Rolling Dice
The Feast of St. Matthias the Apostle
Acts 1:15-26
St. Matthias
February 24, 2019
Growing up, I was always told that gambling was a sin. And the classic example used in all the Sunday School classes was that it is a sin because the Roman soldiers gambled at the foot of the cross. They cast lots for Jesus’s clothing and casting lots was like rolling dice which is gambling and so it was and is a sin. We also weren’t to play cards, use Ouija Boards, and never ever dance because that could lead to all kinds of sin and other bad things. Of course, I tried them all and my friends told me my dancing was awful enough that it should be a sin. I did roll dice when playing Monopoly and Parcheesi and I think I remember feeling a little guilty.
Now I wish at the time I had known then what I know now about Saint Matthias so I could have asked my Sunday School teachers why casting lots to select the 13th Apostle was OK. Judas Iscariot – the disciple who betrayed Jesus - was dead. That left 11 Apostles whose ministry was to share the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus had been crucified and rose again. He had appeared to the Apostles in the Upper Room and beside the Sea of Galilee and many other places. Then Jesus ascended to Heaven giving the Great Commission to the Apostles to go into all the world and tell everyone what they had seen and heard. So now the Apostles gathered to choose who would replace Judas Iscariot and Matthias was chosen. As John pointed out in a sermon several years ago, we should be glad we are St. Matthias instead of St. Joseph called Barsabbas who was also known as Justus Episcopal Church. That would have required a much bigger sign.
And we know very little else about St. Matthias. He is not mentioned again in the Bible. Church history tells us that Matthias traveled with Peter and Andrew through Judea and on to modern-day Syria and Turkey. Eventually, Matthias is known to have proclaimed the Gospel in Ethiopia. Matthias is recognized as a martyr for the faith and was either stoned or crucified. I have always felt a certain connection with St. Matthias since he was chosen as the 13th Apostle and as far as I can tell I am the 13th priest to serve this parish. But I don’t think that quite qualifies me to be a Saint.
Saint Matthias and others like him in the Scriptures fascinate me. They don’t get all the press like Peter, James, and John. Most are mentioned maybe only once in Scripture. Yet we know that Christianity grew from the work and ministry of these earliest believers who spread the Gospel. First, there were the twelve disciples and then Jesus appointed 70 more and we do not know who most of them were. Double that number just for the purpose of statistical projection and then round up and I think we can safely say that there were 200 in that original number who were spreading the Good News of the Resurrection. From Jerusalem, Matthias, Peter, James, John and the rest spread out and went everywhere so that today there are over 2.2 billion Christians worldwide. That’s amazing. And we know so little about so many of these disciples. And I bet that for most of them that was just fine. One thing I’ve noticed about disciples – I don’t think the best ones are doing it for the publicity.
The other day I was driving on University Avenue through the UAB campus. I usually avoid the University because of all the traffic but because of all the interstate construction, it is now the fastest route when I am coming to Tuscaloosa and St. Matthias. Except this day. It was a weekday – around noon when everyone from the University and the hospital was headed to lunch – and the right lane was blocked. As I was sitting in the traffic quickly going nowhere and NOT thinking Christian thoughts, I saw a preacher. He was standing on the concrete base of the Callahan Eye Clinic sign. He had a microphone and a speaker. He was waving his arms and shouting in his microphone. I could not understand what he was saying, but when you are sitting still in traffic, you will watch anything. It started to rain. The preacher preached on – now getting wet. Then a man walking past him reached out and handed our preacher an umbrella. It was just like on TV. He took it. It looked like he thanked him. The man now without his umbrella continued across the street and I lost sight of him. The preacher went back to preaching umbrella in one hand and the microphone in the other. I started thinking Christian thoughts. One person offering one act of kindness. I think this is how the Gospel was spread. Christians who witnessed the love of the Resurrection overcome the hate of the world - shared that love with others. Faith spread as people found hope and then shared it with someone else. I don’t think a lot of words were used. I don’t imagine a lot of them were preachers on the corner.
Every day there are Apostles all around us. To celebrate the Feast of St. Matthias, we should share God’s love this week. You don’t have to say anything – you don’t need to preach. Hand someone an umbrella. Pray. Take 2 hours and come share beans and rice. Visit someone who needs a visit. Read your bible. Your disciple list will grow. If you can’t decide what to do – cast some lots. I promise it won’t be gambling. It won’t be a sin. Rather God’s Grace will be poured out into your life and you will experience the Gospel in action. You will find the Joy of Salvation. And who knows you may even find yourself dancing. AMEN.
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