The Proclaimed Word
Preached by the Reverend Canon Durrell Watkins at
the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, November 4, 2007.
My great-aunt Gladys, bless her heart, was a bit of a gambler. One day
went she went to her bank to deposit her winnings from video poker and she
bet the teller $50 bucks that in 24 hours he’d have a butterfly tattoo on
his backside. The teller said, “I can’t take that bet; it will never
happen.” Indignant, my great aunt said, “Young man, I am a faithful
customer of this bank and if you won’t indulge a loyal customer in this
simple pleasure I’m afraid I’ll have to take my business elsewhere!” To
quiet my irrationally annoyed relative, the teller took the bet and
thought no more of it, until…
The next day Aunt Gladys returns to the bank, to the same teller, and she
has her priest with her to witness the transaction. The teller says, “How
may I may I help you today?” to which my great aunt answered, “You may turn
around and drop trousers for us to see your butterfly tattoo.” Embarrassed,
the teller said, “Lady, I don’t have a tattoo. I didn’t get a tattoo. I will
never get a tattoo, not there, not of a butterfly, not ever.” Again, quite
perturbed, my aunt scolded him, “You can’t possibly ask me to take your word
for it! I have $50 riding on this and I need proof.” The teller spun around
furiously, dropped his pants and raised his shirt to display tattoo free
flesh. Just as the teller pulled up his pants and turned back around to face
my Aunt Gladys again, he saw the priest shove an envelope into her coat
pocket and storm out. Worried that he had made a terrible mistake, the
teller said, “Did I offend your priest by dropping my pants?” And Aunt
Gladys said, “No dear, he’s just a sore loser. I bet him $100 I could get a
nice young man to moon a grandmother and a priest.”
I hope you don’t think my colorful aunt to be a wicked sinner, though you
will have noticed that in the gospel reading Zacchaeus is judged to be a
sinner. As a Chief Tax Collector he was seen as sort of a traitor to the
people he had to shake down. He represents a system that people found
oppressive and intrusive. And so he is called by his detractors a “sinner.”
They undoubtedly can quote chapter and verse to justify their harsh
judgments. And yet this “sinner” has a faithful heart! And Jesus responds to
that faithful heart.
This so-called sinner is one whom Jesus embraces. Not only does Jesus go
into Zacchaeus’ house, he invites himself. He says, “Zacchaeus, get out of
that tree and be my host. I’m going to be your guest today.” Jesus doesn’t
merely tolerate Zacchaeus, he seeks him out and initiates the friendship!
Jesus doesn’t condemn the one other religious people had
condemned…Condemnation is not Jesus’ way; the Apostle Paul wrote in his
letter to the Romans that there is no condemnation for those who are in
Christ!
Not only does Jesus not condemn Zacchaeus, but he invites himself into his
home, and into his life. Religious arrogance will tell you who is beyond the
reach of God’s love, but Jesus has no time for that. He walks right up to
those whom religion has condemned and starts making friends.
Of course, religious people had something to say about it. They grumbled,
“That Jesus has gone to stay in the house of a sinner.” But this so-called
sinner says to Jesus, “I’ll give away half of what I own.” Such warmth, such
generosity from someone who was supposed to be a horrible sinner! Zacchaeus
also promises to make amends to anyone he has cheated in his business
dealings. It is Zacchaeus, and not his religious critics, who demonstrates
Jesus’ Golden Rule. And Jesus affirms him.
Why must this story have been so important to those who first heard it? We
must remember… the writer of this gospel is not following Jesus around
recording events as they happen. Luke’s gospel is written decades after
Jesus’ crucifixion. It is written years after Jerusalem and its Temple are
destroyed by Rome . The writer we call Luke is piecing together things he’s
read in Mark’s gospel, and from another source, and he’s adding in stuff
he’s heard from oral tradition and he doubtlessly uses his own imagination
as well. He is remembering and applying the stories he has read and heard to
his own life’s story. And in the life of the writer of this gospel,
Jerusalem has been sacked. The Temple has been razed. And life for his
community has become very difficult…and in that setting he puts these words
in Jesus’ mouth, “I have come to reclaim and recover what was lost.”
What good news this must have been to people who had lost so much. If you
have ever lost hope, you know how dramatic and dynamic and miraculous it is
to have that hope restored, recovered. The people have lost so much and to
THESE people Luke tells a story of Jesus saying, “I’ve come to seek and to
save what was lost.” Those words must have penetrated the very souls of the
people who first heard them, like a spiritual balm soothing the deepest
aches.
To people who had been judged to be rabble rousers and riff raff, how
encouraging it must have been to see Zacchaeus the social pariah, embraced
by Jesus. Others have called him a sinner, but Jesus calls him a friend.
What a powerful image that must be to people who have had their hope
hijacked and their dignity denied!
In his gospel, Luke has shown us a shepherd going after the lost, wandering
lamb. Luke has shown us the woman who tears her house apart looking for that
one, lost coin. Luke has shown us the parent who welcomes a lost child home
with no questions asked. And now Zacchaeus, written off by others as a
sinner, is seen by Luke’s Jesus to be a kind and generous person of
integrity and so we hear Jesus say, “this is why I’m here… to find and
affirm and build up and welcome and praise and love those whose sacred worth
and value and dignity have been overlooked.”
The lamb could not get away from God’s love. The coin could not get away
from God’s love. The prodigal child could not get away from God’s love. And
though tossed aside by the judgments and condemnation of religious people,
Zacchaeus could not get away from God’s love! Luke’s message, from beginning
to end, is clear and consistent… no one is beyond the reach of God’s love.
The Church has too often used God’s name in vain, saying that its hatred of
those who are different is simply fidelity to God’s will. But blaming hatred
on the God that is Love is the worst sort of blasphemy. And yet, there are
those within the Christian community who are willing to declare that human
prejudices are not divine. There are now congregations, like Sunshine
Cathedral, who will stand up and say that whenever the Church has used
scripture and religion to control, shame, or exclude, we have erred. We are
ready to redeem our faith and let it now be a symbol of hope and healing and
inclusion.
Jesus’ message is: OTHERS have said you were a sinner; I am saying you are
my friend. By seeing the dignity and sacred value in every person, we are
calling forth the best in each person. When given an opportunity, Zacchaeus
demonstrated his faithfulness. When embraced and included, he was suddenly
free to be his best self.
It’s two millennia since this story was first written, and the Way of
inclusion that Jesus demonstrated, the Truth of God’s unconditional love
that he preached, and the Life of hope and empowerment that he wanted for
all people are still needed today. There are still people who have been
shunned, condemned, abandoned and they need to hear that there is a place
for them where they will be free to be their best selves.
Isn’t that why we are here? Not just to enjoy a nice worship space or the
company of good friends. Those blessings are wonderful, but they aren’t
enough. Zacchaeus was rich and successful, but it wasn’t enough. He needed
to believe in himself and he needed to give of himself. And Jesus offered
him both opportunities. Here at the Sunshine Cathedral, Jesus continues to
offer those opportunities.
Until every person who wants to bring their doubts and their thoughts and
their feelings and their hopes into their faith experience learns that there
is a place where they can do just that… our mission is not complete.
Until we have offered hope and encouragement to people on every continent
by means of the internet and other media… our mission is not complete.
Until every person with AIDS, or cancer, or MS, or depression, or diabetes
knows that regardless of conditions they are whole and are made in the image
of God… our mission is not complete.
Until every person in the leather community knows that they have a
spiritual home at Sunshine Cathedral… our mission is not complete.
Until every same-gender loving person knows that God IS LOVE and WHOEVER
lives in love lives in God and God lives in them (1 John 4.16)… our mission
is not complete.
Until every victim of the homophobic venom that is spewed from preachers’
pulpits and political platforms knows there is a safe place where they will
be honored and celebrated for who they really are… our mission is not
complete.
Until we offer a progressive, positive, practical alternative to everyone
who has been wounded or excluded by the pugnacity that poses as religion…
our mission is not complete.
Until every transgender person knows that God loves them as they are and as
they discover themselves to be… our mission is not complete.
Until people of all races and ethnicities, various religious traditions,
women and men, heterosexual and homosexual and bisexual know that all of who
they are will be welcome in this place… our mission is not complete.
Until every Jamaican knows that there is a community of faith that will
stand with them as they work for justice for all people in their culture and
country… our mission is not complete.
We are here to seek and to save all who have been excluded, ignored, left
out, pushed out… and our mission is not complete.
Will you commit to the ongoing mission of Sharing the Light with the World?
Will you dare to believe in yourself and give of yourself to make this a
house of prayer for ALL people? Can we work together to be the presence of
Christ in our world? If so, then as Jesus said to Zacchaeus, right here and
now salvation is happening in this house! This is the Good News. Amen.