Matthew 9,9-13
God of wisdom, by your Holy Spirit, open our minds, that as the
Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may be led into
your truth, for the sake of Jesus Christ.
When I lived in Brampton I had a friend named Nicola
At the time she had 3 children
The eldest was Alexander
Not Alex
Not Sandy
But Alexander
When I met them he was four
A little more than a year before I met them Alexander had an experience of
asking for God’s help and being a hero
This happened when Nicola collapsed in the bathroom, when only she and
the children were at home
On this particular day, she was experiencing symptoms that had her think
that her blood sugar was off
Normally she is not diabetic, but she had experienced gestational diabetes
when she was expecting
There was no reason for her to believe that she was expecting
She and her husband had two children, and they were happy with that
number
Although she was sure she was not with child
She went to the bathroom to test her blood, and before she could do that she
collapsed
As she lay unconscious on the floor
Alexander knew that his mother needed help
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So he prayed to Jesus to help
He then sat down and waited for the help to arrive
Much to his dismay nothing happened
Nicola says she thinks he thought Jesus would walk through the door in
sandals and robe and cure his mother
After sitting on the steps for a while he decided that Jesus wasn’t going to
show up
So he would have to take matters into his own hands
He phoned 911 and the ambulance came to help
When the attendants saw the supplies Nicola had out they knew the problem
and knew what to do
After the dust had settled and Nicola was on her feet again
It turned out that Alexander was angry at God
He felt that he had asked for help and it didn’t come
It was his phone call that had saved his mother, not his prayer
Nicola pointed out that God had put the idea into his head to call 911
And God had helped him to remain calm enough to know what to do instead
of panicking and crying and getting confused
Sometimes God answers prayer by helping us to see what to do next
This lesson that a little boy learned by experience is one that we all can use
God is with us in our day to day lives
But maybe not in the way we expect
Like Alexander we may hope for Jesus to turn up as he did in the gospel
lesson we read today
He walked up to Matthew and said follow me, and Matthew did
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Simple and easy
There was Jesus giving Matthew a straight forward request
There was no doubt in Matthew’s mind as to what he should do
It may seem to us that such a direct link is no longer in place
That God is not found in the everyday happenings of our lives
The truth is
The world is still God’s
And God is present
When we look for and listen for God, we find God
As the writer Welford Davies put it:
God be in my head
And in my understanding
God be in my eyes
And in my looking
God be in my mouth
And in my speaking
God be in my heart
And in my thinking
God be at my end
And at my departing.
Walford Davies
While we may not see God in the way Alexander hoped for
Or in the way Matthew did
God is with us
At times that we are looking to find God
It is helpful to draw on the wisdom of the Celtic believers
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Those who lived in what is now Ireland and the surrounding area
Who saw all of life being offered to God
They had a love of nature and looked for the thin places where the division
between heaven and earth was almost invisible
If we were to do that, where might we encounter God?
One of the ways we describes God is the Trinity
We worship God as one in three and three in one
One symbol for the Trinity is a triangle
A simple triangle
Nothing expensive
Or complicated
Just a simple shape
How could it help to think of God when we see a triangle?
Suppose you are walking to school and concerned about a test that will be
given that day
What if you should drop your backpack and have your supplies fall out
Great, you may think
What more can happen today?
A test in my hardest subject
Now my stuff is all over the ground
But as you pick stuff up there is your square from the math set
You can either put it away and continue to fret
Or remember as you look at those three sides
That the triune God is your defense and helper
I have never had the experience of God filling my mind with facts even if I
didn’t study
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But God has helped me to focus so that I can retrieve the information that is
there
Similarly, as we drive from one place to another, and we see the yield sign
with its three sides, we can remember that God is always with us
Another symbol for God is a circle
So chosen because it has no beginning and no end
When we are called by Jesus to follow him, we are called to share the love
of God with our world
This can be everything from being a listening ear for someone who needs a
friend, to sharing a cup of tea, to praying with another, to publicly sharing
why God asks us to help those who have less, to name a few of the ways we
share the love of God
The question of how we are to be disciples who follow Jesus is partly
answered in the latest issue of Presbyterian Connection, which tells us of
how our leaders and our learners are responding to Jesus’ call to follow him
At the 2025 meeting of General Assembly there was a Narratives of Hope
and Possibility report presented
This report was partly to remind us of who we are and what motivates the
church to be sent out into this anxious world
The report states that love is the motivation for mission to an anxious world,
for God so loved the world
One congregation that is reaching out beyond itself is Wexford Presbyterian
Church in Scarborough ON, which is located in the midst of a vibrant and
growing immigrant community
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In response the congregation “launched a program to help neighbours
improve their English, develop computer skills and build meaningful
connections – all over coffee and baked treats”
The front page of the Connection has a well written article giving more
detail about how a traditional congregation is making new connections in
Jesus’ name
The outgoing moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Rev Jeffrey
Murray, has his final “Message From the Moderator” on page 2 of the
Connection
In it he reminds us that “Mission is rooted in love for the people whom God
loves.”
He further says that mission that is rooted in our “ambition or anxiety about
our place in the world” misses the point
Our goal in mission is not to help people become like us, and to keep our
system going
Rather, the motivation of mission is to introduce the world and its hurting
people to Jesus
As disciples of Jesus we can share our faith by witnessing to what we
believe
We can also share our faith by being involved in politics and promoting
justice
One of the issues that has been in the forefront of attention in Canada has
been Bill C-9, Combatting Hate Act
The intention of the bill was to provide protections for people to access
places of worship and to participate in public worship without fear of
scripture being used as a weapon
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This is a simplified description of the intent of the bill, which is not intended
to limit the preaching of the word
Those who have felt that the Bible has been used to condemn them need to
hear that God loves the world and God has reached to those who live in the
world.
Another project that we read about in Connection is the “Caring Closet”
being run by St Andrews in Coldwater (page 15 Presbyterian Connection)
It is an inter-church project in the village of Coldwater ON where
secondhand clothing and some household items are made available to those
who need them.
The articles about Coldwater’s Caring Closet tells of the various ways this
small congregation engages the community.
Those of us who have followed Jesus for most of our lives, and who have
tried to bring the good news to our world may wonder how effective we
have been
In answer to that page 3 of the Connection talks about an online
“Congregational Formation for Mission” course
The author, Tim Dickau shares some of the things that have been learned as
a result
As folks from across Canada have shared and learned together in order to
build up the ministry of their congregations they have been reminded that
the cultural changes in Canada are not the fault of the church.
Secularism and individualism are realities that invite us to learn new ways to
connect with our neighbours.
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As a result of seeing that our communities are changing, we are realizing
that we need to relearn how to be neighbours, to make friends with those
whose lives are different from ours.
Thirdly we have learned that engaging in God’s mission of witness,
compassion and justice involves experimentation and risk.
We may find that the things we do in Jesus’ name may not be successful as
we people define success, but these things do bless others
The invitation Jesus gives, “come follow me” is one that is given to each of
us and one that can be fulfilled in a variety of ways
Some will do something big and recognizable and new
Some will support projects that are already in place
Some will contact politicians
Some will be the quiet friend who is the face of Jesus to one who is troubled
All of us will pray as we bring the needs of our world before our loving God
When Jesus went looking for those he was going to call as disciples
He found people in their day to day environments
They weren’t in a special place waiting to be auditioned
They weren’t any more qualified or religious than the next person
He went right up to a tax collector and said follow me
When Jesus went to people and said follow me
He was asking them to follow him into the midst of life
He was not calling them to a life of solitude
Or a life of freedom from the ordinary
Into the midst of living Jesus calls us to follow him
To be his people among ordinary people
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When Jesus says come follow me
He isn’t saying come and do more
It’s not like joining a group that only wants you for your charm, good looks
and talents
Jesus is saying come follow me
So that we can follow him into a more secure way of living
So that we can follow him as part of the family of God
With Jesus as our brother
Out holy friend
Our saviour
Walking with us day by day
Hearing and answering prayers in unexpected ways as he did with Alexander
Reminding us of his presence in our lives through symbols
Letting us share the love of God through practical acts of kindness
Jesus says come follow me
And helps us on the way
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
God of our past and our future, we come with grateful hearts, trusting
that you walk with us through all the seasons of our lives.
You create a future for us, calling each of us to use our individual
abilities and opportunities to make a difference.
Thank you that we all have a place and a purpose in your world.
Guide all who are graduating this year to use their knowledge,
learning and lives in service to you and your world. Let them hear
your call and find their calling.
Hear us now as we pray for the world in its deep and diverse needs:
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We pray today for those who face danger and despair in these times:
We remember before you those living with hunger, and all those
caught up in unrest and violence beyond their control.
Keep a brief silence
We pray for all those working to relieve suffering in these lives
and bring justice and peace:
We pray for your church in this place,
in this region/town/city and around the world.
Guide it so that it is clear in its proclamation,
gracious in its service,
bold in its advocacy
and humble in its discernment.
Especially, we pray for the General Assembly
that begins its deliberations today.
Give its moderator, commissioners and all who serve the
Assembly
a strong sense of your guidance.
We pray for all those facing fear or frustration,
wrestling with sorrow or discouragement in any area of their
lives:
For those who live with illness or pain….
For those bearing chronic conditions or disability….
For those who know the grief and change of bereavement….
Keep a brief silence.
And we pray for all those who work to bring healing and comfort
and agencies that offer support and care to those who suffer:
We pray for all who feel helpless or hopeless in this present
time:
For those around us facing unemployment, struggling to make
ends meet…
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For those caught up in the pain of misunderstanding or broken
relationships…
And for those working through situations of conflict at home or
at work…
Keep a brief silence
We pray for all who offer guidance and support in the midst of
such difficulties
and for those who have skills in reconciliation or mediation:
God of healing and hope,
Guide our congregation to engage each day with faithfulness.
Where we need correction, show us a new way;
where we need love and encouragement, inspire us.
Unite us as we travel into the future you are creating for us as
followers of Jesus,
as we pray in his name. Amen
COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
Go in faith into whatever the week ahead may hold, sure that
Christ walks with you.
And may the God who made us, the Christ who mends us, and
the Spirit who gives us life bring you joy and peace, now and
always.