Sermon for Sunday 21st September 2025 – Feast of St Matthew: READINGS 2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-6, MATT 9:9-13

Deacon Chris Saccali -St Paul’s Athens

 

ST MATTHEW’S BACK TO BASICS

May God be on my lips and in all our hearts AMEN

Happy Feast of St Matthew – Apostle, Writer and Evangelist. We will come back to those attributes later. He is generally depicted in icons with a writing implement and his gospel is long and very organised into sections. It was written definitely later than Mark even though it is first of the four gospels in the bible. Less definite is his identity and we are not going to delve into that here. Chapter 9 describes his call and mission as well as his Jewish background and profession of tax collector which had a decisive influence on his writing and aims.

I have had connections to various churches in UK who were named St Matthew’s and they are all very different. Perhaps you have connections to Matthew or you know someone of that name? Let me start with St Matthew’s, Smethwick in a multicultural part of Birmingham where my late friend Reverend Pamela  ( Pam), who led some services here a while back, was vicar for about ten years. There was also a school attached to the parish and next to the church. They are now celebrating their 170 anniversary what different times that church must have been through with their priests and faithful.

Then while I was serving on Bishop’s Council as part of Diocesan Synod for many years we would worship at St Matthew’s Westminster which was high church and very different to what I was used to and brought up in which is middle of the road. For many years the Service of the Friends of the Diocese was held there in conjunction with the timing of Bishop’s Council in October. There are adjoining meeting rooms and once I even stayed in a room in St Matthew’s vicarage which they let out.

Thirdly, I follow online St Matthew’s Burnley in the north of England  in whose parish I did a placement at the local hospice. I was supervised by the hospice Chaplain who was Methodist and also had connections with Alex Frost , a former manager of Argos the retail chain and now vicar of St Matthew’s. He is known for social justice campaigns especially for vocations to the clergy for working class and a campaign against the drug ketamine  being used by people. All this has landed him on General Synod  and he has written a book from Argos to Altar. He also has a podcast called, wait for it God Cast. Again a very different setting. Let us pray for them all and those churches which are celebrating their patronal festival today.

Let us now return to our original St Matthew and his calling and how transformational it was. He is known as  Levi in the other two synoptic gospels Mark and Luke – we want to know so much more as to whether he changed his occupation or combined discipleship with tax collecting. Jesus simply invites him to follow him and like so many Matthew does just that. What did Jesus see in Matthew maybe an emptiness that needed filling?  Who Knows? Does this tie in with his later response to the Pharisees about his calling to those in spiritual need? As the developed world,  we are obsessed with our own physical health and well being but what about spiritual and mental health. Jesus looks at the whole being to make one whole and bring healing.

For we next hear of Jesus dining with sinners and tax collectors the Greek word used  teloneoi still used of customs men.  For the first time in this gospel we read of the Pharisees speaking out and ask Jesus how he could eat with the unclean. It is a relevant question to the times and all time. It is relevant to Jesus ministry and our ministry. How to maintain holiness in a world that is not in our control and where the people of God – the issue is who are they anyway and we know Matthew is going to respond everyone- the people of God  have gone astray. Maybe that is what has repercussions on their well being? Sound familiar?

Next lectionary year we are back to year A again so we will be studying Matthew’s gospel in depth. Today is good preparation to get us to start thinking about it.  Matthew in chapters 8 and 9 focuses on the disciples sharing Christ’s ministry. We need to think about our ministry as a church and as individuals. St Paul’s is made up of its members not just clergy, lay ministers, Wardens  and members of the Council. It would be good to have feedback on this service and other services and there will be time and space to discuss this with Bishop Robert, his Chaplain and Archdeacon Leslie who are visiting in two weeks’ time.

St Paul ,the apostle, writing to the Corinthians in the epistle reading for today, talks about ministry diakonian – you can imagine as a deacon how I love that word for serving Christ also used of serving at tables. This passage also talks about the gospel as known then but its many hidden truths. We know Matthew was an Evangelist – first as a Jew to his fellow Jews. St Paul can relate to that

So I believe we should treat St Matthew with AWE for remember A he was one of the twelve apostles but we are all disciples and apostles sent out into the world, our ministry does not stay within this church,  W Matthew was a writer that is why he is depicted with a pen but we are all given talents in one way or another to use our creativity whether in writing, speaking  art or crafts or cooking and serving. I am sure you can think of other examples.

Third letter E Matthew was an evangelist first and foremost and that simply means sharing the gospel by living it out again not just for hearing it read in church. We are all charged and challenged to do this.

This is the season of Creationtide and the 2025 theme  is Peace with Creation. Today is the UN World Day of Peace and we are caked upon to pray for peace in the world, in our souls and families. We  have talked a little about how discipleship transforms people and uses our creativity now I would like to end with a prayer from Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation by Centre for Mindalaoo Studies Philippines .Let us pray:

Lord of the Church , Teacher of disciples, you loved your friends to the end and gave them the example of leadership through service,. May we who follow you today accept the radical challenge you still offer to your companions on the way throughout all time. Stop us short if our value go astray, and enable us to discover in obedience a perfect freedom. Above all, enable us to make your church, this church a pattern for a new world rather than a pale reflection of this world.

We are wayfarers following roads to the end of the earth, pilgrims on our way to the end of the age.

We are travellers on the road to freedom, a community of grace, with good news for all we meet.

We’ll travel lightly, travel together, learn as we go;

we are disciples our mission is love, the journey is long.

We travel with authority fearful of none;

We are sent, opponents of evil, heralds of hope.

We’ll travel with humility, no task is too small, we are servants the cross is our compass, love is our sign.

When the way is uncertain, shadows are sinister,

And dangers threaten, we’ll not be afraid, but take heart.

AMEN