Moment of Meditation: Brotherly Admonition (Matthew 18:15-17)

''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. 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. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. (Matthew 18:15-17)''

This formula is the basis for church discipline in our congregations. But how often is it actually used? How often is discipline used in the Church? Not very often. And when it should be done, it typically comes in the form of gossip in the church's fellowship hall. Everybody knows about the sin going on, but nobody wants to do anything about it.

The first two steps are skipped so that the church may take care of it instead of each of us bearing each other's burdens, confessing our sins to one another and absolving those who sin against us. We pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." How can we say that we forgive those who trespass against us when we talk to everyone else but those who have trespassed against us?

Brotherly admonition is for brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage each other to be more Christ-like. To be the "little Christs" He has called us to be in our Baptism. Amen.