Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Epistle lesson (Ephesians 2: 4-10). ����������������

Even if you never saw the movie The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis, you probably heard the line from the haunting young boy Haley Joel Osment when he said "I see dead people� They don't know they're dead� They're everywhere. Now we Christians know that this movie is fiction (At death our spirits leave this existence and go to sit before Christ's throne). But we may need to be reminded that these lines do represent a spiritual truth. At least that is what St. Paul is saying in our Epistle lesson. Anywhere you go, you can see people who are physically alive, but are spiritually dead, and the tragedy is they don't even know it. (Hagen, 2003) ����������������

This week Forbes magazine published its list of the 400 richest Americans, people worth 100's of millions and billions of earthly dollars. Paul uses the word riches in our text. 100 years from now the only riches that will matter won't be millions and billions of earthly dollars, not even to the 400 richest. 100 years from now, "in the coming ages," the only riches that will matter will be the incomparable riches of Christ's grace. In the context of a world that glorifies riches and rich people we can stretch the analogy and say "I see poor people� They don't know they're poor� They're everywhere." (Hagan, 2003) ����������������

The good news for us as Christians is that we have been made alive by God; we have been made rich in Christ. The ironic thing is that sometimes we still don't remember it or appreciate it! That's why St. Paul tells us this in our text: "4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace�" It always amazes me in this text that Paul doesn't say that Christ will make us alive or raise us up sometime in the future. He says it has already happened and will be more clearly shown in the coming ages. None of us made it onto the list of 400 richest Americans, but yet all who know and follow Christ are rich beyond imagination. You may not be written about in Forbes Magazine, but your name is written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20) ����������������

Today we remember St. Matthew, the Apostle and Gospel writer. In Matthew's life we do not see Jesus choosing a righteous man as his follower, but a sinner. In Matthew's life we see transformation. God makes someone spiritually dead -- alive; someone spiritually poor � rich! (Hagen, 2003) ����������������

As a tax collector, Matthew probably had significant wealth. Matthew may have thought he was rich, but Jesus knew he was poor. Because of his Jewish name Levi, some theologians think Matthew may once have been a former priest or priest-trainee who was then ostracized from the community and temple as a tax collector. Matthew didn't realize he was dead in his transgressions. No one who is spiritually dead can realize this, nor can anyone who is spiritually dead raise himself to life again. (Hagen, 2003) ����������������

But Jesus Christ made Matthew alive, made him truly rich. Jesus says to him simply "follow me," and Matthew immediately obeys (Mt 9:9). Jesus shows his full acceptance of Matthew by going to his house and eating with him (vv. 9-11). Matthew that day became "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for (him) to do (Ephesians 2: 10). God prepared in advance that Matthew would become an Apostle and would write one of the four most important books of all time, the Gospel. ��

Matthew didn't yet know this. He was only a sinner, called by grace. But yet he heard the call of Jesus, the call to faith, the call to follow, and that call empowered Matthew to new life. Matthew didn't "decide" to follow Jesus in an earthly sense. Matthew, like us all, was most literally raised to life. His spiritual heart was beating. He was now trusting in Jesus. He was capable of a living, loving relationship with God. He was now truly rich. (modified from Hagen, 2003). ����������������

Why did Jesus do this? Why did he call Matthew? Jesus did this out of his rich "love," "mercy," and "grace" (Ephesians 2: 4-5). Like Matthew, it's always sinners, those who can't help or save themselves, whom Jesus calls. I once asked a person to start coming to church with us. His response saddened me. He said "Oh I don't think so. I've done so many bad things I'm afraid that others will look down on me when I come." For the sake of people like that it is so important for us all to welcome new people into our midst, even new people who we know have had a sinful past. To them and to us all Jesus, the greatest of doctors says: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick� For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Church is not a club for moral people, but a hospital for those who know of their sickness of sin. ����������������

Matthew knew what it really meant to now be healthy, to be alive. His entire lifestyle was changed. For 3 years he followed Jesus everywhere. He heard his teachings and recorded them in his heart. He saw his arrest and crucifixion. He witnessed his resurrection. He was there and recorded for us when Jesus spoke the Great Commission "Go into all the world, make disciples, baptizing� and teaching them to follow everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28: 19) ����������������

Early Church tradition holds that Matthew fulfilled that commission, working the rest of his life as a missionary, although we're not exactly sure to whom. ����������������

Like Matthew, we were dead, spiritually dead and didn't know it. We still see reminders of that old, dead self still trying to attack our new life. Whenever we start to trust in riches or other people or our own feelings more than in Christ and his Word, then that old sinful nature is trying to get us to follow its desires and thoughts. Like everyone else, we all deserve God's wrath and eternal death. ����������������

But praise be to Christ, God comes to us first with his love and grace, not his wrath. Christ makes us alive. For many of us that call from Jesus to discipleship came at our baptisms as infants. There he was already saying "Follow me." For others that call comes later in life, when God's Word calls us to life and we learn to follow all he has taught, and then we are baptized. Jesus does all of this out of his rich grace. We had no works to offer. Grace sent Jesus to the cross to ransom us from death. Maybe you've seen the acronym before for GRACE. God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Because Jesus paid the full purchase price with his life, salvation is a gift of God, free to us. ����������������

A man dies and goes to the pearly gates. St. Matthew was covering the gate that day for Peter. Matthew meets him and says "Here's how it works. You need 10,000 points to get into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I tell you how many points you get for each one. When you get to 10,000, you can come in. "OK" the man says "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, not even in my heart." "Great" said St. Matthew, "that's worth 2 points." "Well, I attended church all my life, tithed, and served." "Terrific said Matthew, "That's certainly worth one point." "One point?" the man asked, but he continued. "I started a soup kitchen and I volunteered in a homeless shelter." "Fantastic, two points for that!" The man was now getting desperate. "Two points? At this rate I'll never make it into heaven except by the grace of God." ��

Matthew rejoiced: "Bingo, 10,000 points! Come on in!" (from Charisma, October 2000, p. 19). ����������������

Do you realize how rich you are? Do you remember that Christ has made you alive? St. Matthew, in his life and Gospel, and Paul in his Epistle, are our messengers from God reminding us just how rich, how alive we truly are. Like Matthew, you have gone from being dead to being truly alive � truly rich. Like Matthew, can you share your story? When you see people who are spiritually dead and they don't know they are dead, can you share the Words of Christ "come, follow me."? Can you tell them of this wonderful grace you have received? They're everywhere. What a mission field.

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)

Note: The structure of this sermon and several of its paragraphs are adapted from sermon suggestions made by Rev. Raymond Hagen in Concordia Pulpit Resource, September 2003.