Tran$formation
Luke 19:1-10
October 27, 28, 2007

Today and next week, we will be thinking about The Cheerful “S” Word—Stewardship. Stewardship and the faithful use of the gifts that God has given us are significant spiritual matters. Sometimes we make the mistake of limiting our discussion about stewardship to money only. As we anticipate another exciting year of mission and ministry at Beargrass, we recognize that faithful stewardship involves much more than what we share as our offerings and tithes. Stewardship is the recognition that all that we are and all that we have are gifts from God. So we have included in your worship bulletin today a partial list of some of the ways you can use your time and talents to serve God as well. I don’t want you to fill it out today. I would prefer that you look over it and pray over it. I hope you will find some quiet time to listen for God’s call upon your life and reflect on your gifts and the way you are using them. Then come and talk to one of us. Sometimes we make the mistake of limiting our discussion of stewardship to finances only. But sometimes we make the mistake of not talking about finances enough.

So, this weekend and next, we will be invited to deepen our understanding of our relationship with God and the resources God has given to us. A healthy understanding of stewardship focuses not on the need of the church to receive, but on the spiritual need for all of us to give. Just like prayer, Bible study, worship, and service… Stewardship—giving—is a spiritual discipline. Next weekend, November 3 and 4, we will celebrate “Commitment Weekend.”

Someone who is new to the church asked what that was all about? I explained and he said, “Oh, we did that at my old church—but it was all done through the mail.” And I mentioned there have been times when we have done it that way here. But several years ago, the church family began to see the importance of seeing stewardship as a spiritual discipline. We began to see that the seemingly mundane process of filling out a pledge card is not like paying a bill or sending off our dues. Filling out a pledge card becomes an act of worship—it becomes an expression of gratitude to the God from whom all of our blessings flow. Generous giving is a natural response from people whose hearts and lives have been transformed by the love of our graceful God.

TODAY’S STORY IS A TALE OF A TRANSFORMED LIFE. Imagine the scene. The setting is in the wealthy Greco-Roman city of Jericho. This city is very different from the Jericho of old. The place is now a majestic municipality known for its fine buildings, wide streets, public squares and well-appointed homes. Located near the Jordan River, Jericho is a major stop on the trade routes between Jerusalem and Judea and cities to the east. Because of that, it is also a tourist trap—an important customs and tax center, where toll collectors could shake down their victims and beggars could confront the wealthy.

Enter Zacchaeus. I don’t know what you know about Zacchaeus. Some of you may be meeting him for the first time. But some of you have known him for years. He is that “wee little man” from that “wee little song” our dedicated Sunday School teachers taught us a long time ago. I chuckled the other day because someone suggested that if a movie is ever made about Zacchaeus—he knew the perfect person to play the part—Danny Devito! Consider the possibilities! One of the first things that comes to mind when we think about Zacchaeus is that he was vertically challenged! Devito fits the part! Another thing that comes to mind about Zach is that he is rich. Devito! A third characteristic about Zach is that he is corrupt. Bingo! The Devito trifecta—in fact, he has played these kinds of roles in a variety of films—from Other People’s Money many years ago to Even Money earlier this year. Vertically challenged, wealthy, corrupt. Devito as Zacchaeus! Can’t you see it now!

Although Devito has played the kind of characters you love to hate in some of his films, Zacchaeus is the real deal. He is a tax collector. And not just a tax collector—a chief tax collector—a tax collector’s tax collector. He contracts with the Roman rulers for the right to collect revenues or taxes—other people’s money. It is very likely that he lines his pockets with extra fees that he tacks on to the taxes he collects. So, add another adjective to the list. Vertically challenged, wealthy, corrupt, and despised.

BUT SOMETHING IS MISSING IN ZACH’S LIFE. He has enough money to buy anything he wants, but it is not enough. He has heard about this teacher from Galilee. He has read the stories in the Galilean Gazette
“Jesus Heals Diseases!” “Jesus Feeds Thousands!” “Jesus Teaches with Authority—He Changes People’s Lives!” Ol’ Zach has plenty of change—but not the kind of change he really needs. So this vertically challenged, wealthy, corrupt, despised person does what any of us would do, right? Wrong! Are you kidding me? Can you imagine a person of wealth and power shinnying up the nearest sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Jesus? That’s just not proper! In a robe, nonetheless! At first, you want to laugh. But then you realize what is going on. You feel sorry for him—almost. And you can add another adjective to the list. Vertically challenged, wealthy, corrupt, despised, and desperate. Zacchaeus literally goes out on a limb for Jesus—there’s another sermon in itself! Zach perches himself along the parade route in the hopes of seeing Jesus…

But Jesus has already seen him. Spiritually sick in his sycamore, Zach is shocked when Jesus calls him by his name! “Zacchaeus!” “Come on down—and hurry!” “For I’m going to your house today, I’m going to your house today!” And the crowd…Rejoices! No—the Bible says they grumble, murmur, mumble, mutter. “What? HIS house? The house of that nasty, cheating lowlife?” Now, I know that we have some folks who work for the IRS in our church family—and they are wonderful people! But tax collectors like Zach? Archeologists have found clay tablets that are over 3500 years old that say: “You can have a lord, you can have a king—but the one to fear is the tax collector.” They have found bumper stickers from old jalopies in Jerusalem with zingers about people like Zach: “Born Free...Taxed to Death,” “It IS as Bad as You Think, and They ARE out to Get You,” and “We’ve Got What it Takes to Take What You’ve Got!” But Jesus sees through all of that—he recognizes the hunger within.

Frederick Buechner describes the scene: “Zacchaeus is a sawed-off little social disaster with a big bank account and a crooked job—but Jesus welcomes him aboard anyway.” Essentially Jesus, “W’as up? You are!” And in the midst of a mob, in the center of a chaotic crowd—Jesus says, “Come on down, dude!” “Let’s hang out together.” Jesus calls him by name and reaches across barriers of respectability, social status, and common sense. While Zach is yet a sinner, Jesus offers him what money cannot buy. He offers him a relationship. Jesus comes to seek and save the lost. The beginning of the transformation of Zacchaeus is a graceful invitation from Jesus—an unexpected, undeserved, and socially-unacceptable gift. And all of those adjectives we were collecting about Zach?

Hit the delete button—they’re gone. Replace them with words like these: recognized, welcomed, loved, forgiven, set free, child of God, saved, whole, transformed. And what happens next is almost as amazing! Zacchaeus stands there and says: “Look, Lord, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor!” “If I have cheated anybody, I’ll pay them back 400%!” Some will argue that ol’ Zach is trying to defend himself—trying to justify his actions in the past. But I don’t think so. Zacchaeus repents; he turns his life around, he changes! That kind of generous outpouring and sharing isn’t natural—it flows from the hearts and lives of those who have been touched by God, embraced by grace.

ONE OF MY STEWARDSHIP HEROES IS JOHN WESLEY, ONE OF THE GREAT LEADERS OF THE CHURCH. When Wesley was a teacher at Oxford University in the 1700’s, his compensation was about $60 a year—pretty good money back then. His living expenses were about $56—so he gave $4 to the church. The next year his income doubled—but he still managed to live on $56 a year—so he gave $64. The third year he earned $180—but he still lived on $56—and gave away $124. The fourth year he earned $240—but still lived on $56—and gave away $184. One year his income was a little over $2800—and guess what? He began to splurge a little bit. He lived on $60—and gave the rest of it to help others. Wesley didn’t pursue a higher standard of living—he pursued a higher standard of giving.

But those stories can be told—not just about people from long ago and far away—they can be told about people who are sitting near you today. During the recent Board meeting, I encouraged our deacons and elders—as spiritual leaders of the church—to be pacesetters in the area of stewardship and to encourage the church family. One of our elders had already beaten me to the punch—he had taught a two-week Sunday School lesson titled: “Money, Wealth and Giving.” He asked the class members a challenging question: “If you were given $1 million of tax-free money, what would you do with it? Some people said that they would give some to the church. Some said that they would pay off debt or save part of it. One person in the group recognized that she “had enough” and said that “she would give it all away.”

Friends, I don’t have to tell you. That’s not natural. That’s not what our culture and society teach us. We’re told that material wealth will guarantee us happiness and peace—but it’s a lie. That kind of generosity is seen in the lives of people who are in a relationship with God. That kind of cheerful, joyous, giving is seen in the lives of those who have been transformed by the power of God’s Spirit. It happened for John Wesley. It happened for Zacchaeus. It has happened for many of you. And if it hasn’t…by the grace of the God who knows your name…it can.