Receiving christ's gifts
Recent Sermon
Mercy, Not Merit
Much of life teaches us to prove that we belong. We learn it early: perform well, stay impressive, make the right connections, avoid public failure, and keep anything shameful out of sight. Matthew 9:9–13 gives us a different picture. Jesus sees Matthew sitting at the tax booth—a place associated with compromise, suspicion, and public sin. Yet Jesus does not begin with a demand that Matthew repair himself. He says, “Follow Me.” Then Jesus sits at table with tax collectors and sinners. The Church is not a fellowship of the qualified. It is the fellowship of those called by mercy. Christ does not wait for sinners to become impressive enough to approach Him. He comes to them, calls them, forgives them, and brings them to His table.
Much of life teaches us to prove that we belong. We learn it early: perform well, stay impressive, make the right connections, avoid public failure, and keep anything shameful out of sight. Matthew 9:9–13 gives us a different picture. Jesus sees Matthew sitting at the tax booth—a place associated with compromise, suspicion, and public sin. Yet Jesus does not begin with a demand that Matthew repair himself. He says, “Follow Me.” Then Jesus sits at table with tax collectors and sinners. The Church is not a fellowship of the qualified. It is the fellowship of those called by mercy. Christ does not wait for sinners to become impressive enough to approach Him. He comes to them, calls them, forgives them, and brings them to His table.