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"Opportunities" Matthew draws for us three portraits, three individuals whose lives are changed in dramatic ways through their encounter with Jesus. Three people, three opportunities, three amazing outcomes. The first is a tax collector. Remember, we’ve spoken about tax collectors before. The despised of the community. Consorting with the enemy. Shaking down the people, extorting money from them not only for the occupying forces but to line their own pockets as well. Tax collectors, (spit) remember? And this is not just any ordinary tax collector. What was his name? Matthew? Hmm. This isn’t just any story—it’s the writer’s autobiography. Matthew. Yes, THAT Matthew. Sitting at his desk, counting his money. Then an opportunity arrived. Jesus saw him. But more than that. Apparently Jesus saw something in him. Something that could be used to build the Kingdom. Whatever Jesus saw, his approach was direct. “Follow me.” And Matthew, for reasons that he doesn’t care to mention here, simply dropped what he was doing and followed. Like the fishermen before him. We know his life was changed dramatically from that day on. For we read about this episode from Matthew’s testimony. His eloquent, passionate proclamation about Jesus—who Matthew came to believe was God’s own Son, born to set the people free. Matthew the tax collector began to live a new life—Matthew the gospel carrier. Matthew the disciple. Jesus sat down at the table that night, and there were other tax collectors there, and other sinners. That’s the sort of thing that happens when one chooses a tax collector to be a disciple. Their friends want to know what’s going on. And this little dinner party gets the attention of the religious folk. The Synagogue crowd. “How come your teacher eats with this riff raff?” They asked his followers. Jesus overheard their grumbling. “If you are so righteous, then you don’t need what I have to offer. It’s the sick who need a doctor, the sinners who need a Savior.” Soon after he said this though, one of the religious folk, in fact a leader of the Synagogue came with a need. Came, not to complain, for complaining was the farthest thing from his mind. He came, because he’d just lost his daughter. Desperate for help, he kneels before Jesus. “If you will just touch her,” he pleads. “If you will lay your hands on her, she will live—please, I know she will live.” Jesus got up and followed the man toward his house. But on the way, a woman saw her opportunity. They were moving quickly. This was her chance, but she would have to be quick about it. For twelve years she had suffered. Twelve years of bleeding. I would imagine how weak she might have been. Not to mention, in that culture at that time, a bleeding woman was unclean. Outcast. This woman had been bleeding not just for a few days, but for twelve years! But something inside this woman decided that twelve years was enough. She was not going to settle for living this way forever. As Jesus as the others pass by, she suddenly reaches out and touches the fringe of his cloak, believing that if she could only touch his garment, the bleeding would stop. As she reaches out, Jesus sees her, and pauses—long enough to look her in the eye. Woman, take heart. Your faith has made you well. Whole. And the woman’s life was forever changed. Her suffering, her torment, was replaced with wholeness. Newness. Jesus then pressed on to the leader’s house and entered it. Inside were people of every sort, gathered to grieve. They had heard the news of the dead child and had come as fast as they could. The Bible says there were flute players and a crowd making a commotion. Can’t you just see the people with casseroles? And people needing to share their own grief with the grieving family? And the people who didn’t know how they could help so they just arrived and kept asking, over and over, “What do you need? What can I do for you?” Jesus steps into the room and tells them all to go home. “Get out. Go away,” he tells them. “You’ve heard wrong. The girl isn’t dead.” The people thought surely he was wrong. They even laughed at his idiotic notion. Nonetheless, it is the crowd that is put outside, and not Jesus. The family leads Jesus into where the girl lay. This was their only opportunity—her only opportunity. Jesus took her hand, and the girl stood up. And the family saw, and apparently were witnesses to tell everyone who would listen…there is an opportunity for life, even after death, in Jesus’ hands. One was a sinner who followed an opportunity to live a new life. One was a sufferer, who grabbed at an opportunity to be made whole, new again. And one was dead, until the opportunity arrived to touch her that she would live again. Three people. Three opportunities. Three encounters with Jesus. Three amazing, life producing renewals. Recently, you may have heard me speak about our church’s mission. By mission, I mean our primary work that fulfills our purpose, or reason for existing. The mission of First United Methodist Church of Dodge City is to help provide opportunities for people to encounter Jesus Christ that they might believe and be made new. For this mission to make sense to all of us, we have to be able to understand it, remember it, and put it into practice. So let me break it out. First, we are to provide opportunities. Opportunities for people to encounter Jesus, the way Matthew, the hemorrhaging woman, and the leader’s daughter did. Provide opportunities for people to meet Jesus, or if they are already acquaintances, to have a deeper encounter with the Christ out of which new life is born. Everything we do—ought to become an opportunity for people to encounter Jesus. For it is Jesus alone that has the power to transform, make new, bring life where there is death. For those buried in sin like Matthew the tax collector, Jesus offers a new purpose, a new direction, a new identity. For those who are despairing and burdened underneath great and long trials like the suffering woman, Jesus offers new healing, new freedom and restoration. For those who face the tragic finality of death like the girl and her grieving family, Jesus offers new hope, new promise, new life—a life that in God’s hands will never end! If we can but imagine the renewal and rejuvenation that awaits people in Jesus Christ, we would stop at nothing—STOP AT NOTHING to create opportunities for others to encounter Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, our Life! Everything we do—every program, every worship, every class, every study, every fellowship, every ministry, every collection, every good work, EVERYTHING—must become an opportunity for people to encounter Jesus Christ. If it is not, we have to reconsider or redesign so that it becomes such an opportunity. It’s why we are here! It’s why this building was built. It’s why this building was renovated. It’s why we worship on Sunday! It’s why we do what we do! So that more and more and more will encounter Jesus, believe and be made new! And this is the best part…there are things we haven’t even thought of yet. Opportunities that right now, are just being born as ideas in your mind and tugs in your heart. Opportunities that will become important tools in our mission. Opportunities that invoke your passions, use your gifts and your talents. What are they? Have you dared to dream? Have you dared to let yourself think of what might be? Look around this room! Look at the mighty body God has gathered here. For what purpose? Look around—see the talents. See the gifts. Now, dare to dream what God might do with such talents and gifts. In such a place as this. In such a community as this. Are there people who
are buried in sin? You know there are. Are there people burdened by
suffering? You know there are! Are there people grieving loss and dead,
physically and spiritually? You know there are! Are there opportunities for
us to make a difference? For us to help these find renewal and wholeness and
new life? You know there are! |
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