This week's two readings (Exodus 12.1-14 and Matt 18.15–20) may at first glance seem quite diverse: one about painting your lintels with lamb's blood and the other a quasi legal process for resolving disagreements amongst the very early (even pre) church.  There is, though, one word which may offer a hint of unity between them, and that is "community".

The Exodus reading is taken from the foundational story of the nation of Israel. Some have argued that before the Exodus from Egypt there was no people of Israel, just disparate Hebraic groups pressed into slavery in Egypt.  It was the shared experience of leaving Egypt together, and the journeying together through the wilderness that brought them together, and bonded them together as one people.  It makes sense - think of those with whom you have the strongest ties: often they are those people around us with whom we've shared the deepest experiences, often the most difficult ones.

When we think about the church, our Christian community, it's worth reflecting on the foundation story that we all share, and which we call to mind every time we celebrate communion together, in a way reminiscent of the Passover meal that reminded the Israelites of their forming.  Our foundation is none other than Jesus, our shared experience is our being in him - and the moment we remember is the sacrifice he made of himself to make that possible.  At its roots our community is based in the experience of the selfless service of others.

The gospel readings gives un an insight into how Jesus expected that community to behave.  And the first thing of note that it says is that it won't always be well!  OK, Jesus starts with 'if a member of the church sins against you ', as though there's a possibility everyone will always get on - but realistically why would he have given us this advice if he didn't think we'd need it?  It's worth remembering that Jesus anticipated that the behaviour of his church wouldn't always be perfect, and maybe  therefore revise (lower?) some of the unrealistic expectations we  carry of those who gather to worship alongside us.  We may find a route that way towards extending a greater portion of grace to one another.

But that grace in this teaching does seem to take on a more difficult edge - as Jesus speaks of treating the one who continues to be unrepentant 'as a Gentile and a tax-collector'.  Harsh, right? But remember for a moment Jesus' approach to Gentiles and tax-collectors... it often involved sitting down to dinner with them, calling them to follow him, and helping them out with their problems...  So if that's the ending point of this process, isn't it really about working as best you can with those around you to keep them in the church (by which I of course mean the community of faith, not necessarily Sunday mornings), and if that does occasionally turn out to be impossible, to  nonetheless continue to love them, and share with them the grace and beauty of knowing God?

Perhaps if we can find that sort of harmony we might realise the rest of Jesus' vision here - that a church united, a people of faith rooted and grounded in their common identity in him, is literally an unstoppable force capable of bringing into being that greatest of all prayers - the Kingdom in earth as it is in Heaven.

So let's remember our common ground, our shared identity in Christ, let's cut each other a little slack and, not expecting everyone to be perfect, pause before we take offense; and maybe we might discover the incredible things of which we're capable.