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The Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost." Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that you have inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: Today is Reformation Sunday. For many people across the world, this is a significant date. It is a date that is celebrated in various ways with varying degrees of emphasis. Reformation Sunday should be important for us. It is an opportunity to look at where we have come from. Then it helps us to focus on where we might go in the future. Reformation Sunday helps us to stop and consider how the church needs to be prepared to be challenging itself about its place and practice in the world. It is too easy for the church to become "comfortable" or to become too closely associated with one group or another. At the time of the Reformation Martin Luther faced the reality of where the life of the church had been subverted by the world in which they lived. He took steps to affirm the life and truth of Jesus Christ at that particular time. In some ways, it was similar to how Jesus found the religious practices and lifestyle of the Hebrew people in his time. In the Gospel of Luke this morning I was struck by two verses. I would like to remember Martin Luther and the Reformation as I draw our attention to these verses. We will be looking for the significance these verses may have for ourselves, individually, and as a community of Christ followers here in Huron, Ohio. We are, of course, looking this morning at the story of Zacchaeus in Luke chapter 19. Is there anyone here this morning who has not heard this story before? OK, so here is Zacchaeus the tax collector, the outcast, the wealthy man who has benefited from his collaboration with those who were oppressing the people of Israel. Interestingly, he seems in some way to represent everyone that Jesus has spoken about, or spoken to, in the last couple of chapters. Zacchaeus is a tax collector, an outcast, a wealthy man, and a man who has benefited from his collaboration with those who are oppressing the people of Israel. Of course, Jesus doesn't meet any of those other people, in the earlier chapters, in a tree while he is walking by, but that is where he meets Zacchaeus. A quick aside. One of the commentators I read this week suggested that the Hebrew describing Zacchaeus could be translated as "a man of diminished stature." That this could be a comment on Zacchaeus' place in society because of his lifestyle rather than a comment on his physical size. That is an interesting thought, isn't it? Zacchaeus was "diminished in character and his place in the world because of his life choices." One might be tempted to ask the question how had Zacchaeus distinguished himself? I will leave that one with you for now. It is important to note that Jesus breaks the rules when he encounters Zacchaeus. As he is walking by Jesus notices Zacchaeus and calls him to come and join him. Then he declares that he is going to go to Zacchaeus' house and eat a meal with him. Jesus makes a point of publicly identifying with Zacchaeus despite his standing, or lack of it, in society. I want to focus our thoughts on all that I have spoken about already. If I can, I would like to raise our awareness, of what the story of Zacchaeus might offer us as a challenge, as we move forward into this coming week. The two verses I want us to consider this morning are right at the end of the passage. "Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."" Luke 19: 9, 10 First of all, let's look at verse 9: "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham." This is a good news verse for all of us this Sunday morning, isn't it? Couldn't we do with some good news? This is not only good news for us but also for those we are commissioned to share our faith and hope with. Jesus identifies with who Zacchaeus is. Despite everything that is said about Zacchaeus, everything that should separate Zacchaeus for the hope of restoration and salvation, Jesus identifies with him as "a son of Abraham." Jesus acknowledges the ancient and historical truth of who Zacchaeus is as a child of God. This concept of the people of Israel being able to be intimately acquainted with the creator God. For people to have the opportunity to be in a relationship with the ultimate divine being was central to all that the faith of Abraham was supposed to be about. Now, by the time Jesus came, it had become bound up in rules and rituals, and religious regulations. Instead of the people of Israel living their lives in a close and intimate relationship with God which would lead all the other nations of the world to desire that relationship they had codified and ritualized their lives. Then they had coupled their religion with power structures that rewarded certain factions and left others out. "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham." Jesus breaks through the religious and political barriers and calls Zacchaeus to come to him. Then he confirms the restored relationship by going to his house and sitting with Zacchaeus to have a meal. Does anyone else see the implications or the shadows of what happens to us when we share in the Eucharist? Jesus calls us, Jesus forgives us, Jesus invites us to sit with him and share a meal with him. We are called, forgiven, restored. There is so much good news in this one short sentence. Then of course cannot keep that message to ourselves, can we? We have such good news to share with those around us. Like the people of Israel, the children of Abraham, before us our experience of our own good news should give us the impetus to want to share it with others. Knowing that we can be intimately acquainted with the creator God. For us to have the opportunity to be in a relationship with the ultimate divine being should be central to all that our faith is supposed to be about. How could we not want to tell others about that? This of course leads us to the second verse we are considering this morning. "For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost." The commentators emphasized that one of the central issues in the Gospel of Luke is "lostness." So many of the stories of the Gospel of Luke are about people or animals or objects which are lost. Luke spends a great deal of time on stories emphasizing the fact that Jesus came to find and save those who were lost. Now, I would say that many people are uncomfortable talking about being lost. Some are also uncomfortable talking about having an intimate relationship with God. Many of us are much more comfortable expressing our faith through the rituals and religious activities that we associate with our beliefs. There is nothing, in and of itself, wrong with that approach to our spiritual existence. But when we consider what happened at the time of the Reformation and what happened when Jesus came 2,000 years ago there was a vitality missing from the church and the Jewish religious life of both times that it seems God wanted to do something about. If Jesus was passing by at the moment would he want to call to us to him, from wherever we might be perched, to come and be with him in a closer and more intimate way? Would he want to come home with us and celebrate with our friends and neighbors? What a great opportunity that might be for us to respond to Jesus calling us out of our lostness. Or is there someone else we know who needs to hear this good news? What is that Stewardship theme again? Time, Talent, Treasure, oh yeah Testimony. How are we distinguishing ourselves? Is our stature diminished or expanded by our religious practices and faith walk? What good news have we testified to this past week or will we testify to this coming week? What does the Collect for this morning say: "Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, `God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted." Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that you have inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen The Message: Oh, how tempted I was to preach this morning on the Joel passage. Peter quotes this scripture on Pentecost with great impact. "I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit." But I am seeking to be obedient and we are turning to the Gospel of Luke this morning and following up on the message from the message last week. The central focus for this morning will be on the question: "How do we distinguish ourselves?" You will remember that I spent some time on that question in my message last week. I based what I said on my thoughts as I followed up on the work of the Working Preacher commentators as they shared their reflections on the Gospel of Luke passage for last week. I talked about how this led them to a discussion of Luke 18: 8 and its implications for us as 21st Century followers of the Lord. "And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" The commentator's encouraged preachers to consider how they could raise their listener's awareness of how important that question was for us all. "will he find faith on earth?" That is a big question isn't it? I tried to focus it a little more for us all by asking "how do we distinguish ourselves as Christians in the world?" I don't want to preach my sermon again so I hope that is enough of a recap for us to feel like we know where and what we are focusing on today. In the passage from Luke 18 this morning Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector. This is another one of those easy parables right? We all know the point of this parable, we have probably heard many sermons preached on the fact that the Pharisee has missed the point and is trusting in his own righteousness rather than in the Lord's blessing or anointing of his life and lifestyle. Or maybe we have heard the ones about how the humility of the tax collector is a sign of his righteousness. The commentator's raised an interesting question in their reflection and I would like to share it with you today. So, that question is; "based in our understanding of Christian theology, and our own liturgical life as Episcopalians, is there any sense of repentance in either of the prayers that the Pharisee or the tax collector pray? The answer of course is no. It is easier to identify in the Pharisee's prayer, but if you stop and look at the tax collector's prayer there is no determination to correct his ways. He does acknowledge his error but he makes no statement about wanting to or recognizing his need to change the way he is living his life or his allegiances. He doesn't say he is going to give up his collaborating with the enemies of the people of Israel, or earning his living from taxing his friends and neighbors. The commentators raised an interesting question, and they suggested it would not be a popular one with most congregations. They suggested that perhaps most people, today, who heard this parable dealt with it on an intellectual level. They suggested that most people didn't have an emotional response to this passage. That most of us can put a historical and a cultural distance between us and this passage. After all none of us are Pharisees and none of us are tax collectors. We can acknowledge and to some degree understand what this passage is saying but we don't really relate to it. Unfortunately, that can mean we don't have to act on it. The commentators suggested that perhaps a different way to approach this passage was to take the Pharisee's comment and personalize it. Do you remember what he said? Well, let's take a brief look: `God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' So, if we were able to be really honest this morning, just between you and yourself, in the privacy of your own thoughts, for a few moments how do you think you would finish the Pharisee's sentence? "God, I thank you that I am not like other people:......" I am going to give you a moment to think on that. What might your comparisons be? Who might you decide that you are glad that you are not like? Remember the commentators said this might not be a popular question to raise within most congregations. I am going to move to only speaking about myself at this point because I can't assume I know what is happening in your life. So, I will speak for myself for a bit here. I have to say that when I took some time this week to stop myself in the middle of making my own comparisons I found that I did this quite often. I discovered that I had quite a few people that I compared myself to, and felt a little superior to. I found that I was quite glad that there were times when I said to the Lord: "God, I thank you that I am not like other people:......" You know, I found, it is not all that hard to keep track of that approach in your daily life. I have had the experience of being told that I can come across as arrogant. I have always "kinda" shrugged that one off and thought well if they got to know me better they would know that is not true. This week I began to reevaluate that some because I noticed several times that I slipped, quite easily, into an "I am sure glad I am not like that person" mindset. Then, to complicate matters, I realized that I hadn't thought about the tax collector's approach to prayer. I became aware that maybe I need to spend some time considering what I might need to challenge myself about. I really need to ask myself the question: "What have I decided that I need to repent of and change in my life?" It is all very well for me to acknowledge my faults and failings, but what am I willing to do about them? If I am really honest sometimes I can recite and run off my list of failings and failures with an unfortunately practiced ease. I have lots of practice telling myself about how I let the Lord down, how I have let my family down, or how I have let you down. But, if I am not willing to change any of those behaviors or attitudes am I any better than another person who has a Pharisaical attitude and believes they are better than everyone else? So, this week I feel like we have taken a different approach to that question from last week: "How do I distinguish myself?" At this point, I am glad that we have the liturgical structure that we do in our worship. To know that I can bring myself before the Throne of Grace and to seek to honestly present myself with my arrogance and my failures before the Lord and ask for his renewal is a blessed approach to the life of worship. I have to admit I really am drawn to The Confession we used a couple of weeks ago from Enriching Our Worship: God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen. All of this brings new life and vitality to the words of the Collect for today: "Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command" Or perhaps we might remember the words of The Prayer of Humble Access as it is found in the BCP 2019: We do not presume to come to this your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your abundant and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table; but you are the same Lord whose character is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen |
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