When Empty Pews Mean Progress- Matthew 5:23-24

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Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

Matthew 5:23-24

Can you think of anything more important that worshiping our Lord and Savior, the Creator of the Universe, and the King of Kings? Now, I have to clarify that I am actually asking "should there be anything more important?" I must insert that should because in practice most of us seem to find many things more important than worship including rest from a long weekend, school projects that are due and have been procrastinated, entertainment, sports, or any number of other things that might come up and trump our desire to worship. But we are not thinking about what we actually practice; we are talking about what we hold as shoulds and oughts. Can  you think of anything in this world that should take precedence over worship? Is there any use of your time that ought to be listed as a higher priority than praising God?

I think most of us would say, "no." But Jesus says there is one thing that absolutely must be done before we come before the Almighty God to worship. In fact, he says that reconciling with those we have wronged is so important, that it is worth actually interrupting our worship to fix the matter immediately.

Why does Jesus present this matter with such urgency? Why must apologies happen right now instead of later?

I believe the answer to that lies in the passage that precedes this one and that we looked at last week. The one that says uncontrolled anger in one's heart is equivalent to murder in God's eyes. But still the question remains...why is the way we treat others so important to God?

Perhaps James 3:9-12 can help shed some light on God's perspective for us:

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹ Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."

I liken it to the "Mother Bear Syndrome" that I've heard my dad talk about. Mother Bear Syndrome refers to the fact that my mom is one of the most patient people I know (she had 5 children!). She does not anger easily and she is quick to believe the best about someone...until you mess with one of her five children! If she feels that someone is hurting one of her cubs, then you'd better look out! Mother Bear just might pull her claws out and show some fangs! Can you imagine someone who has purposefully-- or even just carelessly--hurt me or one of my siblings approaching my mom and telling her how wonderful she is as a person and as a mother as if nothing had happened between that person and her child!? Do you really think my mom would care to hear from that person at that moment no matter how sincere the praise for her was!?

If we recognize that about a human mother, then why do we dare to approach the throne of our heavenly Father with praise on our lips when we have made no attempt to repair a relationship that we have damaged with one of His children who is created in His image !

Maybe one of the reasons the Bible Belt has so many different congregations on every block, and so many fluctuations in numbers as members of the body of Christ "change membership" when things get rough is that we have never really taken this instruction from Jesus seriously. Maybe one reason young people leave the church in huge numbers is that they have witnessed their parents abusing each other and their children over being late to worship and tempers are out of control until the car pulls into the parking lot of the building where we praise God. Maybe the church across America is struggling to grow and gain new converts to Christianity because Jesus said that others will know we are His disciples by our love for one another, and yet we have been content to hold worship services without first doing everything in our power to mend broken relationships before we bow in worship on Sunday morning.

People worry about numbers declining in churches all the time. But I can't think of anything I'd rather thank God for than if next Sunday church buildings across the nation were only half full because the folks who usually fill the pews have left their offering at the door of the church building in order to track down a brother or sister that they know...or just think they might have wronged.

Can you imagine the joy of worship that would result when all of those who are fulfilling Jesus' command here in Matthew 5:23-24 returned to worship arm in arm with the one they had been at odds with on Saturday!?