1 John 2:18-25 (St. Matthias the Apostle)
Today we give thanks for the life and ministry (though we don’t know too much about either!) of the Apostle Matthias, who was chosen to take the place of the betrayer, Judas. A couple of years ago I was at a diocesan or deanery event and we were asked to talk about a Biblical character we found interesting, and I somewhat jokingly talked about Matthias, and how, when compared to Judas, he probably looked really good. (No one at the church event seemed to find my contribution as amusing as I did.)
I’m not sure if today’s reading, which we take from the Daily Office Lectionary, is meant to be directly related to Matthias, but certainly the references to those who “went out from us, but they did not belong to us” call to mind Judas. Though ‘antichrists’ or ‘The Antichrist’ have often come up in the context of apocalyptic predictions or the slandering of disliked church leaders, it seems that in the context of our passage, ‘antichrist’ is simply a designation for those who betrayed the Christian community, causing division and dissension; those who were against Christ and his community. Division has continued to plague the Church down to the present day. Thank God for the raising up of people like Matthias, who are faithful in their service. Many of these important people, like Matthias, fly under the radar. But their consistent contribution to the life of the Church is important in ways that we don’t always recognize.
Almighty God, who in the place of Judas chose Matthias to be numbered in the twelve,
preserve your Church from false apostles,
and by the ministry of faithful pastors and teachers
keep us steadfast in your truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.*
- Matthew Kieswetter
* For All the Saints (Toronto: ABC Publishing, 2007), 169.
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