Worship - 6 September 2026

Summary Of This Week's Theme

A recent CBC News report told of a woman who accused a member of clergy in an Orthodox Church in Edmonton of sexual assault more than two decades ago. She said that, after reporting the alleged crime, she was ostracised by the church and told she was no longer welcome. “They unpersoned me,” she said.

That is particularly disturbing when we hear today’s Gospel, in which Jesus seems to offer a process for resolving conflict: talk to the person; if that fails, take one or two others; if necessary, involve the wider community. It sounds like a sensible route towards truth and reconciliation. But what happens when those involved are unwilling to listen?

That question matters. Through safeguarding training, I have become very aware of how easily offenders can be protected and whistle-blowers ostracised—even within the Church of England. That is why safeguarding training is so important for those with leadership responsibilities. At its heart is something remarkably simple: listen.

Yet Jesus isn’t really giving us a timeless conflict-resolution manual. In the wider context of Matthew’s Gospel, he is describing a community committed to protecting the vulnerable, telling the truth and pursuing reconciliation. The priority is not simply following the correct procedure, but asking: who is vulnerable here, and how do we protect them?

And there is a fascinating twist when Jesus says to treat someone as “a Gentile and a tax collector”. How did Jesus treat such people? He crossed cultural boundaries to heal the Canaanite woman; he called Matthew the tax collector into his closest circle. Even those who seem to be outsiders remain within the reach of God’s compassion.

That connects with Paul’s teaching in Romans. Christian faith is not ultimately a matter of keeping a perfect set of rules. Nor is it simply about having the correct beliefs. At the heart of everything is God’s radical love, revealed in Christ. We fulfil the law by choosing love—but that is harder than simply following rules. Love requires us to listen, to question, to discern, and sometimes to change our minds.

And we are not asked to love without knowing what it means to be loved; nor to forgive without knowing what it means to be forgiven; nor to listen without knowing that we ourselves are heard.

Today we begin Creationtide, and perhaps listening provides the connection. Just as we need to listen to one another, we need to listen to creation: to wind and waves, birdsong and animal calls, and to the warning voices of a planet under pressure.

Christ is the Word made flesh, through whom all things came into being. Perhaps, if we listen carefully enough to creation, we may hear that Word—and discover again what it means to live as grateful guests within God’s world.

And finally, a thought from social media: “I refuse to get involved in this family dispute because I’m trying to make it into heaven.”

I suspect Jesus might suggest that listening, loving and pursuing reconciliation are rather more important parts of the journey.