When the founders of our church chose St. Matthew as the name they wanted to permanently identify the congregation, I doubt very much that they chose it at random.  Matthew was a tax collector and therefore unpopular in virtually all segments of society.  It wasn’t just that tax collectors performed a job on behalf of the oppressive Roman regime; tax collectors made their salary on the basis of collecting more than was owed.  Tax collectors were (willing) participants in an unethical system and so were regarded as worse than the kind of thief who would take your wallet in a dark alley.

So, it is doubtful that our forebears picked Matthew because of his stellar reputation in his pre-disciple days. Why would they want to be identified with an outcast who made his living by stealing from his neighbors on behalf of an occupying enemy?

Maybe they realized that what they had in common with Matthew was that Jesus had called them to be disciples even though they didn’t deserve his call.  I’m not saying those German immigrants in the Hydraulics District were criminals, but that they knew Christ’s invitation to be his disciples was an act of grace: it was a gift they hadn’t earned.  As strangers in a strange new land, perhaps they also felt like Matthew in that they weren’t part of the ‘in crowd.’  They were not the elite of Buffalo in the middle of the 19^th century.

I suspect that they might have reflected on the fact that although Jesus called Matthew while he was mired in treasonous sin, he didn’t leave Matthew in that state.  Jesus’ call led to a change of heart and life in Matthew.  Don’t you suppose that they felt like Matthew?  Hearing Christ’s call resulted in a change in their lives for which they were grateful.

We inherited the name of our church and we’re proud of it.  Hey, it’s even carved in stone in the front yard!  Even though we didn’t choose the name of Matthew, it conveys who we are.  We are sinners who were chosen by Christ to experience a new life.  He didn’t call us because we were so holy and good, but because we were stuck in selfishness and sin, and he wanted to rescue us.  And He is not done with us either; Christ continues to call us to greater faithfulness and love.

Prayer (from the Book of Common Prayer): We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.