“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.
The Gospel text continues on this morning and speaks of various instances of faith. Each is noteworthy because each of the main characters that interact with Jesus in this story go through a significant transformation that rewrites their future. They share the fact that they are all in need (whether they know it or not). And, they all seem to act with a simple faith that who Jesus is and what he says, is true and powerful.
The text begins with Matthew, the tax collector, sitting at the tax booth. We don’t know what was going through Matthew’s mind, more than likely he already knew who Jesus was, maybe he was discontent in his position and tired of taxing people and being reviled, and maybe there was something even unethical in the way tax collectors behaved in that culture and time and space — we don’t know what exactly was going on with Matthew, but something in his life left him vulnerable to the point, (or he realized something was lacking to the point), of having a willingness to just get up and follow Jesus when he was told too.
I like this account because there was no questioning, or thinking it through — debating with Jesus or others, it was just simply “he got up and followed him.” Following Jesus doesn’t always comes with all the answers of how life is going to play out. We don’t necessarily know what the next steps are or what the next day will bring.
I was baptized when I was around 9 or 10 years old at First Baptist Church, Ashland, Virginia.
I distinctly remember my baptism; because for me, it was not just a ritual that I was following, but I remember being aware that it was a commitment to follow Christ and I was committing my life to God. As Episcopalians we make a similar conscious commitment during confirmation, as we examine our faith more fully and decide to be confirmed in the church. We also, as Episcopalians, bring our children for baptism, for we hold that Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church. (BCP, 298)
This morning we are going to have a Baptism. We will be baptizing three young children who come to us presented by the faith of their parents into the kingdom of God. Baptism is one of our Sacraments, and we will follow it with another sacrament - Holy Eucharist. Both of these Sacraments are sacraments that we believe are essential to the Christian life. The bond that God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. So we bring our children, we have them baptized into the body of Christ in faith, we have sponsors and godparents who stand with them and pledge their intentions to support them by prayer and example in the Christian life. They make vows to do so. And then we as a church will recite our Baptismal covenant together, reaffirming those things that we believe, and recognizing together these newly received into the household of God. In baptism, we declare they are treasured holy — they are blessed. And the community affirms to continually offer them the gift of support in their faith journey.
This is an exciting morning because we celebrate together as a parish as these families present their children as participating members in the family of God, sealed forever as God’s own.
Matthew got up and followed Jesus.
He didn’t sit and think about it. He and Jesus didn’t have a long discussion about it (or any discussion for that matter) about what it would entail — he just got up and followed.
Matthew didn’t know where his journey was going to take him — just as we don’t — just as those being baptized this morning don’t. Life is full of twists and turns and unexpected events. We aren’t given an outline of what to expect — but we are told, just like Matthew - to follow.
The text goes on and it appears they were somewhere eating dinner and that the Pharisees, the religious leaders — are questioning why the rabbi — why Jesus - was eating with tax collectors and sinners?
Jesus lets them know — he is here for the sick. That those who are well have no need of a physician. He encourages them to go and learn what that means. He also lets them know, though rather cryptically, that he is here to transform the way they worship. That he desires mercy, not sacrifice. The people, following Old Testament law, had focused on following religious ritual sacrifice of animals and grains and lost focus of doing the much harder work of loving and caring for one another. Being called to mercy is a new way of being in the world. No longer, “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth,” but rather mercy introduces a new and different way of functioning with one another that requires a bit more of self in the sacrifice.
Following rules is easy. It is easy when the world is black and white, right and wrong. Do this, don’t do this? It is easy when we can point to rules and if we obey them, we can feel more righteous than others and secure in our goodness. But being merciful requires a giving of self, a humbleness of spirit; a looking upon others with eyes of love and compassion, even when, especially when, it may seem as if the other does not deserve it.
The Gospel text goes on and we are told that a leader of the synagogue came in and asked for help with his dead daughter, asking Jesus to come and lay his hand upon her so she would live. And as he was going, a woman who was bleeding came to him and touched him and suddenly she was made well.
Jesus is just going about his way. The leader calls him and he goes. As he is going, this other event happens, a healing takes place. The woman is not physically well and according to religious laws is unclean. But she has faith in Jesus and believes that just by touching his cloak she will be made well.
Jesus affirms this belief, turns to her and assures her that her faith has made her well.
Jesus continues on his way to the religious leaders house whose daughter had died, and tells the crowd gathered outside the home that they should leave — that the girl is not dead.
Jesus went in the home, took the girl by the hand and she got up. Jesus touched the young girl’s dead body and brought her back to life.
Each of the people in this story are people whose lives were changed, through faith and belief, and the mercy of God. They were all sick and sinners in different ways, and all healed by Jesus. Each involved simple acts of faith.
“Follow me.” “Come heal my daughter.” “If I can just touch his cloak”. Each of the people in this gospel came to Jesus from different places in life. Matthew, a tax collector, was considered a “chief” sinner — for tax collectors were not known for their ethical behavior toward others and were despised by many. The religious leader who had faith that if Jesus just would come and lay his hand on his daughter she would live, and the woman bleeding who was cut off from society.
Various kinds of people — coming to Jesus from different walks of life, with different stories to tell, who all had faith and were healed by Jesus.
Each story involves simple faith and action that results in new possibilities for life, wholeness, and purpose.
Today we baptize three little children. Their parents bring them in faith. Their sponsors and godparents and grandparents stand with them in faith. We stand with them as a church family in faith. None of us knows what their lives will hold. But their parents bring them today in faith that because of Jesus Christ their lives will be changed forever and that their lives will bear witness of the love of God shown to us through Jesus.
Baptism is a sacrament that will seal them forever in the kingdom of God. And much like the people in the Gospel, their lives will be changed. This is a joyous day for these families and for our church. May we be reminded on this day and all days, of what simple faith can do; the miracles that a simple obedience may bring.
May it be so for us as well.
"Come, follow me,” he said.
Amen.
And he got up and followed him.
The Gospel text continues on this morning and speaks of various instances of faith. Each is noteworthy because each of the main characters that interact with Jesus in this story go through a significant transformation that rewrites their future. They share the fact that they are all in need (whether they know it or not). And, they all seem to act with a simple faith that who Jesus is and what he says, is true and powerful.
The text begins with Matthew, the tax collector, sitting at the tax booth. We don’t know what was going through Matthew’s mind, more than likely he already knew who Jesus was, maybe he was discontent in his position and tired of taxing people and being reviled, and maybe there was something even unethical in the way tax collectors behaved in that culture and time and space — we don’t know what exactly was going on with Matthew, but something in his life left him vulnerable to the point, (or he realized something was lacking to the point), of having a willingness to just get up and follow Jesus when he was told too.
I like this account because there was no questioning, or thinking it through — debating with Jesus or others, it was just simply “he got up and followed him.” Following Jesus doesn’t always comes with all the answers of how life is going to play out. We don’t necessarily know what the next steps are or what the next day will bring.
I was baptized when I was around 9 or 10 years old at First Baptist Church, Ashland, Virginia.
I distinctly remember my baptism; because for me, it was not just a ritual that I was following, but I remember being aware that it was a commitment to follow Christ and I was committing my life to God. As Episcopalians we make a similar conscious commitment during confirmation, as we examine our faith more fully and decide to be confirmed in the church. We also, as Episcopalians, bring our children for baptism, for we hold that Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s Body the Church. (BCP, 298)
This morning we are going to have a Baptism. We will be baptizing three young children who come to us presented by the faith of their parents into the kingdom of God. Baptism is one of our Sacraments, and we will follow it with another sacrament - Holy Eucharist. Both of these Sacraments are sacraments that we believe are essential to the Christian life. The bond that God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble. So we bring our children, we have them baptized into the body of Christ in faith, we have sponsors and godparents who stand with them and pledge their intentions to support them by prayer and example in the Christian life. They make vows to do so. And then we as a church will recite our Baptismal covenant together, reaffirming those things that we believe, and recognizing together these newly received into the household of God. In baptism, we declare they are treasured holy — they are blessed. And the community affirms to continually offer them the gift of support in their faith journey.
This is an exciting morning because we celebrate together as a parish as these families present their children as participating members in the family of God, sealed forever as God’s own.
Matthew got up and followed Jesus.
He didn’t sit and think about it. He and Jesus didn’t have a long discussion about it (or any discussion for that matter) about what it would entail — he just got up and followed.
Matthew didn’t know where his journey was going to take him — just as we don’t — just as those being baptized this morning don’t. Life is full of twists and turns and unexpected events. We aren’t given an outline of what to expect — but we are told, just like Matthew - to follow.
The text goes on and it appears they were somewhere eating dinner and that the Pharisees, the religious leaders — are questioning why the rabbi — why Jesus - was eating with tax collectors and sinners?
Jesus lets them know — he is here for the sick. That those who are well have no need of a physician. He encourages them to go and learn what that means. He also lets them know, though rather cryptically, that he is here to transform the way they worship. That he desires mercy, not sacrifice. The people, following Old Testament law, had focused on following religious ritual sacrifice of animals and grains and lost focus of doing the much harder work of loving and caring for one another. Being called to mercy is a new way of being in the world. No longer, “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth,” but rather mercy introduces a new and different way of functioning with one another that requires a bit more of self in the sacrifice.
Following rules is easy. It is easy when the world is black and white, right and wrong. Do this, don’t do this? It is easy when we can point to rules and if we obey them, we can feel more righteous than others and secure in our goodness. But being merciful requires a giving of self, a humbleness of spirit; a looking upon others with eyes of love and compassion, even when, especially when, it may seem as if the other does not deserve it.
The Gospel text goes on and we are told that a leader of the synagogue came in and asked for help with his dead daughter, asking Jesus to come and lay his hand upon her so she would live. And as he was going, a woman who was bleeding came to him and touched him and suddenly she was made well.
Jesus is just going about his way. The leader calls him and he goes. As he is going, this other event happens, a healing takes place. The woman is not physically well and according to religious laws is unclean. But she has faith in Jesus and believes that just by touching his cloak she will be made well.
Jesus affirms this belief, turns to her and assures her that her faith has made her well.
Jesus continues on his way to the religious leaders house whose daughter had died, and tells the crowd gathered outside the home that they should leave — that the girl is not dead.
Jesus went in the home, took the girl by the hand and she got up. Jesus touched the young girl’s dead body and brought her back to life.
Each of the people in this story are people whose lives were changed, through faith and belief, and the mercy of God. They were all sick and sinners in different ways, and all healed by Jesus. Each involved simple acts of faith.
“Follow me.” “Come heal my daughter.” “If I can just touch his cloak”. Each of the people in this gospel came to Jesus from different places in life. Matthew, a tax collector, was considered a “chief” sinner — for tax collectors were not known for their ethical behavior toward others and were despised by many. The religious leader who had faith that if Jesus just would come and lay his hand on his daughter she would live, and the woman bleeding who was cut off from society.
Various kinds of people — coming to Jesus from different walks of life, with different stories to tell, who all had faith and were healed by Jesus.
Each story involves simple faith and action that results in new possibilities for life, wholeness, and purpose.
Today we baptize three little children. Their parents bring them in faith. Their sponsors and godparents and grandparents stand with them in faith. We stand with them as a church family in faith. None of us knows what their lives will hold. But their parents bring them today in faith that because of Jesus Christ their lives will be changed forever and that their lives will bear witness of the love of God shown to us through Jesus.
Baptism is a sacrament that will seal them forever in the kingdom of God. And much like the people in the Gospel, their lives will be changed. This is a joyous day for these families and for our church. May we be reminded on this day and all days, of what simple faith can do; the miracles that a simple obedience may bring.
May it be so for us as well.
"Come, follow me,” he said.
Amen.