The Call, Part 1

Matthew 9:9-13

June 8, 2008

With your bulletin today, you should have received a little tag like this (hold up “As Is” tag).  I got this idea from John Ortberg’s aptly titled book, “Everyone is normal until you meet them.”  Sounds like all my friends.

You know, everybody loves a bargain.  If you’re like most folks, there may have been several times when you did not purchase an item that you really wanted because you couldn’t get a good deal on it, and you probably own several things which you really didn’t want but that you bought because it was such a great deal. Of course, these items usually end up in our junk drawers, spare rooms, or in a giant yard sale.  Did I mention that the church is having a giant yard sale at the end of the month?  Now you know what to do with all of those unwanted items, so bring ‘em in!

Anyway, in certain stores that I frequent, such as Bed, Bath and Beyond, there is a little section of merchandise that is usually a great deal, a real bargain. The prices are usually several dollars less than the exact same item would be in another part of the store. This section of the store is found when you see a two-word phrase on the tags, or on a sign hanging somewhere in the area: As is.

Sometimes these items are called slightly irregular, sometimes they are called seconds, or maybe they are scratched and dinged, but whatever you call them, this is another way of saying that these are damaged goods. The store has given you fair warning: This is the department of something’s gone wrong. You are going to find a flaw, a stain that won’t come out, a hole, a zipper that won’t zip, a seam that’s not straight – there will be a problem. These items are not “normal.”

Usually, the store is not going to tell you where that flaw is. You are going to have to find that out for yourself, but you know that it’s there. So when you find it, don’t go whining back to the store. Because there is a fundamental rule in this corner of the store: No returns, No Refunds, and No exchanges.

If you were looking for perfect, you have walked down the wrong isle. You have received fair warning. If you truly want this item you must take it, As Is.

The same is true of people.  If you have ever dealt with another human being in your life you will notice that you have come to the “As Is” section of the universe. Think for a moment about someone in your life. Maybe the person that you know the best and love the most. If you were honest you would have to admit that that person is slightly irregular. If you walked down the people isle and are looking for perfection, you were in the wrong place.

Sometime ago a magazine headline caught my eye: “Totally Normal Women Who Stalk Their Ex-Boyfriends.” It was the “normal” part that struck me. What would a normal woman look like? And if the obsessive stalking of an ex-love is totally normal what would you have to do to be a little strange?

All through scripture we see Jesus hanging out with some strange people, people who, by society’s standards, were flawed, imperfect- irregular.  In today’s scripture reading we hear about Jesus calling one of his ragtag followers- Matthew.  Matthew was a tax collector, and considered by most to be flawed, to be imperfect- to be a sinner.

Now listen, I know that Jesus came into the world and understood that it was filled with imperfect sinners. In fact, he died because of this, but he always had great love and compassion for those who sinned.  He was never so blinded by their sin that He did not see the good in them - qualities that were worth saving and redeeming. Jesus called them “As Is,” and it was through them that his kingdom would be built here on earth.

And that’s why when Jesus called his disciples he did not call them to merely sit and listen to what he had to say. Jesus called his disciples to active practice. Immediately after Matthew was called he got up from his everyday life and walked out. Later that day Matthew's discipleship training had progressed to the "invite everyone you know and work with to dinner" phase.  It’s amazing what happens in our heart when we know someone has seen our tag and accepts us anyway, “As Is.”

Imagine what would happen if each of us were so transformed by Jesus that we would invite everyone we know and work with to church, or at least to a place where they could hear about Jesus and his love for us! 

Hold up your tags, and turn to your neighbor and say, “Jesus accepts you “As Is.””  Go on, do it.

At the dinner at Matthew’s house, the question is asked, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and `sinners’?" When Jesus heard that, He said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

As odd as it may seem, there were people in Jesus’ day who felt that they did not need God or God’s forgiveness—they were not only righteous, but they were self-righteous, and they were quick to point out the flaws in everyone else’s “As Is” lives.  These were the ones who had closed their minds and their hearts to Jesus’ message of hope and of love.  And most of that group were the church-goers, the ones who would show up at church on the Sabbath, but who left the love of God at the door on the way out. 

Good thing that we don’t know any people like that.

Listen, scripture tells us that "All have sinned and all have fallen short of the glory of God."  We’re all guilty.  We deserve to die without any hope. We deserve to die in the misery of our sins, but Jesus stands before us and says, "What I want for you is not punishment, but forgiveness.  I accept you “As Is”."

You see, Jesus is the great community builder. He understands what it is to see people with their “as is” tag and accept them anyway.  And those who recognize the need for Jesus—the imperfect sick and the sinners—they will open up their lives to Christ and let him lead them.  It’s a no-brainer!
I like what John Haddington said, "I have been comforted for more than 20 years by the thought that Jesus welcomes, not only sensible sinners, but stupid ones as well."  In other words, we don’t need to be theologians in order to be forgiven by God, just as we don’t need to know how an internal combustion engine works in order to drive a car.  We just accept the fact that it works, and go with it.

What about the church today? How many of us are imperfect, sinners, feeling beaten and defeated? How many of us need someone who will look at our tag and take us “as is”?  Look around you.

So here we are this morning. We are all irregulars, with scratches and dings. Our tags are big and in plain view. There is no way to hide them. We are all damaged goods like the items in the “As Is” aisle.  We are “broken toys,” who are in one way or another damaged and imperfect.

But Jesus says I see your tag and I am willing to take you “as is”.

And so this morning He extends the loving arms of invitation to all sinners, all imperfect people. He invites you to come to him “as is”, flaws and all.  The most amazing thing is that once we admit our flaws and turn to Christ, He doesn’t leave us in that damaged goods state, but rather he restores us to a new life.  He takes all of the dings out of our life and makes us brand new.

Here’s what I want you to do: take your “As Is” tag home with you as a reminder that Jesus loves and accepts you “As Is,” flaws and all.  And I want you to think about what this really means for you in your life, and how you can respond to this.

And then during the week, I want you to give that tag to someone else, someone who thinks that they have too many flaws to be accepted by Jesus.  Or perhaps to someone who thinks that they have no flaws and doesn’t need Jesus.  Either way, let them know of God’s love for them, and that it’s okay to be imperfect.  Maybe you can even invite them to dinner, or to church, so that they can hear more about this person who accepts them “As Is”.

For like Matthew, as followers of Christ, we are all called to let others know about what Christ has done in our lives, so that he can do it in theirs.

That’s our call.