Answering the Call – Saint Matthew

Answering the Call – Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist

I love to reflect on Matthew, as we remember him each year on September 21.

We know Michelangelo’s David, a beautiful, refined, huge, impressive sculpture. Lesser known are Michelangelo’s rough-hewn, unfinished sculptures, with figures that seem to emerge from the natural marble. My favorite is one with a form gradually taking shape from the solid, rough rock, entitled

Matthew - Struggling with the Call.

When I shared this image with my evangelical friend, she said “No, that’s not right. Matthew dropped everything and followed Jesus.”

Yes, that’s what the Gospel according to Matthew says (Matthew 9:9).

BUT, I wonder if Michelangelo was offering a glimpse of Matthew’s psyche. Matthew was secure in his tax collector’s job within the Roman Empire. Yet he was a faithful Jew. It’s easy to imagine the inner struggle: Security or the Unknown?

Could we too at times struggle with our call? Are we open to be surprised by the Holy Spirit? Could God’s Master Plan for us be very different that our own Master Plan?

I do want to acknowledge that so many of our St. James family are very clear about where Jesus is leading them and serve Him with joy and gladness every day. I especially thank all of you for participating in our sacred worship and for welcoming our guests and each other so warmly last Sunday.

St. James is a model for lay empowerment and lay leadership.

But I wonder if any of you, your family, or friends are curious about discerning a call to ordained ministry. If so, let Father Rob know. Also, clergy and all lay people who are interested in learning more about the discernment process in the Diocese of Alabama are invited to meet at St. Stephen's, Birmingham on October 8. Contact the Reverend Canon Kelley Hudlow with questions and to register (khudlow@dioala.org).