For seventeen years, a television program has been on the airways, one of the first examples of a new genre - what we now call reality tv. The show Survivor places a group of strangers on an island, where they are dropped with little or no supplies. Upon arrival, the contestants are divided into two tribes. The tribe will become their community, their support system, for the time they are on the island.
You would think that your tribe would be your family, and in a sense it is, as the two tribes compete against each other for immunity. But, when your tribe loses a challenge, suddenly your family turns on itself and decides to vote one of their own "off the island." Over the weeks of competition, one by one, people are eliminated, until there is only one, the Sole Survivor, winner of one million dollars.
We continue our journey through Matthew this week, hearing Jesus' words from chapter 18, verses 15-20, where Jesus talks about how to resolve differences. Unlike Survivor, Jesus wouldn't have us "vote each other off the island." Instead, he gives us clear instructions on how to work through conflict within our community. I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we learn from Jesus together.
~Pastor Jane