Sermon: We’re All Called

All are called to spread the good news. How will you do it? 

Matthew 9:9–13 (NRSV)

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.

Food, table, a meal. Each day we do this act of restoring our bodies and making them whole, we eat. Sometimes a meal is just that, sustaining. Sometimes a meal can be more. 

Back in the day, I was a student and children’s ministries director at a church in South Caroline and I started a bible study with my middle and high school students, we met Tuesday afternoons at a local restaurant. I named our weekly gathering, roots. I chose this name because I wanted the students to know how the church started. With a meal. So each week we would meet after school, have an appetizer-based meal and read scripture and talk about it. 

Each month We come to this table to celebrate, to remember, to partake in something grander than ourselves. something so full of hope.

Sometimes we forget that. We forget the wonder of the table. because it becomes a habit. It becomes rote, it loses its meaning. 

Sometimes we forget that Conversations and life-change take place at so many tables. How many conversations have you had that have happened at a table, sharing a meal? One of my favorite meals was at this place called Mimi's cafe. It was the first date I ever took my wife. We had just gone to a student production of Into the Woods that had some of our friends from college in it and afterward, she and I went to the restaurant. we ate, we talked. life-change.

Sometimes meals are healing, like comfort food when you’re sick. sometimes they’re sad, I’ve been to one too many wakes for friends or family members who’ve passed away. Sometimes meals are joyous and filled with wonder and elation, like baby showers and weddings. Sometimes a meal between friends can help one dig deeper in their faith. Sometimes a meal between enemies can bury the hatchet.

This specific story from Matthew is found in both Mark and Luke as well. Funny enough, Matthew is the only one who calls himself by that name. The other gospel writers call the tax collector, Levi. One commentary said they believed Matthew is the only person brave enough to use his actual name. Because the others wanted to help him save face. Because Matthew was a tax collector.

In the first century, in Jewish culture, tax collectors were toll collectors employed with the Romans, they collected fees on the movements of goods. Matthew is believed to have been a collector in the town of Capernaum where Jesus had lived. Most of these tax collectors were seen as dishonest. There was a deep disdain for them. They were almost traitors who were serving their overlords and not the Jewish people.

And yet, this is the same guy who Jesus said simply, “follow me.”

Followed by that simple call was a meal.

This meal has been seen in a few different lights, some scholars think that this meal was a going away party for Matthew. Others think of it as a celebration for Matthew accepting this new path.

However, in the middle of this joyous moment, the tension in this story comes while they were eating. The Pharisees, those who saw the meal as uncouth, as there were social pariahs, people who didn’t belong, those who are not like the overtly religious, it was those that they considered sinners, sitting and eating together with Jesus and his disciples.

Now, these Pharisees were studied men, who knew scripture and spent their lives studying and living out the scriptures. Today, that’s like someone who grew up in the church, was here every chance they had, and eventually became a pastor. And still, they asked why the disciples' teacher ate with such people who were not like them, who were traitors and sinners. 

Jesus responds with a parable and uses physical illness as a metaphor for spiritual need. Then Jesus does what I think is one of the most brilliant things in scripture he responds with a rabbinic saying, “Go and learn what this means,”  He tells these religious know-it-alls, to go back and relearn their scripture. These people who knew their scripture, he beckons them to listen to the prophet Hosea, who said I desire mercy, not sacrifice. 

Verse 13 is one of my favorite verses, it is also found in Hosea 6:6 and the mercy Hosea writes about is this word chesed, which is steadfast love from God, never ceasing, never-ending. 

In a sense, Hosea was speaking to the people of Israel calling them back to a life devoted to God, One Hosea commentator, said the Israelites had been involved in the prostitution of sacrificial duties, it had become just a motion, a ritual that they went through and Hosea wished to call them to an understanding that Yahweh, God, does not want the ritualistic sacrifice, but instead their faithful love. 

And so the creator of all things, in human form says to his people, who know God and practice their faith in God, Jesus calls them to remember the reason why. Not religion, but faithful love. Mercy, not Sacrifice. 

An idea from Methodism is that Christ's ministry of outreaching love is at the heart of What we do. Christian ministry is the expression of the mind and mission of Christ by a community of Christians.

We take the head and the heart and put them into action to show God’s love. To be a good neighbor. 

These are the means by which we are called. 

In the Methodist Book of Discipline, it says, “All Christians are called through their baptism to this ministry of servanthood in the world to the glory of God and for human fulfillment.” 

No matter who you are, you are called. Jesus is looking at you, no matter what you’ve done or who you hang out with. No matter how people see you. You are called. You are called to be his. You are called to share that beautiful message of hope, love and mercy to all. 

We’re all called.

So what are you doing to fulfill the call, of “Follow me?”

Me, I ran away, for the last ten years. I’ve been doing everything other than my call to be a shepherd for God, I’ve been a barista, a student, a teacher, a journalist and a director of making, and now a director of media ministries, all while saying to God not yet. Not yet. 

However, meals have taken place in my life. Reconciliation with God and my call is happening. If you don’t know, I’ve grown up in the church. My family was very ecumenical when I was a kid. My mom and dad wanted my sisters and me to be raised in a Christian environment, so we were homeschooled. We were very active in the community and our church. We attended Christian Assembly here in town, were a part of the baptist kids' choir, participated in Band at Christ the King, and severed here at the soup kitchen. I’ve grown up in the church. My undergraduate was in biblical studies, I was a youth and children’s director, and because of this, I’ve come to realize how much I relate to the Pharisees. I would go to church services and judge how they were doing things. I felt I knew the bible more than most people I was in bible studies with, I got lost. I stopped attending church, and when I did go, it was sporadic. 

For ten years I was lost. Trying to fulfill my call in other ways. Hoping that those jobs would suffice. That in my telling good news or teaching students that I was doing my part ministering to them and my community. But my call has been to be a shepherd. As Jesus told Peter If you love me feed my sheep. 

Since becoming a part of the community here in 2019, I’ve rekindled my relationship with God, and I realize that I’m not supposed to do anything other than to serve God for the rest of my life. 

And I am finally looking at him while he looks at me with infinite love and grace and he’s saying follow me. Here I am saying okay. I’ll follow you. 

Connecting with you all, listening and talking about the deep things of God with our church has helped me on my path. I pray, like Matthew in accepting his call, that we are surrounded by community and are encouraged to follow Christ. 

Now, Maybe you’re like Matthew and you answered your call right away, fantastic, keep serving, keep ministering, keep wanting to love your neighbor as yourself, keep wanting to desire mercy. 

But, Maybe you’re like the Pharisees, and have grown up in and around religion and are set in your ways in how worship should be and what that looks like. Maybe you, like me, need be reminded that it’s not the ritual, it's the steadfast love and mercy that God desires. 

Or maybe you’re also like me, and you’ve put off your calling. Saying God, not yet. 

My hope for you today is to connect.

Connect with your brothers and sisters in faith, so that you can grow and go forth and follow Jesus. That you can be healed and help heal. 

When I was a reporter, one of my favorite questions to ask at the end of every interview was,  Why does this matter? It was my favorite thing because people would become almost upset and share their truest passions for the topic of their story.

So today, I want to ask you, Why is your calling important? Why does it matter? 

The simple truth, You are the hands and feet of Christ. He has called you to be bringers of light in this sometimes dark world. Be hope-bearers. You are the ones who get to help our community. I don’t know if you’ve looked around, but almost every day, people are coming to the church and asking for help, and you are helping. You are helping with food insecurity with the adults and children, you’re helping to put give gas in cars, and help families to keep the lights on in their houses. You are helping to rebuild places in our community and around the world. 

What are you going to do about it? How will you answer your call? The answer I can give you is this, get plugged in. You don’t have to do this alone. Christianity is about community. It is about gathering together and being christ-like to the world.

Answering your call, whatever it is, be it being a small group leader, Wednesday Night Alive teacher, children or student ministries volunteer, or shameless plug, Media ministries volunteer. Be it singing in the choir or playing music in the praise band, serving with backpack blessings, or any of our outreach and missions teams, Or if it’s taking food to your neighbor or starting a conversation with a loved one, be willing to do as Matthew did and say yes.

When talking about today’s sermon with our worship planning team, I told them I wanted there to be an action for you to take. Pastor John had a great idea for you all  to have something tangible, something for you to take with you as a reminder of our call to follow Jesus. Go with me here, everyone, open your bulletin and find this insert, for those watching online, a graphic is going to come one with a way for you to do something similar. On the card it states, “God is calling me to…” Then there is a blank. Grab a pen, or a pencil from your pew, and take a moment to fill this out. What is God calling you to do? How can you show mercy? How can you say yes? 

Say yes to the call. Find people. Have a meal. Embrace life-change and know that Jesus is looking at you. How will you respond? 

Let's Pray:

God you are calling each and every one of us to serve you. To answer your call to follow you. Today may we leap out of our chairs and follow you. May we celebrate one another with meals and talk about you and share your hope and love and mercy to Madisonville, Hopkins County, and to the ends of the earth. May we desire mercy instead of the mundane rituals of our lives. 

Amen.