Made for Mission: We Are Called!

This morning, as we engage ourselves in a time of thinking about what God calls us to do in this life, I want you all to take just a moment, a brief few seconds and consider what it is that we, as a community of faith, have done over the last few years together. I want you to think back to what your dreams and hopes were when we started ministry together and think about whether or not we have met all those dreams or are there still dreams of what we can do? As we step into the future together, I would really like to hear about what it was that you had hoped for when I joined you in ministry and what it is that you still hope to achieve together. You see, for me, I still have many hopes and dreams in my life in ministry. Some of those have been set aside because of other things that have become more important. Some of my hopes and dreams have been permanently set aside because of who we are as faithful followers of Christ and that’s ok. I just want us to think about what it means to be just that…faithful followers of Christ.

God is Calling...

The reason I am bringing this up is because, as Christians, we have a duty to listen to God, listen to one another, and follow whatever it is that God calls us to do. Notice, here that I did not say, talk or push or coerce, I said listen. We need to stop trying to push our own agendas and start listening for what the world around us is crying. There are many in our society in need and many more who are too afraid to ask for help. There are many, right here in our own community, who need assistance and often we are so far removed and locked within our own agenda that we forget to ask the important question, a question mind you that Christ asked nearly everywhere he went, and that question, “What can I do to help?” And, we need to ask that question without the expectation that we will ever received anything in return.

Are We Listening...

Last Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend a luncheon at Synod for the Mental Health Network of the UCC. I had the great fortune to have listened to God nudging me toward this luncheon and I had the ever greater fortune to meet some of the leaders of our denomination speak about how the UCC as a whole is reaching out and into communities to help those who need and how they are advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. This morning, we do not have enough time for me to really tell you all I heard or learned at that 2 hour luncheon but just know there are things that we can do and I am praying will do in the coming months to be a part of something that is so desperately needed in our society today.

The point of all of this is this, God still transforms lives and God still uses each of us as a way of touching and being that transformation in society. So today, we start a six week sermon series titled, “Made for Mission”. With which, I pray comes a journey of self discovery, a time of great reflection, and more importantly, a time of listening for what it is that God truly desires from us as God’s children in a world filled with turmoil and pain. So, to get us started, let’s look at a one very specific story of transformation. The story of Matthew’s calling. As I typically do, with the stories that happen to be among my favorites, I want to give us some background and lay out the story before us today...

An Unexpected Disciple...

Tax collectors in Jesus’ time were often Jews who worked for the Roman government. Oftentimes, these collectors would charge more tax than what the government required so they could line their own pockets. Not unlike our own time, when people are more about themselves than trying to help others, Matthew was a Jew who had basically sold his soul to the Roman government. He was one of the worst in society and many, even his own family, had turned their backs on him. Now, I am sure none of us has ever felt like this toward another or maybe even felt like this ourselves.

The interesting part of Matthew’s story is not so much that he was a tax collector or that people had looked down their noses upon him but more about what Jesus says to him...

Matthew 9:9 NIV

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

Jesus does not go into a long dissertation about what it means to follow him. Jesus does not do hold an interview process, he just looks at the man before him and says two very simple words, “Follow me.” Notice too that those are the only words Jesus speaks to Matthew to call Matthew away from the life he was living and into a life of service and discipleship. Jesus simply says, “Follow me.” Now, don’t get me wrong or mishear me here…those two words hold much more than just simply getting up and following but I want you to clearly hear that Jesus is not berating, demeaning, or making Matthew feel bad about what he may or may not have done in his life. He is simply calling Matthew into a new way of doing things, a new life of loving and being that can transform all of us from the inside out…with me?

So that leads me to our discussion question for this morning...

What Does It Mean to Follow?

allow some time for discussion on what it means to follow...

Here’s what I believe with my whole heart, God has something for us to do as individuals and as a community of faith together. Unless we are willing to fully accept that God desires for us to be here, rather than outside, then we are neither committed followers nor are we truly listening but rather we are just luke-warm and I don’t know about you but I would rather my faith be on fire…not just looking on and wishing I was making a difference but rather actually getting up and doing.

The Cost of Following Jesus Christ

You may be thinking, that’s all well and good pastor but in all reality, following will cost us something. So, let’s consider the cost of following. Oh, yes, there is a cost and don’t I know it…but I want to address this idea that there are only a few people who hear God’s call. Listen to this...

JD Greer in his book Gaining by Losing says, “There is a widespread myth in the church that “calling into ministry” is a secondary experience that happens to only a few Christians. Their job is to do the ministry and everyone else’s job is to just show up and foot the bill. Few lies cripple the mission (of the church) more than that one. Each believer is called to leverage his or her life for the spread of the gospel. The question is no longer whether we are called, only where and how.”

We Are All Called...

Each one of us is called by God! God has chosen us to be an active part of Jesus’ mission. Listen, whether you like it or not, we are all called. For example, for those in the business world—why did God make you good what you do? Surely it is not just to fill up your life w/ all kinds of comforts and things so that you can spend the last twenty years of your life on vacation. God gave you your talents as a means of blessing others and as a platform to spread the mission. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, ask yourself: What role do I play in the advance of the mission as I raise or raised my kids? The same question applies if you’re in the military, fire department, teacher or student. God may have not put you in a vocational pastoral position but God has put you on the front lines for mission. What if you actually started seeing your job as an actual mission from God?

It’s Not Mission Impossible, but...

(Cue Mission Impossible Theme Song)...You could wake up expectant of what God has in store for you today. You could spend time with God through prayer and reading the Bible before you do anything so that you open yourself to listen in for God’s instructions for that day. Then you could go to work with your eyes open looking for opportunities to join God in where God’s already at work through you and others.

Now it would be awesome if God called you on the phone in morning . But that is not how it works. Often we hear God’s instructions in our hearts and our guts or maybe we hear God’s voice in the voice of others...Look at Jesus’ invitation to Matthew. Jesus invites Matthew first and foremost into a relationship with him. The relationship was not the by-product of them doing ministry together, the relationship was the assignment. The ministry is what would come from them spending time together. The Christian life is not about doing stuff for God but being with God.

The Real Cost...

From Matthew’s point of view he’s obviously shocked that Jesus approached him, but it’s also remarkable how Matthew got up immediately with no questions asked. Think about it, Matthew had a good paying job, 90% of Israel was living underneath the poverty line at this point. He seemingly didn’t have to work hard. (He’s just sitting there) He was a part of something bigger. (the Roman Empire probably had a good retirement plan) On top of that—Jesus’ invitation was a bit vague. He just said, “Follow me.” I mean, what would be in it for Matthew.

Jesus’ Invitation is from Sitting to Following.

Here’s the thing…all Jesus asked of Matthew was to get up. It was all about movement! He had to get up from the table and move!

He had to make a conscience decision to make a move. He couldn’t just stay in his seat and follow. The moment he took a step he was on mission but a step of faith was required. For us, God is calling us to get off the sidelines and get in the game of being made for a mission. It will require each of us to consciously get up even if it may be a bit uncomfortable. That is where we are going the next six weeks. We are going to take a journey which at the end will, I pray, lead us to take the next step of faith and out of our comfort zones and into the world to make a difference, both in us and in the world.

Transformation

God will transform us, there is no question. At the end of these 6 weeks, we will be transformed. God has blessed us with stuff that can be used for mission. Matthew used his house and food to be on mission.

Transformed Relationships

God will transform our relationships. Matthew would have had many meals together with his tax collector buddies before but this time was different. They had religious leaders join them. How do you think Matthew introduced these two groups? What do you think the conversations looked like between the two groups? What do you think Matthew hoped would happen?

He was faced with the reality that he was probably the best chance his friends would ever have in meeting Jesus and would not waste this opportunity. When we join God in a life of mission, you begin to realize that none of your friendships or even acquaintances are coincidental. God has placed them in your life and you desperately want what happened to you to happen to them.

Transformed Responses

God will transform how we respond to others. The Pharisees were the rule keepers. They were also kind of like the cool kids at school. The tax collectors knew that they were the bottom of the totem pole but it still didn’t change fact that they wanted to be in good standing with the popular Pharisees. But one afternoon of following Jesus and it all changed. Now they didn’t care about approval of the Pharisees because they were too busy toasting their new friendships with Jesus.

We were not made to fit in, we were made to stand out. When you’re on mission you’re not living for the approval of man but for God. For Matthew, maybe some of his tax collector friends had no interest in Jesus and that stung a little. Imagine if one of his friends stayed after their party to share that he wanted to have what Matthew had and had heard what Matthew said? How awesome would that be? Check out how the passage ends.

Matthew 9:12 NIV

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

What is Jesus’ mission? He’s a spiritual doctor healing physically and spiritually wounded and sick people. That means He came for us. He didn’t come to judge or pile on rules we could never attain. Just like Matthew, Jesus calls out to us to follow. We have no idea the impact God might want to make through our life and lives. There is no greater joy in the journey of figuring it all out.

We’ve all been called by God and made for a mission. What if every one of us simply had the attitude of “one more.” Jesus would you use me to reach just one more person. If we all did that we’d double as a church immediately and so many lives would be impacted.

Prayer

Let’s pray…God you have called us and we are listening. Guide our hearts and our spirits into a space of deep contemplation and then open our hearts, minds, and spirits to listen deeply for your voice and your guidance. We know we can make a difference, we just need some courage and strength to do so. Amen.