Jesus & Me - The Woman at the Well

All through elementary school, and junior high, I was the one who was usually chosen last when they would pick teams in gym class.  I was the chubby, clumsy kid who couldn’t kick the ball far, and who still can’t catch a ball if you throw it to me.  If a friend of mine was chosen to be the captain, then I might not get picked last, but I was never picked first.  Have you ever felt left out?

In High School, the tuba player who stood next to me in marching band was… not kind.  I could have used some other words there, and bully might be a bit strong, but let’s just say that he once tried to set my hair on fire during band class, and he once drove my tuba mouthpiece so far into the ground that I struggled to get the dirt out.  He was able to do all of this without anyone noticing, so I had little to no recourse.  I felt like I just had to take it.  Have you ever felt harassed, or bullied?  It happens more than we think in school, but it also happens at work, in our neighborhoods, and community.  As much as we try to highlight bullying, and harassment, and we just passed a new law against hazing, and as much as we try to weed out attitudes, words, and actions that put other people down, it happens all the time.  Sometimes we are the victims, and sometimes we are the bullies – whether we mean to be or not.

One of the things we have seen in each encounter with Jesus this month, is that Jesus always took the time to reach out to those who were looked down upon, or even cast out of society.  Jesus was there for those who were bullied, abused, neglected and harassed.  In fact, we can find so many times that Jesus cared for those who felt isolated, and alone, that we begin to see that he did this as part of his everyday life.  It wasn’t a special occasion when Jesus reached out to acknowledge, and lift up someone who was hurting, it was what he did all the time, but there is one encounter with Jesus where Jesus did go out of his way to lift up a woman who had been bullied, shamed, and cast out of her community.  John 4:-7a.

I want to stop here and make sure that we notice what is said at the very beginning.  Jesus HAD to go through Samaria.  If you remember from a few weeks ago, Jews would usually not travel through Samaria on their way from Jerusalem to Galilee.

Because Samaritans were considered unclean and inferior, Jewish travelers avoided this area as much as they could.  They would often go to great lengths, travelling extra days if needed, to avoid this area, but it said that Jesus HAD to go through this region.  Why?

The only thing that happens on this trip through Samaria is that Jesus meets a woman at a well.  Was it this encounter that Jesus wanted to make sure took place?  Was she the reason he HAD to go through Samaria?  Or maybe it was to make a statement.  Maybe Jesus had to go through Samaria so that his followers then, and today, would know that the kindness, love, and grace of God is for everyone.  No one is left out.  No one is excluded.

Think about the places Jesus went that others would not go.  He went to Samaria when many avoided it.  He ate in the homes of sinners, and tax collectors, he traveled in the small villages, and wilderness areas, and not just the big, important cities.  Jesus went places others wouldn’t go, and he encountered people, and spent time with people, others tried to avoid.  As we have seen during this series, Jesus spent time with tax collectors, lepers, and children.  Jesus made sure that people knew he cared for them and everyone.

Through this Jesus and Me series, we have been asking, what do we learn about Jesus, and what do we need to learn about ourselves.  Well, from this encounter we learn that Jesus went places others wouldn’t go.  Jesus went to the places where kindness was needed most, where people needed to know they were loved, and cared for.  This means that we need to ask ourselves, where are we willing to go?  Are we willing to go to those places others may not want to go?  Are we willing to go to places that others might find objectionable but where we know people need the love of Jesus?  Are we willing to go where kindness is needed most?

When I was a pastor in Lewisburg, I met a Bucknell student who became a Christian and chose to live in a fraternity.  While many churches in college towns might want to avoid contact with fraternities, this young man went in and did his best to care for those who were there, because he realized that they needed Jesus just like he did.  Where do we choose to go in life?  And are we willing to go to those places others might not want to go?  And will we go to listen, to learn, and to love as Jesus did?

You see, that is what Jesus did when he went to Samaria, he went to listen, to learn, and to love.  John 4:6-26

Jesus met this woman at noon.  Noon was not the time of day women went to the well to draw water, this was work women did in the morning, before it got hot.  That this woman was alone at the well, during the heat of the day, tells us that she was most likely not welcome at the well with the other women.  Among her own people, she had been cast out.  She was literally being shamed, and forced out among her own community, and the reason?  She had been married and divorced 5 times, and the man she was currently living with didn’t even want to marry her.  In the eyes of everyone around her, she was nothing.

And yet… Jesus not only sees her, but he speaks to her, which would have been unheard of in that day because men didn’t speak to women, AND Jews didn’t speak to Samaritans, which is why the woman is so startled.  This was unexpected, but Jesus sees her, and he values her enough to speak to her, and he honors her by asking her for a drink.  Jesus was willing to take a drink of water from her.  This was scandalous, but this was Jesus.  Jesus was willing to go places others wouldn’t go, and reach out to people others would not reach out to, and because of this, Jesus lifted people up.  He shows that they have dignity, value, and worth.  This woman, whom everyone else treated with contempt, Jesus cared for with grace.

Picked last for the team?  Bullied by others?  Harassed? Shamed? Cast out?  Never a problem for Jesus – he will be there.  This is simply how Jesus chose to live his life.

Seeing that Jesus HAD to meet this woman reminds us that Jesus deeply cared for all women.  In his day, women were treated with contempt.  They had no rights, no standing, and no recourse when bad things happened.  I know that right now there is a lot of conversation about the #metoo movement.  Some people feel that it may have gone too far, and we do need to figure out how to balance #metoo with due process, but what we need to acknowledge is that the value of this movement has been to empower women to come out of the shadows and share their stories.   For too long, women in our own day have been treated with contempt, not been given dignity, rights, or recourse, and if Jesus were here, he would be the first to say that this needs to change.

In many ways, Jesus was an original #metoo advocate because he honored women’s life experience, and stories.  Jesus took the time to listen to what they had to say, he honored them, he valued them, he lifted them up among others, and cared for them.  Now, I want to be clear that Jesus also challenged them at times to change and embrace new attitudes, actions, and lifestyles, but even that was a sign that Jesus saw them as individuals who were loved by God and who would be more, and do more, with their lives.

Think of all the women that Jesus listened to, honored, cared for, and even lifted up as an example for others to follow.
• Woman caught in adultery
• Demon possessed woman who becomes a follower
• Sick woman who was healed
• Widow whose dead son was raised to life
• Foreign woman who Jesus helped
• Poor woman in the temple who gave her offering
• Sinful woman who anointed Jesus
• Mary on Resurrection Day was first to see Jesus

And here, a Samaritan woman, divorced five times and now living with a man who won’t take her as his wife, who has no friends, and has been shamed by her own community.  And what does Jesus do?  He listens to her, he loves her, he challenges her to live in the fullness of God’s love, and grace, and be everything God desires her to be.   By telling her to go bring her husband back, Jesus is also making her an evangelist, and part of his ministry team.  And she did this over, and over, and over again.  In fact it says that many people believed in Jesus because of her, and she was not alone.  Many women who followed Jesus made an impact in their families, and communities, because Jesus took the time to first listen to them, learn about their lives, and love them.

What turned this woman’s life around was that Jesus offered her living water.  So what is this living water and how can it turn our lives around?  Living water is simply living in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Through the prophet Jeremiah, God said, My people have committed two sins:  they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.  So the living water is living with God instead of trying to live on our own.  This woman had tried to live on her own. She tried finding her value in a man, and while she needed to do that as part of her culture, Jesus wanted to show her that no matter what was going on around her, she was cared for by God.  No matter how people treated her, God honored her, and gave her dignity and value.  When we try to find our identity in ourselves, and in our own actions, and lifestyle, we come up empty.  Living water, a full life, is found when we are willing to come to God for his grace, acceptance, and love.

Living water is found when we come to Jesus and hear him say,
I know everything about you, and I am still willing to come to you, honor you, and accept you.  I know all there is about you, and I am still willing to listen to you share your heart, and life, and I am always willing to step into an honest relationship with you.  If we will acknowledge the truth about ourselves, and receive God’s grace, and be willing to sit with, and walk with Jesus, we will find living water – and that living water is a life filled with joy, purpose, and honor.

Every encounter with Jesus has the potential to provide us with living water.  Every time Jesus comes to me, and every time I reach out to him, the potential is there for living water to flood my soul, because Jesus is kind, and Jesus accepts us for who we are, heals our hearts, and lives, forgives our sin, makes time for us in his life, and leads us into the fullness of love, peace and joy.  Every encounter with Jesus, leads us to becoming the people God created and desires us to be.
 
Next Steps
Jesus and Me – Woman at the Well

1.  Share with God a time you felt:
• Isolated or left out.
• Bullied or harassed.
• Put down or cast out.

2. When have you been the bully, or the one putting someone else down?  Confess this to God and ask for forgiveness.

3. Where do you need living water in your life today?
Spend time with Jesus this week, and ask him for all that you need.  This time can be in silent reflection, prayer, scripture reading, fellowship, or worship.

4. The woman at the well brought others to Jesus.
Who can you bring to Jesus?  How can you pray for those in need of God’s love, and invite those who need living water, to come to Jesus?

5. Jesus went places others refused to go.
Where is Jesus asking you to go?  To whom is Jesus sending you?  Ask God for the courage to go and to share His love and grace with those who are thirsty.

6.  Reflect on this statement:
Jesus says, I know everything about you, and I am still willing to come to you, honor you, and accept you.  I know all there is about you, and I am still willing to listen to you share your heart, and life, and I am always willing to step into an honest relationship with you.

Invite Jesus into your heart and life this week.

Jesus and Me - The One Who Returned

This month we are learning more about Jesus and ourselves by looking at different encounters that Jesus had with people.  Last week, we saw how Jesus was kind when he reached out to Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector.  When everyone else wanted to keep Zacchaeus away from themselves, and away from Jesus, Jesus reached out to him, and in kindness Jesus offered him salvation and life.  That kindness changed Zacchaeus and made him kind in return.  I hope this past week you have been looking for ways to be kind to others in response to the kindness of Jesus.  Today’s encounter builds on that kindness, and challenges us to take another step forward in our own kindness.

The encounter we are going to look at today comes from Luke 17:11-19.  To really see the kindness of Jesus in this story, we need to understand a little bit about leprosy.  There were 72 different skin diseases that were lumped together as leprosy, and while some of these might have been as simple as a rash, others may have been much more serious, contagious, and deadly.  It was the job of the priests to examine the skin disease to see if the person should be considered clean or unclean. 

If a skin disease was serious, and the priest thought it was contagious, then the person was considered unclean and had to leave their home and community.  These lepers were either forced to live alone, or among others who were sick.  While this sounds harsh to us today, it was really for the health and well-being of the entire community.  If a skin disease was highly contagious, it would spread quickly through a community leading to wide scale death, so the person had to be isolated for the good of the people, but for the person with the disease, the separation from family and the community was devastating. 

Lepers not only had to make it clear to others that they were sick by how they dressed, but they also had to cry out that they were unclean.  Can you imagine the shame that lepers must have felt?  And because they couldn’t work or interact with others they suffered from poverty, hunger and sickness.  It was a horrible life. 

It is hard for us to imagine what this must have been like, but it wasn’t that long ago that we witnessed a modern day version of this exact situation.  The Ebola crisis in West Africa showed us what this might look and feel like in today’s world.  In places like Sierra Leone, when someone got sick, they had to be isolated until they could be sure that the person either had or didn’t have Ebola.  Until people knew for sure, everyone would live in fear of that person and they would truly be cast out of the community, forced to live in fear and isolation.  The sick person often had to live in a holding area until tests could be run, and even if it wasn’t Ebola, since they were isolated in areas close to where the victims of Ebola were housed, their chances of getting the disease increased. 

Just like with leprosy, those who had Ebola were forced out of homes, villages, and communities, and the only human contact they had was with others who were sick and dying.  They were forced into a life of pain, poverty, isolation, and desperation.  Lepers were truly desperate, so if there was any chance they might be healed, they would grab hold of it.  If there was anyone who might be able to help them, they would reach out to them, so when these lepers heard that Jesus was in the area, they cried out to him for help.

It is interesting to note that these lepers, living in isolation from others, both knew that Jesus was in the area, and that Jesus was someone who might be able to help them.  It shows us just how far and wide the message of Jesus had spread in a few short years.  That a group of lepers living along the border of Samaria, an area where Jews often did not travel, had heard that Jesus had unparalleled power to heal, tells us just how many people were talking about Jesus.  Without any media, or social media, Jesus was a superstar, everyone knew about him, and those who were truly desperate for hope, healing, and life, went to great lengths to reach out to him for help. 

When these 10 lepers heard that Jesus was in the area, they cried out to him for mercy.  They followed the law of the day and kept their distance, probably yelling with their mouths covered as was commanded in the law, but Jesus knew their situation, and he was touched by their faith.  When many people doubted everything about Jesus, they believed he could do something to help them.  In kindness, Jesus told them to go to the priests, the only ones who could pronounce them clean and healed, so that they could return to their lives, and it says that as they went, in other words, they listened and obeyed, and were healed.  We see once again, it is the kindness of Jesus that brings healing and new life for these 10 desperate men. 

So once again, Jesus is kind.  Jesus not only has the power to love and forgive as we saw last week, but he has the power to heal and restore life.  Jesus has the power to do great things in our lives.  Sometimes it is to heal, sometimes it is to restore us in relationships, and sometimes it is to give us hope.  That’s what we learn about Jesus, but what do we learn about ourselves; after all, we aren’t lepers.  Even if we have been diagnosed with a rash, poison ivy, eczema, or shingles, we aren’t forced into isolation and desperation.  While we may not be physically sick, in what ways are we like these lepers? 

It used to be that all disease was seen as some kind of curse from God.  If you got leprosy, it was because you had sinned in some way and this God’s punishment.  While that idea changed, and Jesus made clear that disease was not a punishment for sin, many people still did not see things that way.  So when these 10 lepers cried out for mercy, many around them saw 10 sinners reaching out to God for help. 

Can you image what it would be like if we were forced to wear our sins on the outside of our lives?  Lepers had to walk around with messed up hair and torn clothes so that everyone knew to stay away from them because they were unclean.  What if we had to walk around wearing shirts that detailed our sins:  Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Pride, Sloth, Wrath, Envy.  Would we be willing to cry out to Jesus to have mercy on us?  Would we risk more ridicule, more dead ends, and maybe hearing Jesus say no?  Can you imagine saying,

For our pride and indifference, Jesus Master, have mercy on us.  

For our lust and greed and envy, Jesus Master, have mercy on us.  

For our materialism, gossiping hearts, and divisive, destructive language, Jesus Master, have mercy on us.  

We are not that different from these isolated and unclean men.  We too are in need of mercy, and each time we cry out to God to forgive us, each time we ask Jesus for help, he gives it.  It is Jesus who makes us clean.  It is Jesus who lifts us out of shame, washes clean our conscience, and helps us walk into new life.  This is Jesus, kind, forgiving, healing and powerful.

What about us?  What is our response?  Not only do we need to learn how to be kind to others, but we also need to learn how to be grateful.  Of the 10 lepers who were healed, only one returned to Jesus to say thank you.  While all the lepers may have been good people, grateful for the healing and new life Jesus provided, there was just one who stopped to say thank you.  From this leper we need to learn how to stop and say thank you. 

We need to learn what it means to really stop and say thank you to God.  Each morning we need to stop and say, thank you God for another day.  Each evening we need to stop and thank God for that day and for the opportunity to rest.  Each meal we need to stop and thank God for food.  Each moment we go out, we need to thank God for the beauty of the world, and each time we come home we need to thank God for family and friends that strengthen us and give us peace.  Each week we need to stop and set aside time for worship, and lift our hearts and lives and voices above all the things in this world and with others say thank you.  How we spend our money can be an expression of saying thank you to God and others.  Giving to others, helping those in need, walking for those who are hungry, putting buckets together for those who have been flooded out, are all ways we can stop and say thank you. 

I want to invite you this week, to find one way you can stop and say thank you to God each day.  I want to invite you to write it down so that these practices can be repeated and incorporated into your daily return.  Too often we are like the 9 lepers, who were thankful, but just never said anything.  We need to make sure we stop and say something to God. 

I also want us to look at the last sentence again  Then Jesus said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Does Jesus mean that the other 9 weren’t healed?  I don’t think so, remember, Jesus is kind, and faithful.  Jesus is true to his word, so when he offers healing, it comes.  What we need to learn from this verse is that when we stop, and say thank you, when we practice gratitude, our lives are made whole.  Studies show that we are happier when we are grateful.  Being able to see all the good things we have in life, and truly being grateful, improves our mental health, physical strength, and spiritual outlook.  The way for us to go forward, and to be well, is to learn how to stop and give thanks.  It doesn’t always come naturally, but it is a habit we can learn and practice and develop in our lives. 

The kindness of Jesus forgives us, and the kindness of Jesus heals us.  It can heal us in body, mind and spirit.  Every encounter with Jesus is an opportunity for healing, and restoration.  Every encounter with Jesus is also a reminder that we need to stop, return to God, and learn to say thank you.  Every encounter with Jesus is an opportunity for us to practice gratitude, and it is a life of gratitude that truly makes us whole. 


Next Steps
Jesus and Me – Saying Thank You

1. Can you identify a time when you felt isolated or alone due to a physical, spiritual, or emotional sickness? 
• How did this impact your relationships with family and friends? 
• How did this impact your relationship with God?

2. Read Luke 17:11-19. 

3. What would it be like if you had to wear your sins on the outside, or printed on a t-shirt?  Would you be willing to publically cry out to God for mercy? 

4. Name some of the sins that Jesus has forgiven in your life.  How many times have you stopped to say thank you?  When was the last time you specifically said thank you to God?

5. Take time each day this week to stop and say thank you to God for his healing, forgiveness, grace and mercy.  Identify exactly what it is you are giving thanks for each day.
• Monday:_________________________________
• Tuesday:_________________________________
• Wednesday:______________________________
• Thursday:________________________________
• Friday:___________________________________
• Saturday:_________________________________
• Sunday:__________________________________
6. Practice gratitude this week by sending a note of thanks and appreciation to one person who has blessed you.

Jesus & Me

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Jesus just showed up in your life one day.  You are at work, and Jesus is your next appointment.  You drop your kids off at school, or soccer, and Jesus is there waiting for them, and maybe wanting to talk to you.  You are checking out at the grocery store, and the person in front of you buying all the fish and bread in the store is Jesus.  What would that encounter be like?  What would Jesus say?  What would you say?

There are times when this scenario sounds exciting because we all have some questions we would like to ask Jesus, but there are also times when this encounter might seem intimidating.  What would Jesus say about how I am living?  If he showed up at work, or at school, what would he say about my activities?  If he was behind me at the store, what would he say about my purchases?  While there are times we think the meeting with Jesus would be wonderful, we might also have some fear and anxiety. 

The thing is, Jesus is always there.  Jesus is always with us, always by our side, and he is not there to bring condemnation or judgement.  God did not send Jesus into our lives to condemn us, but to save us, and to offer us life.  When we are in Christ, there is no condemnation, so we don’t need to fear these encounters, we need to embrace them.  This month, I want to explore what a meeting would be like between Jesus & Me. 

We know how Jesus wants to engage us in life by looking at how Jesus engaged those he met during his life.  Jesus showed up in people’s lives at very ordinary moments, unexpected moments, and desperate moments, and what we see from Jesus in all of these encounters tells us a lot about Jesus, and it tells us a lot about ourselves, because the people he met are just like you and me.  They were ordinary, broken, lost, and hurting people, and like us, they were trying the best they could to make the most of their lives.  They were searching for God, and for good, and for love – they were just like we are, so each encounter Jesus has with someone tells us something about Jesus and something about us ourselves. 

Today we are going to look at an encounter Jesus had with someone who could have stepped right out of our world, and right out of our community, because he was rich, and each one of us is also rich.  You may not feel it, but simply being born, or living in this nation, we are rich by any standard in our world.  But our wealth doesn’t fill us up, it doesn’t make our lives complete, so there are times we all feel empty, lost, and searching for something more.

Zacchaeus was looking for something more when he went searching for Jesus, and every one of us is also searching for something.  I know this because we are here today.  We are searching for deeper meaning in life than in what we find at work, or in the community.  We are looking for a deeper love than what can be found in our family, and friends.  And we are looking for something larger than ourselves, and maybe even larger than our world, to have faith in, to trust in.  We are not here out of habit, or because we were dragged here by our spouse, or parents, we are here because at some level we are searching, so Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus has something to say to us today. 

Luke tells us the story of Zacchaeus.  Luke 19:1-10
What most of us know about Zacchaeus was that he was short, but what is really important to know about Zacchaeus is that he was a tax collector.  Collecting taxes in Jesus’ day operated a little differently than it does today.  Rome would do a census of a region and count up all the people, crops, trees, and livestock, then they would assess a tax for the entire region.  A person would then bid on the job of collecting those taxes, but if they got the job, they would have to pay the entire tax bill up front. 

The tax collector would then set the amount that each person owed him to cover those taxes.  Obviously the tax collectors would charge people more than the amount set by Rome so they could make money.  If they were an honest tax collector, they would set the taxes just a little higher, but if they were a greedy tax collector they would set the amount much higher, and keep the rest, and the people had no choice but to pay the taxes. 
Since the tax collector paid the entire tax bill up front, if the people didn’t pay, then the tax collector would be out that money, which means that tax collectors went to great lengths to get paid.  Roman historians tell us that tax collectors were ruthless in getting their money.  If a person fled a community in order to escape paying their taxes, a tax collector would often kidnap a family member and then beat them to either get the money, or to get information on where their family member went.  This was serious business, and most tax collectors were feared, and hated, by their neighbors.  Jewish tax collectors were especially hated because they were seen as working with the Roman Empire, which was considered an enemy of the Jewish people. 

So when Luke tells us that Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector, we know that he charged people significantly more than what was needed, and he kept the remainder for himself.  This means he was not well liked.  We also know he wasn’t popular in Jericho because as the crowds gathered to see Jesus, Zacchaeus was frozen out.  As he tried to get close, the people elbowed him away, so that Zacchaeus was forced to not only run ahead of the crowd, but he had to climb a tree in order to see Jesus.  So it wasn’t that he was short that made Zacchaeus climb a tree, it was because he was despised by others.  He was isolated, hated, and alone, but he was also searching.   

But why did Zacchaeus want to see Jesus in the first place?  He had everything he could ever need.  He was wealthy.  He had a steady source of future income, and while some people may not have liked him, he had his circle of friends.  He had a decent life, and lots of money, so why did he want to see Jesus?  Was it just curiosity, or was there something more.  This is where we begin to learn something about Zacchaeus. 

Zacchaeus didn’t have it all.  He had money, but he felt isolate, alone, and despised.  Deep down he wanted to know that God still cared for him, and that is why he went to see Jesus.  Word had spread through the entire region that Jesus was a rabbi who was a friend of sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors.  It was unheard of for rabbis to be friends with tax collectors, but Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was, so maybe there was hope.  If this rabbi really loved tax collectors, then maybe there was hope that Zacchaeus could be loved, and accepted by God and others. 

Once again, we are just like Zacchaeus.  We have those moments where we just want to know that we are loved and accepted by God.  We know our life is a mess, we know we aren’t living the way we should be living, we know we don’t always move in God’s divine direction, or measure up to God’s standard, and we struggle with our sin.  At times we are just like Zacchaeus, feeling lost, isolated, and alone.  We are homesick for God.  We just want a glimpse of Jesus because if he is a friend of sinners, then maybe he will be my friend as well.  We are Zacchaeus sitting in the tree.  We are rich, lost, and yet searching to be connected to, and loved by God.  We want to come home – we want to belong to God, and know that we are safe, and secure, and loved. 

So we are Zacchaeus, and here is what we learn about Jesus, he doesn’t disappoint!  Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, where in just a few weeks he will die.  Jesus knows this is coming, he is overwhelmed by the crowds who are pressing in to be helped and healed, and yet in the midst of that chaos, Jesus sees Zacchaeus sitting in the tree searching for him, and Jesus’ heart is moved.  Jesus reaches out to Zacchaeus.  How easy it would have been for Jesus to just keep going, after all, this was a tax collector.  He had cheated people, dishonored people, maybe even abused people to get his money, but Jesus didn’t pass him by – he reached out to him.  In kindness Jesus reached out to Zacchaeus, and that is what we learn about Jesus – Jesus is kind. 

Zacchaeus was drawn to Jesus because he had heard that Jesus was kind, and Jesus did not disappoint.  In kindness Jesus reached back.  Jesus not only accepted him, he honored Zacchaeus by going to his house, and it was Jesus who offered Zacchaeus salvation, and life.  It is always the kindness of Jesus that accepts us, and offers us salvation, and life. 

When we are lost, and searching; Jesus is kind.  When we are looking for acceptance, and love; Jesus welcomes us home with love and compassion.  When we want our lives to matter, and when we want to feel connected to God and one another; Jesus brings meaning, purpose, and relationship.  That is exactly what Jesus did for Zacchaeus.  While others tried to keep Zacchaeus away, Jesus drew him in.  Jesus accepted him.  Jesus offered him salvation and life – which Zacchaeus grabbed hold of, and it was the kindness of Jesus that changed his life.  The new life of Zacchaeus was one where he said he would repay those he cheated, and live honorably in the future.  The kindness of Jesus not only brings Zacchaeus life, but it helps make Zacchaeus kind.

So let me close with this thought, and challenge.  How does the kindness of Jesus help us become more kind?  We have been accepted by Jesus, welcomed into his heart, and given the gift of life; are we working to offer this kindness to others?  Are we like the crowds who tried to keep Zacchaeus away from the love and grace of God, or are we like Jesus, reaching out to offer the love and grace of God to everyone.  Does the way we talk about our faith inspire, and encourage others to search for Jesus, or do our words condemn and judge those who are not following Jesus? 

Unfortunately, dozens of studies and polls show that the world often sees churches, and Christians, as unloving and judgmental.  Too often, followers of Jesus are just not seen as being gracious, generous, and kind – so how can we change that?  How can we start being kind, not to seek recognition, to have our actions go viral on social media, so that all the attention is on ourselves, but to simply honor and glorify God? 

On an average Sunday, there are 400 people in worship here at Faith Church, what would our community look like if every week each one of us did one act of kindness?  We offer friendship to someone at school who seems to always be alone.  We reach out to the coworker that just started, or the one drives us all crazy.  We do a good deed for a neighbor, pay for the coffee of the person behind us in line at Cool Beans, or offer kind words to our neighbors. 

What would it look like if we did this twice a week?  800 acts of kindness in our community.  What if we could do it once a day for one week?  2,800 acts of kindness.  2,800 moments when the love of God reaches out to people just like us – rich, lost, and yet searching.   Kindness turned Zacchaeus around.  Maybe being kind would turn around the lives of people in our community.  Maybe simply being kind, living like Jesus, would turn our world around. 

So here is the challenge.  As you leave here today we have a Kindness Card we want to give you.  While it says to do an act of kindness and then leave the card someplace where someone else might pick it up and keep the acts of kindness going, I don’t want you to do that just yet.  I want to invite you to use the card during the week to remind you to do an act of kindness every day so that 2,800 acts of kindness can penetrate our community.  I want you to hold on to the card until being kind becomes a habit, and part of your life, and then I invite you to pray about passing it on to someone else, or leaving it someplace where someone might pick it up and keep it going. 

The kindness of Jesus changed a man, and then changed his circle of friends, and then his community.  Our acts of kindness in Jesus’ name can change hearts, and lives, and our community, and our culture, and our world. 

 
Next Steps
Jesus and Me – Zacchaeus

1. Read the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10

2. When have you felt isolated and alone?
• From God
• From Family
• From Friends

3. In what ways are you feeling isolated and alone today?  In what ways are you “homesick” for God? 

4. Zacchaeus was willing to run ahead AND climb a tree to get just a glimpse of Jesus.  What are you willing to do in order to get a glimpse of Jesus?  What are you willing to do in order for Jesus to become more a part of your life? 

5.  Jesus was kind and reached out to Zacchaeus.  Christians today are often not considered kind.  What acts of kindness can you do this week to help draw others to Jesus? 

6. Jesus’ kindness changed Zacchaeus’ life.  Where have you seen the life changing kindness of Jesus at work, either in your own life, in the lives of those you know, or in stories you have read about others?  Use these stories to inspire you to be kind.

Prayer for the week: 
Lord Jesus, you come to me during the ordinary and busy moments of my life.  May I, like Zacchaeus, always be ready to respond to your eternal love and kindness.  Thank you for including me among the people you are eager to dine with. Thank you for bringing salvation to my life this day.  Keep me focused on you as the source of all kindness, as I seek to be kind to others.  Amen.