Jesus is calling St. Matthew's to follow Him!
Mike Yacconelli often tells a story of a youth
minister with a particular passion for reaching the
unchurched. She worked as a full time youth minister
for a downtown church, and knew that God was calling
her to reach out to the youth who were involved in the
gangs of that area. So she started a Bible study for
these youth. Amazingly they came, and more than that,
they started to really seek who this Jesus was, and
what it meant to follow him. One Sunday the youth
minister actually got these kids to attend church. As
the senior pastor walk down the processional isle, one
of the guys yelled, 'hey, we know you, you're cool!'
Well the next week, some of the elders of the church
took the youth minister aside and told her to get the
kids in line, that that type of behavior was not to be
permitted in church. At another one of the Bible
studies, she was sharing the Gospel and how they would
need to change their lives to follow Jesus, one young
man, out of excitement, threw back his arms, and
accidentally broke a window. The next week the youth
minister was fired. She was fired because she
believed the Gospel and was doing all she could to
share it with those needed to hear it most, and she
got into big trouble for it. This is the kind of
trouble Jesus and his followers have been getting into
for 2000 years. But we see a serious problem here,
the desire for some people in the church to make sure
that everyone fits into the correct expectations.
Instead of trying to impose our expectations on
people, I believe we as St. Matthew's church are being
called to reach out and to be understanding. To
accept people for whom they are and where they are in
their faith journey, and to love them into the
kingdom.
Today's Gospel message is about St. Matthew, and we as
St. Matthew's church, being called to following Jesus.
Not necessarily to give up our careers and pick up
our lives and literally follow him around, though I
would guess that some of us may be called to that.
But for all of us to follow Jesus we must simply
follow his commands which he sums up for us in this
way.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind. This is the
first and greatest commandment. And the second is
like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew
22:37-40
Love our neighbors as ourselves:
Jesus was intentional about who he spent time with.
We constantly see him with the dregs of that society,
with tax collectors, the poor, the lepers. Jesus is
hanging out with the wrong type of people!!!! The
people society doesn't approve of. The first thing
St. Matthew did to follow Jesus was to hold a dinner
party at his house for tax collectors and sinners. As
Ft. Joe has pointed out, why did Jesus eat with Tax
Collectors and sinners? Because there was no one
else! Otherwise he would be eating alone.
But the point was that Jesus was calling Matthew to
hang out with the untouchables of their society, to
really love his neighbor as himself. I believe Jesus
is also calling us as St. Matthew's to hang out with
the people our society says are the wrong types. With
the owners of Pro football teams, with those who are
struggling through addictions, the lonely. To go into
the streets of Austin to reach out to those who have
lost their job, and are on the street corner asking
for help to feed their family.
Part of our call to love our neighbor is to be open
and welcoming to any one who walks through our doors.
In about a month, a new family will be joining us.
Jesus is calling St. Matthew's to welcome our new
Rector Merrill and his family with open arms. Let us
pray for their family and that we would be open to new
vision and leadership.
A few weeks ago I took a trip out to California with a
friend of mine. We drove straight through and ended
up arriving in San Diego a whole day before I thought
we would get there. I had originally planned to drive
up to Bakersfield to my home town to see my family,
but since we were so early I decided to drive up to
Pismo Beach to surprise my grandparents. I hope that
all of you have a place that you just feel God's
presence. Maybe its here at St. Matthew's, at Camp
Allen, or some other place that you hold dear. Pismo
holds a special place for me in that it was like a
second home growing up. If I close my eyes, I can
smell the Pacific Ocean, feel the sand beneath my
feet, and when I am there walking along the beach,
know that Jesus is right there walking with me.
It is at Pismo, almost more than anywhere else that I
have the easiest time loving God, and feeling loved by
God.
Love God:
We as St. Matthew's are called to love God with all
of our hearts, souls and minds. So how do we do this?
With all we are. In hearing the passage from Hosea
this morning, I am again reminded that worship is not
just what we do when we come to church on a Sunday
morning. Worship should be how we live our lives,
everything we do, say or think to bring praise and
glory to the Lord.
That we would not be like morning rain clouds that
look like that they are about to pour out love but
disappear instead. No, we are supposed to actually
rain out our love. God's desire is for us to be
steadfast in our love for him and for others.
Jesus is calling us, St. Matthew's, to follow him.
Take comfort in this; there is nothing we can do to
make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to
make God love us less. What God desires from us is
steadfast love and mercy, not sacrifice. God's call
for us as St. Matthew's is to simply, but completely
follow Jesus. To love God with all we are, to love
ourselves, and to love others. Amen!
Additionally today, we have asked Father Joe to say a
blessing for some of our youth. As many of you know,
St. Matthew's has adopted the Journey to Adulthood
curriculum for 6-12th grade students. We will be
telling you more about it later this summer in the
monthly Word. This curriculum includes rites of
passage that mark important transitions in the lives
of the youth. The first of those is called Rite 13
ceremony which we use liturgy to celebrate our youth's
entering into the process of becoming adults. It has
been described as being similar to a Jewish bar
mitzvah or bat mitzvah. Our Rite 13 class is
beginning to prepare for their rite 13 ritual, which
will happen in September. Throughout the summer the
following youth: Jessica Hagman, Amy Krause, Lindsay
Neiman, Allison Price, Doug Adolph, Michael Hart,
Lucas Hatlen, Brook and Abbey Smith, along with their
sponsors: Sally Barber, Diana Dworaczyk, Trisha
Abrahamson, Judy and Don Neely, John Bindel and Larry
Miller, will prepare for this day, a day that marks a
special step in their journey to adulthood. It's a
day we as St. Matthew's set aside to recognize that
these young people are becoming adults, and to show
them our support and encouragement (something I deeply
believe that Jesus is calling St. Matthew's to do).
Throughout the summer these youth will meet with their
adult sponsor who will encourage them, and help them
along their spiritual journey. Please keep all of
them in your prayers. Will the youth and sponsors who
are here today please come forward to represent the
entire Rite 13 class and receive a blessing.
A M E N & A M E N !!!
