Luke 19:1-11
I thought it might be helpful to have some background on me, to help you understand the perspectives I bring to the text today.
I grew up un-churched. In fact I would say I was an atheist. I would get infuriated when I would see or hear things like “In God we trust”, “One nation under God”, or “So help me God”. When I was in college, I recall attending a Campus Crusade service. They really freaked me out at the time.
I did not attend church until I married my Wife Kris. We were married in and later attended a Catholic Church. I figured that if I were to go, I would start asking questions. However, the answers were way less than what I expected. We do this because we have always done so; we do this for tradition, etc. Our son was baptized in the Catholic Church but I really never want to attend without getting answers.
Here is the long short of what put me into seminary and now internship in a campus ministry site. I was able to sit down with a Lutheran Pastor and get my questions answered. Although we did not attend regularly we did go more often. My daughter was later baptized in the Lutheran Church and when I was 30 year old, I was baptized. After switching churches, I became more involved in the church and kept stepping into areas that I was not comfortable, but it allowed my faith to grow. I now was assisting during services, served on council, Sunday School and many other aspects of the church. It was from there I attended a two year lay school and was later installed in another church as their Deacon.
During the almost six years, and still counting as serving as a Deacon, I was mentored by a wonderful Pastor who allowed me to explore all sorts of aspects of my faith. I started online seminary and later our family sold the house and moved to seminary.
Okay, with all that being said, what the heck this has to do with our text, you might be asking. Jesus’ entire mission, particularly if you look in Luke, is about seeking out the lost and bringing them back to righteousness through Him. I was the lost and even today I am still lost but Jesus keeps brining me back to the path that leads to righteousness.
Zacchaeus was a sinner, he was lost but Jesus went out of his way to stay with the lost, the sinners. This day was no different when Jesus tells Zacchaeus that he must stay with him. Jesus works through fellowship over dinner in the house of a sinner. The others around would not stand it! Tax collectors were notorious for taking more than the Roman Empire required and would pocket the rest. To be Jewish, working for the Empire, collecting taxes was not bad enough but he was a chief tax collector, giving him greater power, more opportunity to cheat and he was very wealthy and all could see it. This man was lost and not doing as the scriptures had demanded of him. Jews were required to tithe, to look out for the poor, the widows and the orphans. Instead he was taking advantage of each of those that he should be caring for.
The text does not say, so we can only surmise that maybe Zacchaeus had changed prior to seeing Jesus face to face but then again it may have taken this encounter with Jesus, like it did Paul when he encountered Jesus on the road. Zacchaeus says he gives half to the poor and will give four times the amount to anyone he has cheated. In the Greek text, it is clear that this is not he will give but he gives. Whether he is now giving or will give is not important but what is, there is a change, a change that Jesus sees salvation to Zacchaeus and his house. The lost sheep has been found. To give half to the poor was obviously more than a tithe. What it really shows is a total change in character from what he was before. Also, to give back four times what he has cheated others out of is well beyond what was called for in Leviticus and Numbers. As a Jew he was called to give back what he cheated others out of, plus only one-fifth more. This is another example of the change in Zacchaeus.
We are called to tithe to our church and then we can give and should give more on top of that. Remember, Jesus did not come to abolish the law but only to fulfill the law. My family never tithed until coming to seminary. I thought tithing was giving to church and charity combined. In fact I did not really understand good stewardship starts with tithing. Tithing is also not 10% of your money to charity but to the church. For churches, it is 10% to the synod that you are part of. Tithing is the minimum, more is encouraged. This may be more money to the church, it could be other organizations but it also can be of our time and talents. Our tithing, our helping of the widow, orphans and poor are not works for salvation but works as a response for what God does for us in Jesus.
Yes, yes, you may have heard all this before. However it really does work for us to tithe and it really is what we are to do. For the Jews they were to tithe and take care of the widows and the poor. Jesus moved the mission to include Christians. The mission of the church is to be there for the least, last and lost to be there to take care of the poor, orphans and the widow. How can the church do this without the funds to do so. It is not however only the church’s mission, it is each an every Christian’s mission and tithing is only the beginning of taking care of the widows, orphans and the poor.
Prior to seminary, our family brought in a very good income. However, my attitude towards others was poor at very best. I thought much about myself and stuff that we “needed/wanted”. I was not a nice person as a police officer and it was not much better after I left the job. God did not give up and kept working on me. I began to learn of God’s Love and what I was responsible for. There has been a dramatic change in how our family gives and takes responsibility in the Christian mission. We bring in far less than we had before, but we can now tithe and give beyond. Tithing is the first priority for us, then we figure out about other spending. I have so far taken 32 courses in seminary. The first year is mostly very heady and theological stuff. It was year two I have some of my best courses. Wartburg is now preparing us through community and courses to be a community in Christian mission.
Recently my wife, son and myself started Dave’s Ramsey’s Financial University and it has opened out eyes even more. This course is not just about money, but about a change in attitude and all the possibilities God has opened for us all. Seminary is costly, only in terms of money. Speaking in terms of money, tuition and fees are nearly $15,5500 per year. That is just to study; this does not include room, board or health insurance. Many of the students, and I am no exception, have to take out student loans at over 6% interest rate that begins as soon as the loan is accepted. There it is, that is the downside of seminary. Now for the upside. Seminary is full of wealth for our entire family spiritually. My wife and daughter have even taken seminary classes, which in turn has changed them as part of the overall change our family has experienced.
For ourselves, we needed to restrict my internship due to medical, educational and employment. My daughter is going to graduate this January from high school, my wife has some medical issues that were best served staying on campus during internship and she is the one that supplies insurance for the entire family.
When asked if I was interested in campus ministry for my internship, it was the furthest thing in my mind. I believed it was so out of my comfort zone, that I just did not feel it was a good fit.
God had other plans and now I am the campus minister for Lutheran Campus Ministries, University of Wisconsin Platteville. This has been a great opportunity to learn another ministry that I never thought I could or would want to do. These students, young adults, are away from home, away from their home church and need the stability of church in their lives. Some of them are life long ELCA Lutherans, yes the ELCA is 25 years old. The students range from 18 to 23 years old. Some of the students grew up un-churched but made connections with students in campus ministry. We have Missouri Synod Lutherans, ELCA, Catholics, Jews, and a variety of other denominations or non-denominational.
I cannot stress how important it is, how much of a responsibility it is and how much of an impact that campus ministry has on those involved. We provide a free meal every Wednesday for ANY student that wants one. This is for those that are officially or not, part of our campus ministry. As far as we are concerned, if you come through the doors, you are part of the ministry. The people of the First English Lutheran Church, volunteer to donate food, cook the food and provide the majority of the meals.
Following the meals, we have presentations from other church organizations; Bible study, biblical video studies and sometimes just playing games where we get to know each other better. This January, we will be headed to Houston TX to be part of a wide range of urban ministries. Each of the students has been tasked with helping to raise $700 per person to go on the trip. This fund-raising will be through direct donations, purchase of Butter Braids and a Bazaar that will include items that the students obtain from local business.
Financial responsibility begins at home, making priority for caring for God’s children. Though tithing, each individual church can make financial contributions to the local communities, seminaries, and campus ministries. The local church tithes to the local synod. It is the local synod that does the same pieces and more. They can reach further, beyond the local community to extend the reach of assisting the widows, orphans and the poor. Each synod, tithes to the ELCA, where they to do the same as the synod and the local church. The ELCA has international reach to continue the Christian mission. It all starts at the individual to carry out the Christian Mission. Without the individual, the Christian Mission of caring the for Widows, Orphans and poor cannot be carried out fully as God has asked us to do.
Zacchaeus makes the change and commitment. It is in our Christian mission that seminarians, campus ministers, those to attend campus ministry and all those that enter the door of the churches are given the opportunity to experience God’s love and carry out the Christian Mission both inside the four walls of a Church and beyond. Which in turn has the opportunity for all of God’s children to experience God’s love. Today is the day to make a commitment back to God, for what God has given us in Christ Jesus, to do what God expects of us, for God’s children.
Amen
Douglas, I think you knock the Catholic Church too often. You can be a good Lutheran without trying to give MY Church a black eye all the time. First of all the only Catholic Church that you know is the Latin Rite. The Eastern Church is much more spiritual than the western church. And of course all of the reformed churches including Lutheran are from the western church. There are many thousands and millions of us in the Eastern Church, both Catholic and Orthodox who would differ with you and all protestants on many subjects and issues. But I do not want to argue religion or the divisions of Christianity. I just look to the ancient and original Church, which is both Catholic and Orthodox, and I need no other. I do not need a Luther, or a Knox, or a Calvin, or a Zwingli in my Faith. I have the ancient Fathers of the Church, and you know who they are, too. I also have the ancient Councils of the whole Church which still guide the Catholic and Orthodox Churches of today. As far as I am concerned if a church does not recognize those Councils and follow them, then it is not a church. Does ELCA adhere to letter and spirit of the law of those Councils?
Dominic, I am very sorry that out of the 1,900 words that are in my post, you were so offended by my reflection on my personal history, which sets the context for my sermon. It is never a knock to the Catholic Church, it is only from my personal history or others that I speak and relate within the sermons. It would seem that you might believe I leave this out, which would not have the same impact to understand the context to the situation at hand.
In this sermon I spoke from my own history and I have never spoke about the Catholic Church other than with respect to the Roman Catholic Church. However, the Roman Catholic Church does not consider them as such but only as the Catholic Church.
With regards to “MY Church”, this seems to take ownership of something that only belongs to God with Christ being the head of the church. The church is headed by Jesus Christ and contains all those that believe. So the church is much larger than any single denomination.
When you speak of the Eastern vs. Western church with one being more spiritual than another, that presents its own issue where an individual or even a group of individuals seem to think their spirituality is better than another. Judgment belongs to the Lord our God, not to humans. Spirituality in itself is reflective of the connection that a human has to God and who is to say that one person or group of persons are more connected than another. This is not something we can or should judge.
Yes, I agree there are many differences between Protestants and the Catholic Church but also between Protestants and some more orthodox churches. This is what the reformation was about, fundamental disagreements about how to interpret scripture. However, I believe God is forever creating. With creation still ongoing, the context of today is necessary to take in account with interpretation and cannot be static. That also being said, the historical and biblical context is also necessary for interpretation.
When you say, “I do not need a Luther, or a Knox, or a Calvin, or a Zwingli in my Faith.” You reject then also what the Pope believes and says? The Catholic Church has been in dialog for 50 years with the Lutheran Church, which is made up of multiple Lutheran denominations, who are also influenced by other denominations too. It is important to realize that Lutheran is not descriptive enough. One must realize that there are multiple Lutheran denominations throughout the world. The Pope gave thanks recently for the Lutheran Catholic dialogs that have been ongoing.http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-gives-thanks-for-advances-in-lutheran-catholi
It is through these dialogs that Lutherans and Catholics have come to shared understandings of interpretations. These understandings have had both the Lutherans and the Catholics have a change in theological understanding of the scriptures. If those talks were not happening, then there is a possibility that neither may have had made advances to a new theological understanding. One of the major accomplishments was several years ago on the agreement of the “Means and Use of Grace”. This was a major milestone where the joint theological understanding is that the Grace of God, is nothing that can be merited in anyway but something that God chooses to impart because of God’s Son not through the works of or because the works of humans but because of Christ Jesus alone. See this link on the Vatican web site:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html
Martin Luther was part of the Catholic Church until he was excommunicated. He would, I believe, still consider himself Catholic. His intent was never to form a new Church but to reform the Catholic Church. There were some obvious abuses within the Catholic Church. There are abuses in many denominations where people are involved. Abuses were and still continue. We pray for Christ comes again and this will end the abuses.
As for the councils of ancient councils, which do you refer to? Some were improved upon by others and the Catholic Church does not adhere to all previous councils and therefore to make a blanket statement that if these councils are not adhered to then it is not a Church is dangerous at best.
The ELCA adheres to Nicene Creed that came out of the council of Nicene. We also recognize the Creed of St. Athanasius. These are just a couple of examples but there are many councils and ancient fathers that help form the understanding of scripture and our beliefs. As I said previously, Martin Luther was a Catholic and would be so if he had not been excommunicated. The basis of the faith was not in question; some of the interpretations and abuses were in question. Here is a link to the 95 Theses of Martin Luther, which details the disagreements he had with the Catholic Church.
http://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html
Lastly, please keep in mind, my sermons are for a particular context, which is not the Catholic Church, but most always a Lutheran congregation and in such is based upon a Lutheran perspective.
May the peace of God be with you always.