The Word from the Interim Pastor

“And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the 11 disciples”

On May 14th the Church commemorates the life of Matthias, the disciple who replaced Judas after his betrayal and death. If you don’t know much about Matthias, that’s not surprising. Very little is said about Matthias after he is selected to be among the twelve, and his name is mentioned only twice in Scripture, both times in connection with his selection. What we do know is that Matthias’ name was put forth to fill Judas’ vacant spot because he was one of the Seventy, those who followed Jesus from His baptism until his crucifixion and resurrection. There are some legends associated with Matthias. One suggests that he made witness to Jesus in Judea and Ethiopia where he was crucified. A second legend suggests that Matthias never left Jerusalem, but died a martyr by stoning. In either case the historical information is scant.

We might be tempted to disregard Matthias as an insignificant figure in the Book of Acts, but that would miss the point. Matthias wasn’t significant because he has a history and a reputation from Scripture as the other eleven had. Quite the contrary, Matthias is a significant figure for us to remember precisely because little is known about what he accomplished after becoming an apostle. He represents for us the little known disciple who accepts the calling of God to bear witness to Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen from the dead. Matthias is the apostle who represents the rest of us who were to come after the original twelve. He was one who faithfully bears witness to Jesus with his life, but received little notoriety for his efforts.

Each one of us is called to follow in the footsteps of Matthias. We are to gather with the faithful followers of Jesus, believe in Christ’s power over sin and death, and go about telling others about Jesus so that they might be brought into the company of God’s people. This simple task is one that has been neglected for too long in North American churches who have been able to maintain their witness by biological evangelism and immigrant attraction to our churches.

Things have changes a great deal in the last half century. If our fellowships of faith are to continue to witness into the future we will need to follow Matthias example and accept the call to proclaim Christ crucified and risen from the dead. In Christ, we are called into intimate communion with God; it is a communion made most profoundly known in the sharing of our lives and faith in fellowship and mutual support. Trinity Lutheran Church has a wonderful spirit of love, and so the ground work has been laid for Matthias work, but before we can accept the call and do the work of apostles (those who proclaim Christ), we, like Matthias, must be fully acquainted with Jesus from his baptism to his death, and even more. Learning and knowing Jesus come first.

As the people of God we need to immerse ourselves in the biblical life of Jesus, find our life’s meaning in his life, and reach out to invite others into the wonderful fellowship in Christ that is so important to this family of faith. If it’s been a while since you’ve taken the time to attend adult study on Sunday morning that can easily be remedied without anyone asking where you have been. If you’ve been thinking about becoming part of one of our Bible Studies or ChristCare groups, there is no better time. Whatever the case, take or make an opportunity to come to know Christ more intimately in the company of God’s people. You may not become famous and noteworthy, but your life will be richer, better and more secure.

Once we know Jesus, from his baptism to his resurrection, we are ready to share him with others. If we merely tell others the important place Christ has in our lives, people will be attracted to this community of faith. And once they feel the welcoming and caring they will know a good thing.

Make a difference. Be the twelfth disciples, and invite others to share the good news that has warmed all our hearts.