Sunday 21 September 2014

Feast of St Matthews - Transcript of Sermon - St Peter's Bexhill on Sea

Sermon – St Peter’s Bexhill  (http://www.stpetersbexhill.org.uk/)


Psalm: 119.65-72 Readings: Prov. 3.13-18; 2 Cor. 4.1-6 Gospel: Matt. 9.9-13


* MEMO
TO: JESUS, SON OF JOSEPH, WOODCRAFTER CARPENTER SHOP, NAZARETH
FROM: JORDAN MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS, JERUSALEM

Dear Sir:

Thank you for submitting the resumes of the 12 men you have picked for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests; we have not only run the results through our computer, but also arranged personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education, and vocational aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. We would recommend that you continue your search for persons of experience in managerial ability and proven capability.

Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale.

We feel that it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus definitely have radical leanings, and they both registered a high score on the manic depressive scale.

One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and has contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious, and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.
Sincerely yours,
Jordan Management Consultants

Whether by modern techniques or ancient wisdom the 12 disciples would probably not be your first choice for an enterprise such as Jesus sought to bring about upon earth.

There a story told of Jesus’ return to heaven and the angels eager to hear what transpired.

So Jesus told them about what he had done and what had been achieved and what had happened.

“And no doubt,” said one of the angels, “you have left your work in the hands of the best minds, the teachers of the law, the finest religious leaders and the greatest theologians?”

“Well no,” replied Jesus. “I did leave 11 disciples who formed of my inner team. There were twelve but one betrayed me.

They are good simple folk, fishermen, workmen, oh, and although not part of the inner team we did have some woman among our group who were very important. Including one woman who had several demons possessing her - until I cast them out!”

The angel began to look nonplussed and said, “what if they fail - is there a Plan B?”

“No,” said Jesus, “there is no Plan B”

The story of Jesus is an uncomfortable one of his choosing to invite, meet and mix with all the wrong sorts of people. 

But all the wrong sort of people according to whom?

And God continues to welcome all sorts of people – some very strange people, have a look around and you will see what I mean, but also make sure you also look in the mirror!

Therefore it is of the utmost important that people experience that welcome when they meet with the people of God.  

Do you remember that awful experience, perhaps from your school days, of two Captains choosing their teams? Well it was awful for me; I was always one of the last to be chosen.

God reverses that around, the last first and the first last.

I began work at Church House nine years almost to the date. I remember the questions I had in my mind as people buzzed about busy and apparently knowing exactly what they were supposed to be doing. This was my very first experience of working in an office and it was even more daunting with being open plan. What do I do about coffee, where is the photocopier, how does it work. 

Have you had an experience like that, I am sure you have.

So how do you think the other disciples felt when Jesus invited Matthew to join them?

When they went along with him to Matthew’s house for a meal?

Remember the disciples were good Jews and would have in all probability been very uncomfortable and deeply puzzled by associating with Jesus in this kind of place with these kinds of people.

But that's Jesus for you, both then and now.

No barriers, no social class, no moneyed class, all alike are welcome to come and feast at the table and to know the new life that is on offer.

And that is a very important point to note and one we sometimes can overlook.

Both our Psalm and the reading from Proverbs speak of a new way of life, a different pathway to follow, seeking after the wisdom of God.

Our passage from Corinthians picks up a similar thread; we are called to be a different kind of people now that we have responded to God’s invitation and been welcomed into the family of God’s people.

Max Lucado in his little book ‘God's Story, your story’ writes ‘ God loves us just the way we are, but loves us enough not to leave us that way.’

I am sure that once Matthew responded to the welcome from Jesus his life changed.

That is why we need to have nurture courses and discipleship courses available. So that those who do come among us are given a welcome no matter whom they are, what they look like, or smell like or where they are from. Being welcomed into the Family of God is the start of a glorious transformation.

‘Changed from glory into glory
Till in heaven we take our place
Till we cast our crowns before thee
Lost in wonder love and praise.’

That begins with our getting to know people, and then proceeds on to our inviting them to Church or whatever is the most appropriate activity. That may or may not be Sunday Worship. Then our Nurture Courses help those who do not yet know Christ to make an informed decision. Following this we then seek together to become all that God would have us become as His people in this place at this point in history.

So that, like Matthew and many, many others, people are called out from the life of death to life eternal.

“I have come,” said Jesus, “so that you may have life and life in all its fullness.”

Mediation from His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XV1

And only where God is seen does life truly begin.
Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is.

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.
Each of us is the result of a thought of God.
Each of us is willed,
Each of us is loved,
                                     Each of us is necessary.

There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel,
By the encounter with Christ.
There is nothing more beautiful than to know him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.

I might add, and to give them a warm welcome into the great company of God’s People, the greatest adventure of all.

Amen

* I claim no originality for this ‘memo’ it has been around now for some time.


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