Vicar Karla
Luke 19:1-10
While putting together today’s sermon, the Sunday school song some of you may know featuring today’s gospel reading was the only thing running through my head. Specifically, I remember being a kid at Sunday school and everyone being so excited to shout the line “ Zaccheaus. YOU COME DOWN!”
The song goes,
Zacchaeus was a wee, little man,
And a wee, little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree,
For the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Savior came that way,
He looked up in the tree,
And he said,"Zacchaeus, you come down from there!"
While singing the rest of the song including “Zacceaus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he” I also admittedly always pictured a leprechaun up in a tree trying to catch a glimpse of Jesus passing by.
As an adult, though, I think about a few more things than just this fun Sunday school song.
Why was Zaccaeus so short? Was he just vertically challenged, or might he have had a condition such as dwarfism which wouldn’t have had a name at the time. Why was he so determined to see Jesus? Had he heard about all of Jesus’ ministry and miracles and he just needed to see for himself? And then, after he was able to get himself up into the tree, how do you think he would have felt when this very person he was so intent to catch a glimpse of, looks up and calls him by name. And not only does Jesus know his name but now he’s got a houseguest for the evening, too.
It’s important to note that Zaccheaus was not only a tax collector, but he was, in fact, a traitor to the Jewish people. He was a Jew who was working for the Roman Empire, collecting their ever increasing taxes, and by all accounts, turning his back on his people. Frankly, the anger and the grumbling of those who saw this is pretty understandable.
But Zaccheaus seemingly takes some responsibility for the past harm he had done against his community. He vows to give his possessions to the poor and to give back, not just once, but four times, anything that he defrauded from others. He takes accountability in that sense for the wrong that he does. And, he entrusts his resources to those who need them.
Zaccheaus is so moved by his encounter with Jesus that he immediately vows to share his resources. It feels a bit like A Christmas Carol, doesn’t it? Where Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits, and through visiting Christmases past, present, and future, and he is so moved by what he sees and experiences that he generously shares his previously tightly held resources, loosening the purse strings that hadn’t been opened for many years.
The transformation of Zacceaus is dramatic, to say the least. The author of Luke sets him up to appear to be quite the villain. Not only is he a tax collector and a prop for the Roman Empire, but he is a chief tax collector. Throughout the gospel of Luke, the wealthy are majorly criticized, beginning with Mary’s call for the wealthy to be brought low when she learns she is to carry and birth Christ into the world. Zaccheaus is rich. And, as is so often the case, he is rich because he has deliberately taken resources away from these subjects of the Roman Empire.
Today, we start a season of cultivating generosity and stewardship here at Faith Lilac Way. There is much that is unique and counter cultural to our world about a community of faith. Where the world teaches us that we are to hold tightly to our resources, that there is not enough, we get to celebrate that in God, there is enough, and not just enough, but abundance.
One of the most beautiful things about starting this season is the celebration of community. This place only works when we all do it together, when all of our resources join together to do all the things we get to do here. And it’s all important. From keeping the lights, heat, and air conditioning on, to making sure that we have plenty of candles and communion elements each Sunday, to ensuring that staff are compensated for their time and talent, to being bold and generous with what we are able to share. Through everyone coming together, we are able to support local, national, and global ministry partners, and engage deeply with both our Minneapolis area synod and the wider ELCA and even beyond to the Lutheran World Federation which makes up all the Lutheran worshipping bodies globally.
I don’t know about you, but it is really easy for me to get overwhelmed and honestly downright depressed at the state of the world. It’s easy to think that I’m in this alone which feels overwhelming. But, when I think about all of those connections to our ministry, I start to feel anything but alone. Our individual congregation connects to the other congregations in our synod which connects to all the ELCA congregations in this country which connects to all of the Lutheran communities around the world. And that’s how our individual support works, too. Our financial support might feel singular, but remember that it connects to everyone else’s support and that is what makes all of this happen.
As we enter this season, I invite us all to be open to God’s abundance and to think about what giving significantly to Faith Lilac Way means to you because it means something different to everyone. Pray about what that significance looks like for you and your household and give thanksgiving that that all of our significant contributions come together to do so much good and share God’s love and grace.
Let’s be like Zacceaus and be bold in our sharing and in our repenting. Let’s never forget that it is never too late to receive and celebrate God’s love and forgiveness. Amen.