October 31, 2004; The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Readings: Isaiah 1:10-20; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-5; 11-12; Luke 19:1-10; Psalm 32:1-8.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Changed There was a man named Zacchaeus whose life was changed one day as he looked for Jesus. The history of the Christian faith is a history of changed lives. Lives changed from being controlled by the culture to being led by the Lord. Lives changed from empty to full. Lives changed from fearful to hopeful. Lives changed from judging to including. Lives changed from isolated to community based. Lives still change in these ways because God is not done. God is not done with the work of redemption. God is not done with our world—with you or me. It is impossible to read the New Testament without noticing the changed lives. Right from the start, Jesus changed people—what they expected was challenged and what they hoped for was expanded. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus is often found declaring that the change has come today! "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (4:21) "...today, you will be with me in paradise." (23:43) Luke emphasized the power of God to bring about freedom, peace, and love today. In the person of Jesus, the Kingdom has come. The gospels describe how that fact, known through personal encounters with Jesus, changed lives. We can see the same thing happening in our day—if we can get above the crowd. Zacchaeus had to get above the crowd "to see who Jesus was." Being a rich tax collector, Zacchaeus should not have been climbing a tree. That was not the proper thing for a man of his position in society to do. But the reality was, he was a short man. He faced that reality and realized that he would have to take action. He must have really been wondering about Jesus to set his pride aside. Before he even saw Jesus, Zacchaeus’ life was changing. The things that mattered to him were changing. The grip that he had on life could be loosened. Why? Because he was sensing that what he really wanted he could not get for himself. He would discover that it would be given as a gift. When one comes to know the fullness of life given as gift, it is possible to loosen one’s grip—on money, on status, on others, on our views, on life itself—and be open to receive. Once he meets Jesus, he really loosens the grip. He gives half of his money to the poor, and he promises to pay back those he defrauded four times the amount taken. Salvation came to the house of Zacchaeus we are told. The change that come over him had an impact on his family and his friends. How could it not? He had changed; one life changed influences many other lives. He had been changed by love—that’s salvation. How can we come to know Jesus in such a way that we are changed? For some, like Zacchaeus, there is a precise moment when life changes because of an encounter with God. For many, the experience is more gradual. And for all, being changed by God is an on-going experience. Zacchaeus could not see Jesus because of the crowd. What is the crowd for us and what do we need to do to get a view—to catch a glimpse—of the One we long to know? We can trust God for a start. That thought always helps me to relax because it means that I don’t have to understand everything and always know what to do. The example of Zacchaeus reminds us that God acts first and reaches out to us. God reaches out to us through the concrete reality of our lives. Even before he knew Jesus, Zacchaeus had a desire to know him and acted in a new way. He climbed the tree to see over the crowd. Crowds and "a crowd mentality" can be distracting and block our view. Whatever is going on in the news can become the crowd for me. I for one will be delighted to vote next Tuesday and have it done. I hope it will be done! Certainly voting is important; as Christians we do not isolate ourselves from our society. In fact, we have a duty to be involved and do what we can to bring about justice and peace through the political process. Our political process, however, can get so hostile. People can become so convinced of their position that they demonize those with whom they disagree. The election is the most pressing example, but there are many, many more issues that divide our nation. We can get lost in the crowd or we can get above it—with God’s help—and be builders of community among people who hold different views. When I get above the crowd and see Jesus looking back at me, that’s what I feel called to in my heart. God’s call to you might be something entirely different—it is certainly distinctive for you. It could even look a bit hostile to me. Most regular people did not like the prophets of their time at all, and considered them to be extreme. Of course prophets believed that they were naming the crowd mentality. Isaiah named something with which we continue to wrestle. In our Old Testament reading today, we heard him express his belief in God’s condemnation of religious practices that were disconnected from the living God. The solemn assemblies that did not address injustice had become a burden for God. The assemblies had themselves become the crowd. Church can become the crowd for us when we start to care more about the form than the Spirit. Have you ever been in a church that seemed more like a museum than a church? Through our history and our traditions, God does touch our lives. The key is be on guard for the human tendency to worship the history and the traditions rather than God. We could miss the new things God is doing now if we are too focused on the past. We could miss our chance to take part in the new thing if we are set on business as usual. Jesus came and lives were changed. We are not a museum. This is not a classroom. I’m not here to tell you about the past as if it were a nice tidy lesson. Together we are here to experience the power of God to guide us. We are here to get above the crowd and hopeful catch a glimpse of the One whom we seek to know. Amen.