Fr Mike's Message - 10/30/22

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."
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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.