Foundry UMC DC: Sunday Sermons
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
We Worship…
A sermon preached byRev. Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli at Foundry UMC, October 30th, 2016,the twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Consecration Sunday.
Text: Luke 19:1-10
We worship joyfully. We sing and pray and study with passion and intellect and energy. We arean Easter people, and we are glad.
“We are an Easter people!” Every time we gather for worship, the Easterpromises fuel our joy—promises of hope and new life even in the midst of struggle,disappointment, confusion, pain. Weworship joyfully because we have a living hope in Christ Jesus. Jesus shows us that in life, in death, inlife beyond death, we are not alone. God’s love enfolds us. New life is alwaysavailable. New life is at the heart ofour Gospel story today, a story of a man who climbs a tree. To begin to make the connection, let’s thinkfor a moment about trees—specifically, fruit trees. A healthy fruit tree soaks up nutrientsthrough its roots, receives energy from the sun, and eventually puts forthblossoms that point to the promise of fruit—the promise of new life. In the beginning, young fruits are small and hardand bitter, but through the process of growth and maturation, the fruit becomesfuller, more tender, and saturated with goodness; eventually, each fruitbecomes perfectly what it is to be. Mostfruit becomes food for the hungry, continuing the cycle of life that gives morelife. The fruits’ seeds continue thecycle of growth and creation.
There are some things that candisrupt the health and life of a tree. One of those things is mistletoe. We’ve got a good number of Oklahomanatives here at Foundry who may know that mistletoe is our home state’sofficial flower. Yep. Our official“flower” is a parasite. Mistletoeattaches to a tree and literally sucks the life out of it. Mistletoe reduces growth and can ultimatelykill a tree if heavily infested with the parasite. Oh, and Mistletoe is also poisonous tohumans. This, of course, is the oppositeof a life that gives life. Whereashealthy plants and fruits are living organisms that give life to others,parasites like mistletoe get life by taking it from others. They contribute nothing, they takeeverything.
And that brings me back to the manwho climbed a tree. His name wasZacchaeus. He was a chief tax collectorand was very rich—details that, based on what we know of the time, tell us thatZacchaeus was corrupt and in league with the Roman occupiers. He was not popular in Jericho—he was a thiefand bully and grew rich at the expense of the poor—the crowds called him asinner. He took from others rather thangiving—Zacchaeus was a parasite! Other details we’re given about Zacchaeusinclude that he was short of stature. Iwonder whether Zacchaeus didn’t only look small, but felt small…whether he worriedthat though he had big money, he had a pretty small life. After all, what hadall that wealth gotten him but loneliness and scorn? Maybe he climbed that treeto see Jesus out of some vague sense that Jesus could make a difference. For whatever reason, Zacchaeus was determinedto lay eyes on the man who had been called “a friend of tax collectors andsinners.” (Lk 7:34) Who is thisJesus? Is he really so great? Would he really be my friend?
That day Zacchaeus learned thatJesus was his friend, that Jesus saw more in him than a small man trying tomake himself OK by stealing life from others. That day, by reaching out, speaking his name, coming to live with him,Jesus drew Zacchaeus into a deeper connection to the deep and soul-feedingroots of God’s love. Jesus’ love andfriendship gave new life to Zacchaeus whose yearning was satisfied and whodiscovered that he was not fated to walk the length of his days as a sinner, anoppressor, an outcast, a small man, but rather as a beloved child of God whowas worth more than all the riches in the world. Zacchaeus became more of whohe was that day as he opened his heart and his home to Jesus. Zacchaeus climbedthe tree as a parasite, but came down as fruit. He climbed the tree as a lost and lonely outcast, he came down as the“son of Abraham”—the son of the promise—he was created to be.
On that day Zacchaeus learned, through Jesus’s generosity,that all the riches of his life were worth even more when they wereshared. Salvation happened thatday, not only for this chief tax collector, but also for all those who had beenhurt by the things he had done. I oftenmention Walter Brueggemann’s definition of justice: “Justice is to sort outwhat belongs to whom, and to return it to them.”[i] Zacchaeus did justice. The fruits of Zacchaeus’ new life would feedthe hungry, make reparation for the oppression and destruction of who and whathe had been. Zacchaeus, having receivednew life in Christ, becomes a source of new life for others through his loveand generosity.
Today I invite you to consider theways that your life gives life to others. What about your life encourages, supports, feeds, inspires the lives ofthose around you? How do your actions,your priorities, your time, talent, and financial gifts make a positivedifference in the lives of others? Onthe other hand, are there communities or relationships you take for granted or,worse, suck the life out of? Where do youfind yourself taking a lot and not giving much? Where do you know that you are not acting in a way that is loving,generous, or just? I was recentlychallenged to do a “mission statement” for my life and then to look at the waysthat the use of my resources line up—or don’t—with the things I value most of all. It was illuminating.
Each of us here today has comeseeking something…friendship, hope, affirmation, comfort, forgiveness, Jesus. Some of us may have an unnamable yearning,recognizing only that we need something. Some of you may have a hard time believing that you can change, that youcan grow, that you can heal, that you can be better than who you are today. Some may be feeling lost and alone. Some of us may be sitting in this holy place,aware of our smallness and doubting that anything we can do or be or give wouldever really make a positive difference. But whatever the reason, you are here today to receive this good news: YOU ARE A BELOVED CHILD OF GOD. Jesus sees you and calls you by name. Nomatter what you have done, no matter how small or insignificant you feel, nomatter what you have or don’t have, you, like Zacchaeus, are loved by God evenwhen others hate and despise you. You, like Zacchaeus, can choose to receiveChrist and to grow and change. You, like Zacchaeus, can make a difference inthe lives of others through your generosity. We are not created to live as parasites…we are created to live inmutuality, generosity, and love with God and with each other—to be agents ofnew life in the world. Jesus wants tostay at your house today and every day. So let him in with joy! The moreyou do, the mystery of life-giving connection to God’s love will continue itswork of feeding and nurturing and ripening. You will become more full, more tender, more perfectly who you are tobe. And you will become food for thehungry, seeds of love and hope will be scattered among those you encounter,your generosity will not only inspire, but will give life to others. The bonusis that being generous with others feels good and brings new life and joy intoyour own life. Years of clinical studieshave shown that there is a direct correlation between generosity and joy, generosityand peace, generosity and healthy relationships.[ii] Giving makes you healthier and happier!
Today our joy overflows as we havewelcomed little ones into the Christian family through Holy Baptism. Our joy overflows as we celebrate the bountyof God’s friendship, grace, and love that assures hope and new life for eachand every one of us. Our joy overflowsas we receive and consecrate the life-giving pledges that will supportFoundry’s concrete witness in the world in 2017.
Invitation:
· bring up your weekly offering and pledgecard—even if you have already pledged, you can write that on your card and putit in the basket…
· if you are a guest or new to Foundry, we inviteyou to bring forward the info from the welcome folder so that we can reach out andconnect with you soon…
· if you are part of our online worshipingcommunity, we invite you to take this time to click on the “give” tab on thehomepage and scroll to the bottom of the page where it says “Make your 2017pledge online now”—You are an important part of our community.
Thank you for your extraordinarygenerosity!
[i] William Sloane Coffin, Credo, Louisville:WestminsterJohn Knox Press, 2004, p. 63
[ii] A couple of referencesfrom a less than exhaustive search: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/kindness_makes_you_happy_and_happiness_makes_you_kind/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/01/generosity-health_n_4323727.html
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