Worship Service with Holy Communion and Installation of New Officers, September 6, 2026

Matthew 18:15-20 arrives in the middle of a chapter where the disciples are still asking who is greatest in God’s kingdom. Jesus does not dismiss their self-centered, self-righteous question, even when it comes from the wrong place. Jesus listens carefully and responds in a way that keeps learning open, pushing the disciples to think, to listen, and to become accountable for the power they hold.

Jesus’ hyperbole throughout the chapter makes that invitation hard to miss. The drowning, the plucking out of eyes, the cutting off of limbs, and the shepherd leaving ninety-nine sheep all press beyond literal answers. These images ask what kernel of truth is embedded beneath the shock. Jesus points the disciples toward children, little ones, those who have gone astray, the person who has not been listened to, and fellow enslaved people. God’s kingdom is not concerned with who gets to be greatest. God’s kingdom asks how power can be used to care for the least of these and the most vulnerable.

Matthew’s text also resists being used as a declaration of power. The words about binding and loosing, and about two or three gathering, do not give a few people permission to ignore everyone else and do whatever they want. The passage calls the church to listen and to be accountable for words and actions, all within God’s expansive vision of kingdom. Scripture, tradition, and life experience become resources for an ongoing holy conversation, not tools for ready answers or spiritual control.

Jesus models a presence that opens dialogue rather than shutting it down. The church is called to reveal a God who is still speaking by honoring questions, tensions, and voices that might otherwise be overlooked. Church leadership, then, is not about standing above the community but about taking the community seriously, daring to trust the call for this very moment, and looking beyond the self toward those most in need.

Pilgrim’s newly installed leaders enter that shared work as trustees, missionaries, and council members. The whole body bears responsibility for surrounding them with love, care, prayer, and eager support, because none of this work is done alone. The blessing names leadership as an ancient hope still being made: a path shaped by determination and dreaming, a voice in the wilderness, and a welcome for the way. Christ’s table renews that covenant through bread broken for justice and cup shared for liberation. The Spirit sends the church out with power to break old patterns, disrupt legacies of violence, and prioritize love that sets free.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Kingdom power protects the vulnerable Jesus redirects the question of greatness toward children, little ones, straying sheep, and people who have not been heard. Spiritual authority becomes trustworthy only when it bends toward those most exposed to harm. God’s kingdom measures power by care, not status. [24:42]
• 2. Listening is holy accountability Matthew’s difficult words do not authorize control by a few determined voices. The church is called to listen deeply, name harm truthfully, and remain answerable for how words and decisions affect others. Accountability protects relationship from becoming a cover for power. [21:57]
• 3. Leadership keeps the conversation open Jesus does not hand the disciples a quick answer that would end their learning. Faithful leaders make room for questions, tensions, experience, and the hard work of discernment. A God who is still speaking calls forth communities willing to keep listening. [26:08]
• 4. Communion forms justice-shaped people Christ’s bread is broken for justice, and Christ’s cup is shared for liberation. The table does not permit old patterns of violence to remain untouched. Divine life gives the church creative power to do things differently and to prioritize love that sets free.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Prayers for a Hurting World
• [02:04] - Labor Sunday Prayer for Workers
• [11:44] - Baptismal Family and Shared Healing
• [20:52] - Entering Matthew 18
• [22:20] - Jesus’ Hyperbole and the Kernel of Truth
• [24:42] - Greatness and Care for the Vulnerable
• [25:33] - A God Who Is Still Speaking
• [27:20] - Calling Leaders for This Moment
• [28:29] - Installing Pilgrim’s New Officers
• [33:41] - A Blessing for the Path Ahead
• [35:39] - Renewing Covenant at the Table
• [50:00] - Breaking Old Patterns with Love

Bible Reading

Matthew 18:15
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” [21:57]

Matthew 18:16
“But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” [21:57]

Matthew 18:17
“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” [21:57]

Matthew 18:18
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” [21:57]

Matthew 18:19
“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” [21:57]

Matthew 18:20
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” [27:50]

Observation questions

1. What sequence does Jesus give for addressing harm, and how does listening appear at each stage of the process?
2. What are some of the striking images from Matthew 18 that push beyond a simple, literal reading—such as drowning, cutting off a limb, or leaving ninety-nine sheep? [22:45]
3. Who are the people Jesus brings into view when the disciples are focused on being “greatest” in God’s kingdom? [24:39]
4. What responsibilities are named for the whole congregation, not only for those who hold formal leadership roles? [31:36]

Interpretation questions

1. Why might Jesus begin the process of addressing harm privately, before involving others or the whole church? What does this protect in a relationship?
2. Matthew 18:18–20 has sometimes been used to support the decisions of a small group without wider accountability. How does the larger process in verses 15–17 challenge that use of the passage? [21:41]
3. Jesus responds to a question about greatness by directing attention toward little ones, straying people, and those who are not heard. What does this suggest about the kind of power God trusts? [24:53]
4. How might a church hold both truths at once: it does not give up on people easily, and it does not excuse repeated patterns of harm? [11:41]

Application questions

1. Think of a recent disagreement or hurt in your life. What would it look like to speak honestly with the person directly, rather than avoiding them, speaking about them to others, or trying to win?
2. Where do you hold influence—in your family, workplace, neighborhood, church, or friendships? Who might be especially vulnerable to the way you use that influence, and how could your power become more protective and caring? [25:01]
3. Whose voice is easiest for you to overlook: a child, a newcomer, someone who has made mistakes, someone with less status, or someone whose experience differs from yours? What is one concrete way you could listen more carefully this week? [24:39]
4. When you encounter a difficult biblical passage or a hard question in faith, do you tend to demand a quick answer, avoid the question, or stay open to deeper listening? What would it mean to remain in holy conversation? [26:08]
5. How can this group practice accountability that is truthful but not controlling? What agreements might help everyone speak, listen, and respond with care?
6. The church’s shared life depends on more than a few leaders. What is one practical way you can support someone carrying responsibility in your community—with encouragement, prayer, help, patience, or honest feedback? [32:03]
7. Christ’s table calls people toward justice and liberation. What old pattern of harm, silence, unfairness, or violence do you sense needs to be disrupted in your own life or community? What loving next step is possible? [49:50]