Proper 18—September 6, 2026
from Preaching among the Palms Hosted by Fr. Jeffrey Hanson
Today's Gospel reading contains some tough teachings on church discipline. Fr. Jeff points out that Jesus gives his disciples authority to teach and lead the nascent church he founds on the rock of faith. That's a weighty responsibility, and while the whole witness of Scripture is clear that we should do everything we can to bring home the lost and forgive the sins of others, in some situations the lost persist in unrepentance. In such instances Jesus teaches a form of conscientious discipline that models quite precisely Jewish practice. As difficult as such efforts at admonition can be, it is worse when the church ignores this obligation.
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