosity that feeds into the generosity of Christ and supplies the needs of those in need.

The disciples tell Jesus the situation of the lack of food and are pessimistic about what can be done to solve the problem. But Jesus turns the solving of the situation back on the disciples when he says to them, “You feed them.” Jesus leaves it all up to them and the miracle happens through his power in their hands.

The 5000 who receive the food are men, not including women and children. The disciples are involved in having all these people sit down. One version of the story says they sat down in groups of 1000. There must have been organization in the arrangement of crowd and the distribution of the food. You can imagine the conversation among the people as they sit down together in a certain order that would best facilitate the sharing of the food. There must have been bonds that were begun and built through this process. It is good to remember being a small part of a big assembly is vital to Christ’s overall plan. So play your part well.

The Two Kingdoms

votingNow that we are deep into this election year, it is important for us as Christians to be reminded of the doctrine of the two kingdoms, which states that God rules through two kingdoms: the secular (or lefthand) kingdom and the heavenly (or righthand) kingdom.

We as Christians live in both kingdoms.

The secular, lefthand kingdom operates through government officials and through the laws set in place. The Bible is clear that we must obey the rules of order established by our leaders in government and that we must pray for those in authority over us.

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