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Purple Violet New Brunswick's Provincial
Flower
Flag of NB
L --- LET’S
E --- ELIMINATE
N ---NEGATIVE
T --- THINKING
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Jesus Calls Matthew
Matthew 9:9-13 Pentecost 4 Year A
Intro: As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the
tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” Today our gospel reading comes from
the gospel of Saint Matthew the Apostle & Evangelist. More than any other
disciple, Matthew had a clear idea of how much it would cost to follow Jesus,
yet he did not hesitate for a moment. When he left his tax-collecting booth, he
guaranteed himself unemployment. For several of the other disciples, there was
always fishing to return to, but for Matthew, there was no turning back.
Two changes happened to Matthew when he decided to follow Jesus.
First, Jesus gave him a new life. He not only belonged to a new group; he
belonged to the Son of God. He was not just accepting a different way of life;
he was now an accepted person. For a despised tax collector, that change must
have been wonderful!
Secondly, Jesus gave Matthew a new purpose for his skills. When he
followed Jesus, the only tool from his past job that he carried with him was his
pen. From the beginning, God made him a record-keeper. Matthew was a keen
observer, and he undoubtedly recorded what he saw going on around him. The
Gospel that bears his name came as a result.
But as we know, Matthew wasn’t always a man with good and godly intentions in
mind. He wasn’t always a person who let the light shine through him. Matthew
wasn’t always known as being a saint; in fact, he was viewed as an outcast by
most people. They thought, how could Jesus hang out with the likes of Matthew?
How could Jesus call him into his circle of disciples? But through the gospel we
are taught that God is concerned for all people, including the sinful and the
hurting ones. Jesus saw Matthew through the eyes of mercy and chose him.
Jesus said, Follow me and Matthew did & eventually Matthew led others to
salvation.
So what does Matthew’s story have to do with our own faith story? Like Matthew,
perhaps we did not always serve the Lord as we should have. And just like
Matthew, we experienced God’s mercy & compassion, and the joy of salvation when
Jesus called us to follow Him. Like Matthew, our lives may have consisted of
things that were not pleasing to God. Perhaps, like Matthew, our lives may have
been out of control.
But like Matthew, there came a day when we felt Jesus calling us and saying,
follow me. But in order for us to hear that call, God had to get our attention.
Perhaps we needed to hit our own bottom, our own lower than low. It was at that
time that we called out to God and admitted that our life was
unmanageable, that we were making a mess of everything, and that we knew that we
couldn’t keep going on this way. We finally admitted that I needed help, we
needed God’s help, and we needed God in our life.
And so we asked Him to be Lord of our lives and forgive our sins, and He did.
Like Matthew the tax-collector, our lives did a 360 degree turn and it has never
been the same. God took someone like us and changed our lives. We went from
running from God to running toward God. We went from blaming God for everything
to praising God for what He had done for us.
And so here we are today. No longer, the same people we were before God came
into our lives and said follow me. We have forgiven and sanctified by God’s
saving grace. I always like to say that God’s favorite number is zero, because
he likes to take nothing and make something out of it. Sometimes the decision to
follow Christ requires difficult and painful choices. Like Matthew, we must
decide to leave behind those things that would keep us from following Christ.
Having been accepted by Jesus, Matthew immediately tried to bring others into
contact with Jesus. We are called to continue Matthew’s ministry in doing the
very same thing.
Simply put, we are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the making
of disciples.
Let us continue to follow Christ as we go back into the world where we will be
challenged and tried, but let us remember that as we walk along, that Christ
walks beside us every step of the way.
And finally, let us remember our parish purpose:
To be a Christ- Centered, Mission-Minded, Ministering Community of Faith.
Let us Pray:
Draw your church together, O Lord, into one great company of disciples, together
following our Lord Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving Him in
His mission to the world, and together witnessing to his love to everyone.
Bless this parish and equip us as your ministers to reach the lost, the hurt and
the suffering in this world.
Let your light shine through us so that others may see you. We ask this in His
name and for His sake. Amen+
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