Rethink Hope

So as you have undoubtedly noticed. Today is different. A group gathered last Monday to decorate the sanctuary, and they did a wonderful job doing so. I am now beardless, and even got a haircut. I am wearing a different robe, as I talked with the kids about earlier. We all ate our turkey and saw our family, and now we are back. College students are gearing up for final exams, and we are gearing up for Christmas.

Today is different.

Because Christmas is a big deal. If you are hosting your family, you want everything to be perfect. If you are going somewhere, you have to make travel plans. There is shopping to do. There is decorating to do. And there is baking to do. All of it comes in this season. You want to make sure that you get the right gifts for people, ones that they will use, and not stick in a drawer somewhere. And sometimes it seems, that every year gets harder. We try so hard to keep the magic of Christmas, but for many, it becomes an extra chore in our already busy lives.

When Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome. He fully believed that Christ was going to return during his lifetime. That is why his message is so urgent. Wake up and get dressed, he says, because Christ is coming back, so have your things packed and your affairs in order, because its happening.
Well like the boy who cried wolf, the more Paul said that, and the longer Christ delayed his return, the less prepared people seemed to be. It’s understandable. If someone keeps telling you to run to the window to see something, and nothing is there, eventually you are going to stop running to the window.

So every year that it didn’t happen. The less excited people get. So here we are, 2000 years later, and the magic of Christ’s return is no longer there.
But Today is different.

Because what we have realized together is that Paul is not wrong in his urgency, and he is not wrong in his timing. But the point of talking about Christ’s return is not to talk about a date on a calendar, but it is to talk about the hope that Christ gives.

What do you hope for? Is it health? Is it safety? Is it happiness? Is it love? What do you hope for?

One of the things I always loved about this season is the advent wreath. My dad would always light the candles of the advent wreath on its appropriate day, and we would have tapered candles, much like these. And the first candle that is lit, burns down further than all of the rest. And it just keeps getting shorter and shorter all throughout the season of Advent. So as a kid I watched that candle, because I was so sure that it was going to burn so low that it was going to catch the wreath on fire! I was really trying to make sure it didn’t happen, so my advent was spent watching candles. I just waited in anticipation every year, but it never happened.

But that feeling of anticipation is a wonderful feeling. The feeling that something remarkable is going to happen, so we can expectantly sit and wait. Knowing, that our patience will pay off and we will be rewarded. Anticipation is a good thing.
We need to get that anticipation back. Remember when you were a kid and you looked forward to Christmas so much that you couldn’t fall asleep because you were wondering what would come the next day?

Remember the feeling you had when you asked someone to marry you, and you waited on their answer?

Remember when you took a major risk, not knowing what the outcome would be, and hoping for the best?

We need to get that feeling back…the anticipation of Christ breaking into the world. Because that is what he has done, and is doing. We are in the present, the point where past and future collide, and in anticipation of all that Christ is going to do in the world, how can we not be excited? How can we keep it to ourselves?

So Paul says, wake up, and get ready! Don’t do things that are going to numb your senses, because you need to stay alert. Don’t do anything to harm your relationships with others because you are going to need them, as they need you. Christ is coming, and it is a good thing.

Christmas is coming, and it is a good thing.
Even with lists, and decorating, and cleaning, and everything else that goes on, we don’t need to forget what an incredible opportunity Christmas brings. Christmas brings God among us. Christmas brings hope.

Hope is a good thing. Here is what we hope for.

We hope for a world that does not learn war anymore. That’s not reality for us right now. One of my former youth is stationed in South Korea right now, and with the attacks perpetrated by North Korea and the grumblings of the world’s super powers, the hope of a world that does not learn war anymore looks bleak.

We hope for a world that has no tears, and no pain. We prayed for people this morning that they would experience this in their lives, and we hope for their healing.

We hope for a world where no one is hungry, and all are satisfied. Where equity and justice rule in our world, rather than stratification and class.

We hope our church honors God, in everything that we do, and we pray for His blessings upon our ministry for doing so, and that we have joy in being a part of this community.

What do you hope for this Christmas?

It is so easy to get caught up and bogged down in the busyness of the season that we forget that hope is coming. So wake up, and get dressed.

This past week, while we were at my parent’s house, my dad asked me what we wanted for Christmas. I pulled out my iphone, where I have been keeping a running list for a few months of things that have piqued my interest that I didn’t want to forget just in case this scenario ever were to come up. Because it drives me a little crazy when you ask somebody what they want, and they don’t know. And while I was reading this Christmas wish list of mine…I realized that I had left off a bunch of things.

Here are the things I added to my Christmas list.

That my daughter continue to grow and learn and become the wonderful person I hope she will be.

That the new baby be born healthy.

That my marriage will be strong and joyful throughout our lives.

For health of all those I love.

That God continues to inspire me every day with being called to be a Christian, and to accept the responsibility that entails.

That God bless and use this church to be a shining light to this community, and help make disciples of Jesus Christ.

That God establish his Kingdom on Earth, and war, pain, and fear is gone.

You see, when we make our Christmas list, we should ask for the things we hope for. Because our hope comes from Christ, and the anticipation of Christ’s coming is so exciting, because our hopes will become reality.


What’s on your Christmas list? I have placed a note card in every bulletin. I want you to put this note card in a prominent place in your home. On your kitchen table, on the refrigerator, somewhere. And I want this to be your Christmas list. What do you hope for this year? Pray about it, write it down. Use this note card like you use your other to-do lists…when you think about something, write it down. I think you will realize, that the things that are important to hope for, are not material things, but eternal things that we hope for in Christ.

Christ is our hope. And the magic of Christmas is still there. And the joy of our hope in the coming of Christ is still there. Today is different. What do you hope for this year?

One of my hopes is that this church can be as excellent as it can possibly be. That is why I have taken the note cards that you all allowed me to read from our visioning meeting two weeks ago and made them into a “Christmas list” on our altar. That our visions and hopes are rooted in Christ.

This Christmas, instead of depleting our energy and bank accounts, Christ can renew our spirits and hope.

Let us build our hope on Christ. Let’s build our Christmas list. And when we know what our hopes are…let us lean on Christ, anticipating our help in making them a reality.

Kings

There are a lot of Kings in this world. The Sacramento Kings, the LA Kings, The Lion, the mascot of Franklin County High School is known as the King of the jungle…which is ironic because most of them live in the African Savannah. King Lear, King Tut, King Kong, Don King, Burger King, and Nissan even had a King cab truck that my dad used to own, and it was my sister’s first car.

A King is a ruler. The one in charge of everything. In History of the World Part I, Mel Brooks is playing Louie XIV, and his famous line is…”its good to be the King.” He says it because as king, he can do whatever he wants. Of course the real Louie XIV ended up doing “whatever he wants” a little too much because the people of France eventually had a revolution.

The South was built on King Cotton, and now, it seems, oil is king. Our state is named after King George. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention, “The King.” Elvis Pressley.

Yes, there are a lot of Kings in our world. And today, on the last Sunday of our Christian year, we celebrate Christ as our King. Even as we prepare to welcome Christ as a vulnerable child during the season of advent, we still acknowledge him to be King of Kings.

In talking to the Community at Collossae, Paul needs to remind them that, yes, Christ is King. Because to many people in that congregation, he didn’t really seem like a king.

To the people of Collossae, Kings were the ones who lived in palaces and made war. Not the ones who ate with the poor and sinners. Jesus preached peace and reconciliation. And, he was crucified on a cross, hailed as the King of the Jews.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never met a King. I’ve met a princess, which was neat. I went to college with her. Mary Ebunegwe was an African princess. But I never met her father, so I’ve never met a king…unless you count college football.

I say it in humor, but there is a ring of truth to it. When we talk about Kings we are talking about authority. We give authority away all the time, to things that will give us security in this insecure world, or to help us forget our lives. When we make kings of something, that means that we serve it.

We make kings out of things all the time. College football is a big one. We pay homage to it, we allow it to dictate our lives. But there are other things we make into kings. Schedules is a big one.

We have Thanksgiving coming up, and in mine and Meredith’s first year of marriage we discovered that holidays are rough. You see, my family all lives in Georgia, and Meredith’s family all lives in Georgia. And my dad’s family, my mom’s family, meredith’s dad’s family, her mom’s family, and our immediate families all wanted to get together for Thanksgiving. It was too much. We spent a majority of Thanksgiving in the car…hardly any of it giving thanks.

We have a schedule now…and it is King. It is above all of the directions being pulled.

But we make our schedules into these rulers of our lives. Calendars and watches that dictate where we go and who we are going to be.

Or we make our children king. That whatever they say goes, when really, we need to be parents, and let them know who is the true king.

In our churches we let numbers be king. How many people are coming, how many people are giving, how many members do we have. And numbers become King and tell us how successful we are as a church.

Medical emergencies become king. Fear becomes King. Anger becomes King.
We all are kingmakers in our own way. We allow things to rule and dictate our lives, hoping for some sort of security given to us by our very own King. Hoping one day to be Kings ourselves.

But as we come here on Christ the King Sunday, we get a different story. That is what Paul is telling the Christians here by reciting an old hymn to them. Christ brings peace. All of your earthly kings bring war, but Christ brings peace.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Quakers because they are peacemakers…at all costs. I believe in peace. I believe it can be attained, and I believe it can be attained in my lifetime.

Our planet has 6 billion people on it. And that number is growing. The world is straining under that load as we consume more and throw away more. As we are moving in closer and closer together, and as the world is shrinking through new technology and communication, Christians should be known in the world as bringers of peace. But I’m afraid that we don’t. I feel that the perception of Christians in the world is that we are combative, and I can understand where that comes from as we have started to base our churches on a market model, and if you have ever seen the trade floor on wall street that IS the market model, its combative. But we are called to peace. That is Christ the King. Christ is redefining what a King is, and redefining the kingdom.

And this peace, came as a result of Christ’s suffering and death on behalf of us all. So anyone who tells you that you choose to be saved, I believe is wrong. Christ saves us, because Christ is King, and we can acknowledge it, or we don’t.

When Christ is King, all powers of darkness are overthrown. Not only overthrown, but reconciled to the creator. They are no longer powers of darkness but forces for light when Christ is King. When Christ is King, he is the head of the church, with all churches following him as his disciples. When Christ is King, in every meeting, in every small group discussion, in every program we should stop and ask…does this put Christ first? Because Christ is King.

I think we are grasping at straws when we make other things King. And we do all the time. We make our school king, we make our team king, we make our political ideology king. But when we make Christ King of our lives, we are humbled. Knowing that when Christ is king, suddenly we are called to serve as Christ would have us to serve.

This may mean a new building, it may mean a new program, it may mean more bible study in small groups…it may mean a lot of things, but what it definitely means is that all these other things that we have made kings will be overthrown.

Peter Berger, who is a famous theologian and writer asks this question in one of his books. When a child cries at night, what does a mother do? She wakes up, puts on her robe and goes into the room, cradles the child in her arms and says, “Its all right. Everything is all right.”

When Georgia was really little and cried in the middle of the night I used to sing the song “three little birds” to her by the wonderful Bob Marley. It goes, don’t worry, about a thing, because every little thing, is going to be alright.”

Are we lying? Is the mother in the story lying? Did I lie to my little girl by singing that song? Don’t we know that there is a war in Afghanistan, don’t we know that we are in the middle of the biggest economic recession in history, don’t we know that unemployment in Georgia is at 10%, don’t we know that people can’t pay for their medicines and are dying?

No, Berger says, we aren’t lying, we are confessing our faith. Just like we do every Sunday morning with the Apostles Creed. We are confessing that we are floating on a sea of providence, and that Christ is King. It’s going to be alright.

I watch the show “the office,” its one of my absolute favorites, and there has recently been an episode where they go to church to baptize the baby of two of the characters on the show named Pam and Jim. All of their office coworkers show up, and they make fun of church. Calling the people who are there naïve, and stupid. And the boss Michael, asks them; what’s so wrong with being friendly? What’s so wrong with acting as if there is a purpose in the world? What is so wrong with doing good?

Michael is starting to understand who the King is. Its not Tut, Don, and its not even Elvis. Christ is King. That is our faith, and that is our hope, and that is our peace.

Slow, Costly, and Hard

One day, when I went to a coffee shop in Athens, I pulled into a parking space and next to me was a truck with one of those bed covers on it. And surrounding the bedcover were computer printouts of the driver’s opinion about things, politics, religion, culture. And most of the opinions weren’t very positive. Among the rants, there was a piece of paper advertising the driver’s lawn care business along with a phone number…which I didn’t think was a very effective way to advertise, because that particular piece of paper had smaller typing than the opinions swirling around it.

I didn’t want to think about it too much because I wanted to go inside and just get my coffee and work on a sermon while I waited for an appointment.

No such luck. I went inside, and at a louder volume than was on his truck, the man was telling his opinions to anyone that listened, and the only taker he had was the barista, who kept nodding and listening, not really saying anything.

I ordered my drink, and I sat down. I opened my Bible, and my prayer guide. But could not keep from overhearing everything that the man said about how the government was keeping him from getting a landscaping job, that lazy immigrants were undercutting him in price and that he was being punished for doing the “right thing” and that was someone else’s fault. I couldn’t think. So I packed up my things, and left. And as I left I noticed that there weren’t too many other people sticking around either, whereas I’ve been to this coffee shop before, and it is usually packed.

I thought and wondered about this man, and what made him so angry at everybody. Why he shouts his opinions to strangers both in his truck and in the coffee shop. And then I felt a twinge of sadness for him. Not only because he seemed to be struggling, but that he was also lonely. Something had made him angry, and there wasn’t anyone he could share it with.

And as I left the coffee shop to go back to my car to find another place where I could work, I looked at his truck again. And one of those computer printouts had a verse from the Bible that we read here this morning.

It said; God’s economics: those that don’t work, don’t eat. And it quoted Second Thessalonians.

If that is the only part of the Bible that you read when you think about God’s economy, then it makes sense that you are lonely, because by cherry picking that verse, you are missing the amazing experience of community that surrounds it, and the economy of grace that gushes forth from Scripture.

This letter was written by Paul to a community in Thessalonica that was facing a bit of a crisis. Because while the community accepted Jesus Christ and promised to follow him as disciples, they didn’t quite understand what that meant, which sounds familiar in our time. And we are reading about that misunderstanding.

You see, some people in the community felt that since they had accepted Christ, that they were free from any obligation they formerly had. They didn’t have to work, because what was the point in working if Christ was just going to come back? They didn’t have to care about their family because their family would be enfolded in the Christian family when Christ came back. They didn’t have to worry about governments or other people, because all of those would be overthrown. They just had to sit back, and wait. They were done. They were lame duck Christians.

The term “lame duck” came into use in the 19th century and it referenced that a lame duck could not keep up with their flock so it was more of a target for predators. All you really had to do was to wait it out.

This makes sense with our political system because you just had to wait out a public official if someone else were elected, or they chose not to run again, or their term limits precluded them from running. Other officials would be less likely to work with them because…what was the point? They would be gone, with no one around to defend them.

There is another side of the coin though, that a “lame duck” in office really has greater freedom because they don’t have to worry about political implications of their actions, and therefore can be more genuine than if they were seeking reelection.

So Paul is talking to a bunch of lame ducks in Thessalonica, people who figure that since they are following Christ, they are safe, and his return is imminent, so why bother?

I would dare to say, that this attitude is present in many churches today. They are in, others are out. So why bother? They have their opportunities just as everyone else does, so why bother inviting, or doing mission work, or teaching?

But Paul is saying…because of Christ, you have an even greater freedom and responsibility to do good in the world. His call is clear in verse 13, never become weary of doing what is right!

And the way that this is done is in community. Relying on one another, caring for one another. Showing hospitality. Showing grace, but also defining expectations of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

To be a member of a community, takes discipline. That is why the monks in the ancient church had Rules to live by. Because being a community who follows Christ requires a lot of us.

I read a few articles recently in some United Methodist publications about how the key to vitality in our congregations is high membership demands. That we should require a lot from the people who are members of the church, because when people become members of the church they become a part of the community of Christ. This is an important, life-giving thing, so we should help teach people as such by asking as much from them.

Now don’t get me wrong, Bold Spring is open to anyone who wishes to come, and all will be welcomed with open arms. But I do believe that when we join together here, we need to be asking and requiring of people what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Asking that we know about one another. That we care for one another when we are sick or are in trouble. That people feel free to come to this community for support, because we are known as followers of Christ. Asking that you give your time, your talents, and your gifts to the ministries of this church as we experience the Kingdom of God.

Asking people to give, to invest in the community of faith. Asking people to invite others to be a part of what is going on here. Asking people to volunteer to teach the children, and to help the poor. All of it are what we ask people to do when they become a member of this church, because that is what Jesus requires of his disciples. And if that is what we claim to be, then we need to be up to that standard. To learn about its history, to study scripture…to grow.

“Those that don’t work, don’t eat” could be cherry-picked from the Bible to legitimize people being poor around us…but I think what Paul is talking about is that all should invest in their community of faith, and then the fruits of the spirit will grow within you.

Imagine if we relied completely on others for our spiritual nourishment. That we relied on the preacher to tell us what the Bible says. And that we relied on other people to pray. That we see the poor and the outcast as someone else’s problem. Would we grow? The answer is no. Those that don’t work…don’t experience the fruit. We have to invest in what we are doing here, and growth will come from that.

In a wonderful book called Deep Economy by Bill McKibben, who is one of my favorite authors, he writes that in order to have a truly sustainable economy, we must move from an individualized culture to a communal one. Where we support one another.

I’ve seen this here. I’m not a wonderful handyman, but I am a constant learner. I try to buy my hardware locally, with people I know, who I know can help me. You all have been gracious to give us vegetables, that I swear taste so much better than what I could buy at the grocery store, and that I know I can’t grow myself, because I don’t know how.

McKibben says we need to move away from “fast, cheap, and easy” as our mantra for living. That fast, cheap, and easy has failed us. Because “fast, cheap, and easy” are not three words I would want describing anything I do, and I wouldn’t want to describe anything I’m a part of. Because those are not terms of what it takes to follow Christ. And if anyone tells you different, they are selling you something. It is slow, costly, and hard…but it is good.

Its like when CS Lewis’s characters from the Chronicles of Narnia are listening to the beaver describe Aslan, the Christ figure in the book. They ask, is he safe? And the beaver answers, “who said anything about safe? But He is good.”

Tonight, we will meet together as a community of faith to discuss the vision this church has for the future of its mission and ministries. The biggest highlight will be that your building committee will present what they have been working on in the past year, and they have done truly excellent work.

But what I learned from Paul this week as I thought about our church, I thought about our leadership, I thought about our mission, and I thought about our future while always keeping an eye to the past: is that we need to be this community’s church. That we are poised to have a significant impact on this community, and especially the youth and children that are here, and that might come through here. That we be a community of faith that encourages growth. That we need to not live in idleness, because an idle vehicle isn’t going anywhere, but that we do not grow weary in what is right. It will not be fast. It will not be cheap. And it will not be easy…but it will be good. And we do not need to lose sight of that fact.

That we invest in our church, and we invest in our community. When this happens, I believe that we will see the fruit of God’s mercy grow among us. Giving us even more opportunity for doing good.

This may mean we invest more financially, and we will ask you to do that in the coming year, I’ll be honest with you. It may mean that we invest more of our time, so that we have a real group effort in all of the ministries what we pursue.

Because to be a member of the community of faith requires more from us.

But in it all, we come together as a community of faith. Being a positive presence in the larger community, offering the hospitality and grace to everyone in need. We more fully become Christ’s church, and a community of faith we can call home. Each giving their own part, and each sharing their own part, but all coming together as one.

It will be local. It will be a community effort where we get to know one another on a deeper level than many of us have grown accustomed to in our hyper-individualized world, which means we might risk the exposure of our weaknesses. We risk the exposure of our flaws. And that we share our successes. But I believe that we will grow in faith together through it all.

Do not be weary of what is right. It will require a step of faith for all of us. I believe that when we take these steps together, which is why we are meeting together tonight, we will be doing God’s will for this church, and for this community, and for the world.

I believe it is a noble calling, of which I am excited to be a part. And I hope you are too. Even though it will require more from us, it will be a wonderful journey together. Because it is an adventure with Christ.

A little bit of Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he. So he climbed up in a sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. The Lord he wanted to see. And as the Savior passed him by, he looked up in the tree. And he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down from there, for I’m going to your house today, Yes I’m going to your house today. Zacchaeus came down from that tree, as happy as he could be, he gave his money to the poor, and said, “What a better man I’ll be.”

Hopefully this is a familiar Sunday School song to many of you, and it does a pretty good job at explaining this story about Zacchaeus. Not only is it fun to sing, and to say, but helps to point out the change that occurs when you encounter Jesus.

Back in high school I worked out over the summer with a guy named Tony Campbell. Tony was off to the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship and he had to do the UT weightlifting program before he arrived on campus. Needless to say, he could lift a lot more weight than me, and after that first day, I was very sore. And Tony said to me, “if it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right!” It didn’t make me feel any better, but it let me know that I was accomplishing something.

When we encounter the living Christ, if we don’t undergo a change, we aren’t doing it right.

I’ve always had trouble identifying with Zacchaeus. Because the Bible is very clear that he is short. And, as you can clearly see…I am not.

It also says that he is rich…I am not, nor have I ever been wealthy monetarily, though compared with many in the world I am. But as far as being known for someone who is wealthy, I wouldn’t come up as someone you would think about.

But I think there is a little bit of Zaccheus in all of us…pun intended.

Zacchaeus wants to meet Jesus. And he is willing to put aside many of his notions of propriety, and is willing to risk embarrassment in order to do so. He climbs a tree, because he is short, but for a grown man to climb a tree in public…when is the last time you have seen that?

He also runs, and if anyone has ever tried to run while wearing a robe, you know how strange that can look.

Because, in all honesty, there is probably a little bit of entitlement in Zacchaeus. And this is where I think we have a little bit of Zacchaeus in all of us. Zacchaeus is a wealthy, chief tax collector. If anyone is going to come into the city, he is the dignitary that you are going to meet. And Jesus is an important person as well, and so it stands to logic that Jesus would go meet with the “important people” in Jericho. So Zacchaeus might feel that Jesus should come to him.

We feel this in the church sometimes, that Jesus should come to us. That we have been coming here our entire lives, so Jesus should come meet us. Or we gave the most offering, so we should get our name on a building. So Jesus should come meet us, and give us what we want.

But he doesn’t. We have to seek Him, in everything that we do…no matter what we have done, or what we will do.

When Zacchaeus does seek Jesus, by climbing that Sycamore tree, the crowds grumble.

I’ve seen this before. Because when anyone goes out on a limb, there will be people who always want it to break.

And…I realize that I’m on dangerous ground here. In my study of scripture, and in my prayers, and in my meditations…I am so saddened by the status of politics in our world. We have elections coming up on Tuesday and it seems whenever anyone tries to actually DO something, it gets shot down by grumbling. Many of the political ads that I have seen are mainly based on anger or fear, which, the last time I checked are not on the list of fruits of the spirit. I think, we as Americans, have lost a complete sense of compassion for our neighbors both in our own country, and in the world. So we don’t go out on limbs anymore, because they are probably going to be sawed off behind us.

I feel it. There are so many opinions and thoughts and ideas that people have on things, but we are afraid to say them because of the repercussions. No matter if we have thoughtfully put our thoughts together, combining our faith, our family, our money, and everything together. And we have opportunities to state our opinions. But many people don’t want to hear it; they want us to say what they already think.

But if we are truly seeking Christ. We go out on that limb of the sycamore tree. We don’t let grumbling keep us from the one we seek. We don’t let the fact that we don’t ever measure up keep us from the one we seek. And it is when we do that, that we find Jesus’s gaze meet our own as he is scanning the crowds, he is ignoring the grumbling too, and he wants to meet us.

And in an instant, things change. Because if they don’t, then we haven’t done it right.

I hope we are all seeking Christ. And to do that, means that we travel out on limbs sometimes. That we leave the stability of the sidewalk to meet Jesus. To see what he is really all about. We listen to so many voices around us that tell us what to think… why not imagine to what the world would be like if we sought Jesus in everything we do?

I believe we would give more, because we know that we didn’t truly earn anything, but it was a gift from God. I believe we would have more compassion on our neighbors rather than grumble about how its their own fault they are in their predicament. I believe we would invite others to meet Jesus, because our lives are changed, we want theirs to be changed too.

The NBA season started this week, and if you have ever watched the NBA draft you hear interviews with the draftees and they talk about how it’s a dream come true. They are given an incredible opportunity. But the great ones know that the draft is when the real work begins. They cannot sit back in their talent collecting their money, because it will run out. They have to go to work, because their greatness is equaled by everyone else around them.

The same is true of Zacchaeus, and the same for us. Once we get “drafted” by Christ. That is when the real work begins. We are given an incredible opportunity to represent Christ to the world. We cannot sit back and collect what is given to us, no. That is when the work begins. To continue the extravagant generosity that Zacchaeus displays. To love and honor our neighbor. All of it, is because of what Christ has given us the opportunity to do.

Zacchaeus, the short, chief tax collector up there in a tree, pushes us further than we ever thought possible, and requires more of us than we want. I think that is the Good News. That our Creator continues to create within us.