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Leviticus’ call to holiness anchors a practical ethic: reverence for God, care for parents, Sabbath keeping, fair speech, and compassion for the poor and stranger. A prayering community longs to be rooted in Scripture so that faith bears fruit—growth in knowledge, grace, repentance, and love. A simple kitchen object—rice in a small packet—illustrates spiritual growth: when life receives God’s life it expands, old garments no longer fit, and a new, roomier life emerges. Isaiah’s invitation frames grace as freely offered water and food; God's ways exceed human schemes, and returning to the Lord promises mercy and abundant life.

The Gospel scene of Matthew the tax collector models how Jesus disrupts social tables. A sinner at his desk, despised and profitable to an occupying power, receives a direct summons: “Follow me.” That summons pulls him from systems of extraction toward a shared table of mercy, where toll collectors and sinners sit with Jesus. The conflict with the religious leaders reveals two rival systems: a closed religion that pries at borders and an open kingdom that invites the needy. New wine then becomes the image for the kingdom’s vitality—a surge that will burst old containers if the heart clings to former securities.

The “already and not yet” of the kingdom offers a pastoral horizon: God’s reign has broken into history, yet its fullness awaits completion. That tension invites disciplined practices—fasting, prayer, sacrificial service—that stretch imaginations beyond immediate gains and prepare persons to receive more of the Bridegroom. The liturgy moves from confession and creed into prayers for the worldwide church, for the excluded and persecuted, and for local joys and burdens; baptismal and eucharistic motifs underscore belonging at Christ’s table. Ultimately the summons to follow calls for a change of place and posture: rise from the old table, accept mercy, share bread, and live by the kingdom’s wisdom so that both life and mission bear the new wine of grace.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Follow into a new life Following Jesus calls for a decisive movement out of settled systems and toward a new alignment of desire and action. The summons means leaving profitable but captive places and entering practices that reorder loyalties around mercy. Obedience does not merely tweak habits; it reconstitutes identity so vocation flows from communion with Christ. [30:52]
• 2. From extracting to sharing tables The gospel replaces livelihoods that take from others with tables that give and include. A table symbolizes the social shape of the kingdom: it breaks patterns of exclusion and models repair through shared life. Sitting at that table reframes success from accumulation to mutual sustenance. [44:15]
• 3. New wine demands new vessels The kingdom’s life bubbles with fermenting grace that old structures cannot contain; clinging to former containers risks losing both gift and vessel. Spiritual growth requires new practices, communities, and forms of accountability able to hold Christ’s transforming work. Choosing new vessels means intentionally letting go of guarantees that mask spiritual poverty. [34:29]
• 4. Live the already and not-yet Faith navigates between present glimpses of God’s reign and its awaited completion; that tension produces patient hope, not escapism. Practices like fasting and hospitality train attention toward the Bridegroom and form the soul for future fullness. Embracing both dimensions reshapes political and personal priorities by anchoring action in ultimate renewal rather than temporary wins. [52:01]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [07:49] - Opening Prayer and Blessing
• [12:26] - Leviticus: Call to Holiness
• [16:40] - Prayer for Rooted Growth
• [21:24] - Rice Illustration: Growth Metaphor
• [26:19] - Isaiah: Invitation to Living Water
• [30:36] - Gospel Reading: Matthew 9
• [34:29] - New Wine, New Vessels
• [44:15] - Matthew’s Table: Inclusion and Mercy
• [52:01] - Already and Not-Yet; Lenten Call
• [63:20] - Creed and Confession
• [69:26] - Intercessions and Thanksgiving
• [82:30] - Blessing and Sending

Bible reading: Matthew 9:9-17 (ESV)
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

Observation questions

1. What specific action did Jesus take when he saw Matthew at the tax booth, and what was Matthew's immediate response? [30:52]
2. Who else joined Jesus and his disciples at the table in Matthew's house, and how did the religious leaders react to this scene? [44:15]
3. What two metaphors did Jesus use to describe why his disciples did not fast, and what do these metaphors illustrate about the nature of his kingdom? [34:29]
4. According to the sermon, what does the "already and not yet" tension of the kingdom refer to, and what practices help us live within this tension? [52:01]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus tells the Pharisees to "go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.'" What is the fundamental difference between a system based on religious sacrifice and a kingdom built on mercy?
2. The new wine of the kingdom is described as something that will burst old wineskins. What are some examples of "old wineskins" — structures, habits, or ways of thinking — that cannot contain the life Jesus brings? [36:25]
3. The "already and not yet" reality means God's reign has broken into history but its fullness awaits completion. How does this tension produce patient hope rather than escapism or despair? [53:21]
4. What does the shift from Matthew's tax table to Jesus's shared table reveal about the social and economic implications of following Christ? [44:38]

Application questions

1. Jesus' call to "Follow me" is a summons to leave profitable but captive places. [40:06] What is one "table" or system in your own life—a habit, relationship, or source of security—that Jesus might be calling you to get up from and leave behind?
2. The gospel replaces livelihoods that take from others with tables that give and include. [44:15] How could your home, workplace, or church become a place of shared life and mutual sustenance rather than extraction or exclusion?
3. New wine demands new vessels. [36:25] What is one "old wineskin" in your spiritual life—a routine, a mindset, or a comfort—that you need to intentionally let go of to make room for Christ's transforming work?
4. Spiritual growth is like rice that expands in water; it means your old garments no longer fit. [21:53] In what area of your life have you recently experienced this kind of growth, and what "old garment" is now feeling too tight or uncomfortable as a result?
5. Living in the "already and not yet" invites disciplined practices like fasting and prayer. [55:28] What is one tangible way you could practice "stretching your imagination" beyond immediate gains during the upcoming week to prepare for more of God's presence?
6. The kingdom's wisdom is of a different order than the world's wisdom, offering a perspective that can relieve the pressures of our current debates. [54:07] How could embracing the "already and not yet" change the way you engage with a specific anxiety or conflict you are currently facing?
7. Jesus' table is where the sick find a physician and sinners receive mercy. [50:12] Who is one person in your world who feels like an outsider, and what is a simple, practical step you could take to extend an invitation to them this week?