Good Morning Friends,
Just as we each have a calling, so too local churches and the Church Universal have a calling. And if we are going to walk as saints in the vocation to which we have been called we need to consider how to be worthy of the task. Paul touches on this process in the letter to the Ephesians and Jesus as recorded in Matthew sets the parameters of his earthly ministry, including eating with tax collectors, one of whom, Matthew, would take on a ministry of documenting the good news. So, enjoy today’s lectionary scripture even as we contemplate, How Do We Get Good At A Righteous Calling When Outreach Involves So Many Who Are Sinners?
Scripture: I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 (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.”
Matthew 9:9-13 (NRSV)
Message: Today we explore the possibility that we can seek people’s company not because we like what they are and acquiesce in what they are, but because we hope to have some influence in changing them and passing on from one generation to another the comfort and conviction of Christ’s faith. Teachers spend their lives in the company of children not because they prefer the company of children to the company of adults, but because they regard it a great privilege to have some share in developing the potential of children to become functional adults. Social workers spend their time with challenged families not because they prefer families with complicated challenges to families without major challenges, but because they hope to be able to help to solve the challenges. Surely some hunger for the truth. But the Pharisees failed to discern that Jesus had a similar motive in fraternizing with publicans and sinners and even the likes of Matthew, a tax collector. Still, these Pharisees made a false judgement about Jesus and assumed he preferred their company to the company of those who thought themselves righteous. In fact, they assumed that he approved of their sinful conduct. It does not seem to have occurred to these Pharisees that Jesus might have kept bad company for a good reason. But Jesus did have a good reason and so should we. Sinners need the message more than the righteous, especially self-righteousness. Regardless, the Pharisees were outraged and scandalized by Jesus’ behavior given the culture and context of the situation. Here a man who was called a Rabbi was keeping table with people the Pharisees considered the very scum of the earth. Pharisees kept company with Pharisees, and Rabbis with other Rabbis. They were put off because Jesus was not praising them for their devotion to the Torah but instead castigating them as hypocrites because they did not understand that they were religious bureaucrats that were catering to the palate of those who wanted to dine on forgiveness without requiring real repentance and love. Friends, Jesus wants sinners who desire to dine on the word of the Lord. The Pharisees were starving themselves. But let us not judge them too harshly. It is way too easy to become self-righteous and miss the people that Jesus sought out. Maybe we will not be as bold as Jesus, who was never afraid to get into places of darkness so that He could shine a little light. But maybe we could on occasion share a bright or enlightening word with those that hunger for God, knowing that we too are sinners.
And So, there is a cost for following Jesus. And frankly it is a relationship where there is no earthly security. But it is worth it if you love, but you must be strong enough and that means abiding in the Spirit. The call is for us to go into the world and make a difference but maybe we are not so righteous ourselves. Still, somehow, we are to show the world who Christ is. And we can do it through the ministries with others and in our personal lives as well. We do it when we take our gifts and use them to glorify God and not ourselves even in daily activities. And we hopefully do it through various outreach activities that characterize the attributes of Jesus and, we talk to others about Christ in the light of Christ. We do it when we go about our daily activities. We do it by grounding ourselves in our faith, so that whether it is a great day or a miserable day, we find ways to exalt Christ as our Savior, as our Lord, and our Redeemer. We do it by living a life which seeks to honor and glorify Christ. And so, it is necessary for us to remain so filled with the Spirit of God, as we move about in community, that we become generative and transformative agents for God. But even around other believers, we cannot take anything for granted. It is too easy for us to hurt one another without even thinking. We need to seek Christ in all we do for everyone is important. We are, as it has been said, to have unity in all things essential, and in things, not essential we are to offer liberty but, in every action, and thought we are to love. We are to use our strengths and submit to God to balance out our lives with others. Even our weaknesses are to be used in our lives as they bind us together in a harmony of a loving life with others. That is the call. For here as the called-out assembly of God we are to demonstrate that by living faithfully with gentleness, humility, love, wisdom, and patience, in the Spirit, that we become worthy to be called children of God. That is why we must not just be birds of a feather sticking together. We must realize that people really cannot tell who we are by the company we keep. Still there is a price for loving a sinner into a relationship with God, but if we love the price is worth it.
Pray we never lose our appetite for scripture. Pray that instead of being collectors and enforcers we become givers and sharers. Pray we realize that Jesus came to help the likes of us succeed. Pray we realize that we all are sinners but can seek to be something better in unity with God if we follow in the Way. Pray
therefore
we bear one another in love. Pray we do not have a haughty spirit. Pray we do not fight each other but instead fight evil. Pray we are not arrogant or angry. Pray we experience the positive power and peace of God. Pray we are ultimately recognized by others as One Body because we share a faith in The One True God. Pray we do not have a haughty spirit. Pray we walk in soberness, godliness, and humility. Pray we are not arrogant or angry. Pray we are not short tempered. Pray we never run out of patience. Pray we function as one body, believing in Christ and believing in one another and always, always seeking to be unified as we honor Christ together. Pray we love the next generation into a relationship of promise.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 