Reconcile - Matthew 5:17-26 – The Sermon that Changed the World PRAYER QUESTIONS God, what anger are you inviting me to let go of? God where are you calling me to be reconciler and peacemaker this week? BIBLE Matthew 5:19 'therefore whoever breaks one of THESE commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in The Kingdom of heaven." What are “these” commandments? The Old Testament Law or the non-violent teaching of the sermon on the mount? Also notice, even here, mercy is integrated. Jesus doesn't say, “they are evil people”, but simply, "least in the Kingdom." "Mt. 5:21-23 “if you are angry…” "if you say you fool..!” The very first, most essential thing is to never let anger remain between you and sibling in Christ. You simply cannot truly approach the altar (God) if you harbor anger in your heart to someone. Even saying an insult is such a grievous offense it brings the fires of hell? Whether or not Jesus is speaking of a literal, physical hell, it is clear that our angry, hurtful words do bring about a type of hell not sent by God, but brought on by our actions. Our words have power. What does this mean for us today who live in outrage culture? What does this mean if we watch or listen to hours of biased, outrage media that speaks insults about our neighbors? QUOTES Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – From his sermon, “Loving Your Enemies” “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” “Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains a barrier to the relationship.” QUESTIONS How do we reconcile with anger and insult at a personal level? Jesus said to go and talk to that person. Face to face. Curious conversations. The words, “help me understand…” are magic. What do we do with the anger we feel toward people we will never meet (Political leaders, news commentators, larger than life personalities)? We may not be able to reconcile, but we can refuse to participate in slander. Consider a personal rule about how you will engage online. For me, I will not post negatively about a person online (perhaps a policy or behavior, but not the person). I also avoid liking, sharing, and engaging with such content. Shift your vantagepoint. If you need to stay informed, find healthy sources that seek to lower the temperature and facilitate understanding. (There are a TON of these popping up, see below) We can fix our attention elsewhere, to our sphere of influence God has given you today. Who are the people around you day to day? When we focus here, the noise (and the anger) fade from our minds and we can become reconcilers and peace-makers. RESOURCES: I have been exploring several smaller news sources that have a mission of cultivating understanding across the divide, committed to a slower paced, more in-depth style of news. I have found these to both expand my understanding of issues and lower my anxiety as I read the news. Tangle https://www.readtangle.com News Not Noise https://newsnotnoisejessicayellin.substack.com (I love their slogan, “We give you information, not a panic attack.”)