“Zacchaeus was a wee little man….”

 

Zacchaeus was, indeed, a wee little man, and not just in terms of his height; he was diminished in many other ways.  He was short on love.  His heart, like the Grinch’s, seemed to be at least “two sizes too small.”  His scruples were stunted, his integrity was undersized, and his faith was barely detectable.

 

Zacchaeus was a tax collector – in fact, the chief tax collector – and he collected taxes for Rome and made a fortune by skimming off of his own people, who considered him not only a mercenary and a thief, but also a traitor for collaborating with the enemy.  Zacchaeus may have been short on love, short on friends, and short on morality, but he was long on money, having made his living off the backs of his own people.

 

One day, Jesus comes to Jericho, and Zacchaeus climbs up a tree and goes out on a limb in time for Jesus to pass by.  Why is Zacchaeus there at all when he could be back at his tax table raking in more money?  Does he come out of curiosity?  Does he intend to heckle Jesus from his leafy loft?  Has he heard that Jesus welcomes tax collectors and sinners?  Or, like the Rich Young Man we met last week, could Zacchaeus -- for all his wealth and possessions -- be missing something from his life and hopes that an encounter with Jesus might fill his emptiness?

 

And so there he is, up a tree and out on a limb, overlooking what must be a chaotic scene of people vying for Jesus’ attention.  “Jesus, are you the Messiah?”  “Jesus, heal me!”  “Jesus, make me walk, help me see, work a miracle!”  Everyone wants something from Jesus, and no one is afraid to ask.

 

Jericho is a big city, and this is a big event.  But somehow, in the midst of the crowds, Jesus spots Zacchaeus out on that limb and calls him by name.  No matter why Zacchaeus comes in the first place, what he receives is far beyond what he could have expected or hoped for.  “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today,” Jesus calls.  In Palestine of Jesus’ time, as today, hospitality was very important; staying at someone’s house and breaking bread together created a bond that could not be broken. 

 

The crowd, who hates him for good reason, reacts negatively – Jesus is going to dine with that conniving, calculating and corrupt chief tax collector!  “And off they go, the cheat and the Christ, much to the chagrin of everyone else.”[1]

 

"Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today."  In one sentence, Jesus accepts Zacchaeus, forgives him, and transforms his life.  Jesus doesn’t demand that Zacchaeus change before he accepts him; Jesus accepts him first.  And how does Zacchaeus – that wee little man with the stunted scruples and the undersized integrity and too-small heart – how does he respond to Jesus’ gracious call?  He leaps down from the limb and, in a big-hearted display of generosity and gratitude, declares "...Half 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."  Zacchaeus realizes that he has been, in the words of our opening hymn, “rich in things and poor in soul,” and he allows God to “change him instantly, thoroughly, head-to-toe, and to checkbook!"[2] 

 

Unlike the Rich Young Man who comes looking for salvation and goes away grieving because he cannot willingly part with his wealth, Zacchaeus says “yes!” to Jesus’ love and acceptance and forgiveness, which free him to respond to God’s gracious invitation; Jesus’ love and acceptance and forgiveness free Zacchaeus to let go of the false god he has trusted in for all these years.  And in gratitude, he generously gives to God in response to what God has generously given to him.

 

The story of Zacchaeus is our story, too.  Every day, Jesus calls to us, inviting himself into our lives, no matter the size of our hearts or our faith.  Every day, God reaches out to us with love and acceptance and forgiveness, no matter who we are or what we have done in our lives.  For Jesus has gone out on a limb for each of us -- the limb of the Cross -- loving us, even when we're not very lovable; accepting us, even when we are unacceptable; and forgiving us, despite the unforgivable things we do.

 

And now, you are asked to go out on a limb, for this, our church.  Next week is Thanksgiving Sunday and I can’t think of a better day on which to show your thanksgiving to God through your pledge to this church.  We invite you to bring your completed pledge cards with you to worship next week and place them on the altar during the service in a visible act of your commitment to this church. 

 

Can we go out on a limb and give because we love this church?  Can we go out on a limb because we cherish this church’s fellowship and sense of family?  Can we go out on a limb and give because we believe in this church's mission?  Can we go out on a limb and give because we want children and teenagers, youngsters and oldsters, the homebound, the sick, the grieving, and the marginalized all to hear the Good News of God's love?  Can we go out on a limb and give because this is the place where lives are transformed, sometimes as dramatically as the life of Zacchaeus?

 

Are you willing to go out on a limb and support your church – not just with your attendance, not just with your time and talent, but are you willing to support your church with your money?  Because the reality is, my friends, that unless you are willing, it will be difficult to maintain this spiritual home and all the things about it that we cherish.  This is serious talk, but we are in a serious situation.

 

We don’t have a large endowment that produces enough interest to fund our operations.  We don’t have a few large contributors who will carry the rest of us.  We aren’t supported by an archdiocese.  We are totally dependent on you.  And if you are thinking this message is for the other guy, you’re wrong.  We need every one of you.

 

Unlike some churches, we have no rules about how much you give.  We don’t run ads in our worship bulletin.  I suppose we could have “this morning’s opening hymn brought to you by the local pizza parlor” and “Rev. Lenk’s sermon brought to you by the corner gas station.”  But we don’t do that here.  We don’t sell tickets at the door.  We don’t charge tuition for our church school.  We have no membership dues.  We are not a club or an association or a union or a society.  We are the First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ – the hands and feet and heart and body of Christ, doing His work in this community and in the world.

 

Zacchaeus' story is our story, too – yours and mine.  I will share with you that there was a time I was a lot like Zacchaeus.  I indeed was “rich in things and poor in soul.”  And I slowly realized that my life lacked meaning and purpose and joy; I had a yearning, an emptiness in my heart, that could not be filled by money and possessions.  Spiritually, I was up a tree.  Things didn’t change until I began to focus on my relationship with God; when I finally got into right relationship with God.  When God became my focus, when my relationship with God became my top priority – that’s when my life was transformed.  I finally knew joy and purpose, and everything started falling into place, when I became a good steward of my life.

 

And being a good steward of my life includes being a good steward financially.  I give 10% of my income back to God.  My annual cash compensation from this church is $30,000, and I also receive a $30,000 housing allowance, for a total of $60,000 per year.  Since arriving last March, I have given $500 a month, which comes to $6,000 per year.  In addition, my husband Peter puts in a minimum of $20 a week himself, and we also give to the various special offerings and collections.  In keeping with this church’s request that we increase our gift to this church by 10% this coming year, beginning in January, I will give $550 each month, for a total of $6,600 annually.  This is my pledge, my faith promise – not only to this, Christ’s church, but also to God.

 

Now, I’m sharing this information with you for several reasons.  First, I could not stand here in this pulpit and ask you to give more, to give generously, to give sacrificially, if I did not do so myself.  As your pastor, I am to lead, and lead by example.  But in prayerfully and carefully considering how much to give to Christ’s church, I am reminded of how very much God has given to me.  My giving is a reflection of the importance of God in my life.  And my giving is my grateful and loving response to a gracious and loving God.

 

Make no mistake – a 10% increase in your giving will not solve all of this church’s financial problems.  But your additional 10% will greatly help close our financial gap.

 

Just as he asked the Rich Young Man and Zacchaeus, Jesus asks each of us to be good stewards of our money and of our lives.  Are you willing to go out on a limb for this, our beloved church?  I pray that you will answer yes.  I pray that you love your church enough to give it your generous financial support.  I pray that you will bring your completed pledge cards next week and that they will show at least a 10% increase in your giving over this past year. 

 

I pray that, as you prayerfully and carefully consider how much you will give to Christ’s church this coming year, you will be reminded of how much God has given to you.  I pray that your giving will be a reflection of the importance of God in your life.  And I pray that your giving will be your grateful and loving and generous response to our endlessly gracious, eternally loving, and infinitely generous God.  Amen.