All Are Invited

How blessed we are that God doesn’t call just the most saint-like among us. “Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” Matthew was a hated tax collector stationed on the main road, collecting duties on goods carried by farmers and merchants; a local guy – a fellow Jew, no less – who agreed to do the Roman government’s dirty work, who collected more than was due to the Romans and pocketed the difference. What’s with that Jesus guy? And why did Matthew so abruptly leave behind a life of wealth and security? Well, here’s my guess. I think that Matthew couldn’t stand himself any longer for stealing and cheating his brethren. That his heart was ready for something else. That he saw Jesus looking at him in a way no one had ever looked at him before – not with disgust and hatred, but with love and compassion. Matthew looked in Jesus’ eyes and saw him looking past the moral ugliness and right into his soul. Matthew knew right there that he was forgiven and accepted and … loved. He knew that he could transcend his old self and make a new life that mattered – to him and to others he would meet on this new journey. And, my friends, God and Jesus want to do exactly the same for you, no matter where you are on your journey and no matter what you have done along the way.

Let us pray.

God of hope, love, and compassion, hear us as we call to you. Forgive us our transgressions and fill our hearts with the knowledge of your incomprehensible love for us. Help us to lay aside our burdens of the past and move forward into a new and better future, keeping you always before us. For this, and the unknown blessings to come, we give you thanks. Amen