Sermon ideas

PostScript: up-to-the-minute comment on Thursday morning.

• Middle Eastern tradition sees the traveller as a gift of God; whereas people from the West might react with suspicion to travellers, those from the Middle East are generous with their time and their resources. Hospitality is central to the Middle Eastern lifestyle. Jesus’ request for hospitality and welcome brings the opportunity for change for Zacchaeus. Hospitality is key to Christian life. In her book Take this Bread, (Ballantine Books Inc., 2008, ISBN 9780-345495792) Sarah Miles, one of many who have written on the power of Christian hospitality, tells of the dramatic change in her life after she was welcomed to the Eucharist.
• Zacchaeus was trapped in the stressful lifestyle of middle management. As chief tax collector he would have employed local people to collect the taxes, from which he took his percentage, before handing the rest on to the Roman rulers. Middle management is a known predictor of stress. Maybe it was this that precipitated Zacchaeus’ curiosity to see Jesus, and to be noticed. Jesus sees Zacchaeus, recognises his problem and need, and comes and spends time with him. Often we reflect on spending time with Jesus, but perhaps it should be the other way round. Perhaps we need to let Jesus spend time with us.
• The instruction of Isaiah in 1.17 is a recurring theme in Scripture. Deuteronomy 27, Exodus 22 and Psalm 68 all remind the people of God of their responsibility to care for the orphan, the widow and the stranger. It is found again in Mary’s song (the Magnificat, Luke 1.46-55). Care for the poor, the weak and the vulnerable are the building blocks of a just and healthy society. Isaiah reminds us that God’s priority is not how we order our worship, but how we welcome others to it.
• What was Zacchaeus like, and how had his life changed, 10 years on from this encounter? Did he ever play back in his mind the dramatic change he experienced as a result of that encounter with Jesus? We can only speculate. But that encounter offered him a welcome he was not used to while living on the margins of society, enjoying great wealth but regarded with contempt by his community. His marginalisation would surely have affected his whole household. Jesus’ welcome restored his sense of self-worth, and gave him the courage and determination to make restitution to those he had cheated. When we look back on our lives, particularly at moments of dramatic life changes, can we see God’s presence with us?