October 2022

In a few short verses we are told that Zacchaeus had a conversion experience. Zacchaeus became a changed man. He moved from “just looking” to seeing–Jesus, himself, other people. He saw how he had hurt people and overlooked others. He vowed to repay those whom he had cheated and to give to the poor. He moved from being a taker to being a giver. And a big giver at that. Now that’s a conversion! It’s almost hard to believe.

Jesus was on the road to Jerusalem with his disciples, when he told them about their need to PRAY always and not to lose heart. In today’s story, Jesus continues trying to help us understand how to talk to God. By flipping the script and making the awful tax collector more humble than the righteous Pharisee, he wants to surprise us into understanding that our attitudes and motivations matter when we pray. Why?

Who’s here? We are. As we gather, seek transformation and are sent, we need to pray always and not lose heart. We don’t lose heart because we know we can just wear God down if we keep showing up. We don’t lose heart because it’ll all work out anyway with rose-colored glasses on.

While our gut may be to wonder at the other nine, they’ve followed Jesus’ directions. They believed in him to ask for healing, and they did what he directed. In coming back to give thanks the Samaritan man isn’t just healed though. All ten of those who’ve asked for healing have received it. Another translation of Jesus’ final direction, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well” is “Get up and go on your way; your faith has saved you.” Your faith has made you well, your faith has saved you, a full healing of mind, body, soul, spirit, and relationships, through faith in Jesus and thanksgiving to God has brought salvation to you.

Maintaining hope believing and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand feels daunting. Following the directions Jesus gives us for our work even if we boil it down to simply though it’s far from simple loving God, loving our neighbor, and thus changing the world, it’s a heavy task….There are mass shootings, racial reckonings on the horizon with signs and portents already at play, and heading into another fall and winter so more indoor time with the plague of COVID19 surrounding us. I’m pretty sure we too would be forgiven for saying to Jesus “Increase our faith!”