Becoming Ecclesia; The Body of Christ
Pentecost XV, September 6, 2026,Year A God’s Community A sermon preached on the beach in Port Aransas with Trinity by the Sea and friends. Readings from Exodus 12 Romans 13 & Matthew 18 "Let such a one be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector." This is one of only a couple of places in the Gospels when “the church” or in Greek, "ecclesia", is mentioned. Remembering Jesus’s teachings thirty years after his death and resurrection, Matthew wrote down this particular teaching and included that term that describes the sacred community of followers of the Way that had formed. The Ecclesia; Church, a community called to follow the Way of Jesus. In the Church, as with any community, sacred or otherwise, problems arise. Human animals are animated earth, clay with Spirit breathed into our nostrils, and we often we will find ways to get out of sorts with one another. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit spends her time inviting us back into community, w...