October 27, 2024 "Do We Know That We Are Seen?"

Yay, Zacchaeus! Okay, did this one about five years ago - now we're taking a totally different angle. Zacchaeus wanted desperately to see Jesus. Questions it raises: when was the last time we felt that kind of desperation to see Jesus? When was the last time we wanted more? More meaning, purpose, significance - more life? He couldn't see because of the crowd. When was the last time we pondered the things that are getting in the way of us seeing the divine?
He ran ahead and climbed the tree. He recognizes that he needs to move. He needs to shift. He needs a new perspective. When was the last time we recognized that we needed to move? That we might not know all the answers and we need a new perspective? When was the last time we risked looking foolish for our faith? When is the last time we tried something unconventional?
Jesus looked up and saw him, said, "Come down, I gotta spend some time at your house." Do we know that we are seen? In all of our foolishness, Jesus sees us. But it's more than that. He wants to come home with us. When was the last time we allowed Jesus into our homes without him giving us time to clean things up first? Do we understand that it's okay to let Jesus into all of our mess? Think about who Zacchaeus is - his house was definitely not in order. And yet, there's no judgment - there's just, "I gotta spend some time at your house!"
The religious people mutter - of course they do. But not Jesus. He chooses to see the beauty in Big Z - the potential. Do we hold people hostage to the versions of themselves they are seeking to outgrow? Are we willing to see the beauty? The potential? Because Jesus seeing those things allowed Big Z to be transformed and to change. If there's one thing I've learned it's that this faith thing is evolutionary in nature - it's a change and grow or regress and die kind of a thing.
Salvation has come to this house. Wait, dude climbs a tree and gets to go to heaven? Maybe salvation is more than where we end up when we die. What if it's also about experiencing healing now? And once we've experienced a bit of healing, what if it's about becoming a part of the healing of the world? And if that's true, what are we going to do about it?
Speaker: Aaron Vis
Scripture: Luke 19:1-10
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