November 4, 2007

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Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost

All Saints Sunday

Please Read Luke 19:1-10

Read also Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

Psalm 119:137-144

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

   He (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."  

…Zacchaeus…

It wasn’t his stature,

although he was very short;

it wasn’t his energy,

although he had enough to climb a tree;

it wasn’t his wealth,

although the Master knew

the good that wealth could do

(and also the evil).

Well, then, what was it

that caught Jesus’ eye

that day in Jericho?

Perhaps it was his curiosity;

Jesus would have liked an enquiring mind.

Perhaps it was his earnestness;

Jesus loved a passionate heart.

Perhaps it was an awareness that this man,

like other sinners,

had on his heart the scars

of society’s rejection.  

Whatever Jesus’ motivation was

he stopped, he spoke, he acted,

and from that day

Zacchaeus’ world was transformed,

and happily he opened his door and heart,

and Jesus entered and made everything new. 

But there were grumblers there.

No one likes the IRS agent.

How could this prophet of Nazareth

take up with this tax collector

who had sold out to Rome’s occupying force?

I look again at the story,

and find in each of the cast of characters,

something of myself.

I like to think of myself as Jesus,

reaching out to the least and the lost,

with loving, welcoming arms. 

It doesn’t always happen.

More likely I am one of the rejecting crowd,  

always judging, always criticizing,

always turning my back

and hardening my heart.

But most of all I am Zacchaeus,

Craning my neck or climbing a tree

to get a glimpse of him,

but reserving to myself

some corner of the heart

that he would claim.

Lord, you come my way

and call my name,

calling me out of my lostness

and inviting yourself into my home.

Grant now to me the grace

to open the door,

happily,

welcoming you with open arms.

And may my welcome to you

be an invitation to all who come my way,

welcoming them

with four-fold hospitality.

--- rvc

*** D I S C L A I M E R ***

The Weekly Lessons are based on the lectionary texts for the week – usually the Gospel lesson. They are not designed as a formal commentary.  Rather, they are the personal reflections and original compositions of The Relay Online editor, Rev. Robin Van Cleef, and offer a jumping off point, using the scriptures as triggers to thought, imagination, and (we hope) empowerment.  As you read them, let your own imagination play, and let the Spirit speak to you, leading you where it will.  The Gospel Lessons reflected on this site may not be copied, reproduced or otherwise manipulated elsewhere on the internet without the expressed consent of the author.  Please also note that while we're unable to quote Bible scripture on these pages, it is permissible to redirect our viewers to Bible passages using hyperlinks to web sites having that authority.

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