sermon excerpts: "Lunch with the Little Guy" - Luke 19: 1-10

Here now is quite a picture! Zacchaeus, an obscenely rich and powerful man of society, clambering up a second-class tree in his finery – expensive robes and designer sandals – to get a look at what the fuss was about in the streets. Naturally, he would try to be as inconspicuous about this as possible, concealing himself as best he could.

Jesus notices the hidden man in the tree, calls him by name, invites himself over to his home. Jesus must know this would send murmuring and rumours through the crowd. He picked the most hated individual of the crowd and favours his household with his presence.

As if Zacchaeus didn’t have enough already, a success in many measures of our world; he had money and power. Sure nobody liked him, but with enough wealth and influence, friends and enemies didn’t matter much. The fact that he positioned himself on the outside must have struck a chord with Jesus.

We know Jesus gravitated to the outcast and marginalized. We tend to look upon such groups as the lepers, the prostitutes, the widows and the impoverished. Why and how did this man become the focus of Jesus attention that day? Better miracles could have been done that day.

The crowd responds as expected: Zacchaeus?! That guy? The thief, the money-grubbing, puppet of Rome? Turned his back on his own people, can’t be trusted, good for nothing Zacchaeus. If we were looking for someone on the outside, I think we’ve found our man.

While he makes a good show of repenting, of citing biblical laws of atonement (the book of Leviticus presents a formula of 4:1, one stolen sheep requires repayment of 4 sheep to the rightful owner), there is still a question of the sincerity of his decision. Is he trying to buy favour and friendship from his peer group now?

The follow through of a lifestyle change, of dispersing his assets, and we wonder if maybe Zacchaeus was a decent guy caught up in a system of corruption, unable to see a way of getting out. After all, the name “Zacchaeus” means “clean” or “innocent.” How long with this new found attitude last? Maybe he really and truly is just a greedy tax collector at heart.

Who was Zacchaeus really? We know him by his occupation, by his physical qualities, but God looks beyond that. God sees us in our hiding places, calls to us, and restores us to community. No matter what public façade we put on, no matter what qualities and characteristics we have that are positives, we all feel outcast and excluded in some way.

Which is why I uphold that the church needs to be a place of welcome and acceptance and hospitality. Not just for people on the edges, or up in the trees, but also for those in the crowds, there is a place where it is possible to be known and accepted. God’s attention and focus seeks us out and brings us forward.

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In Christ, Zacchaeus experienced the power of being noticed. In this encounter, the hated tax collector was identified by name, invited to share time with a saviour whose time was at a premium. For much of his life, Zacchaeus was noticed for the negative reasons; caught in that tree, he was noticed and accepted for who he was. Jesus already had committed himself to coming over whether Zacchaeus repented and repaid people or not.

As a congregation, we are caught in a crowd and are milling about seeking the same thing as other churches. We want the secret to success, the magic procedure, the key to relevance and vitality. We jostle and crane our necks to see if we can find it, looking where our neighbours are looking, borrowing their fundraising schemes or worship ideas.

Might we take a page from Zacchaeus, of bringing attention to oneself by being on the outside, of doing something different, by breaking away from the pack? Is there a way to make a new name for ourselves? What might be done here that is uniquely suited to the strengths of this community?

Fine for me to ask that now, I’m leaving in the new year, 8 Sundays after today. In the meantime there will be ongoing dialogue with Presbytery and Conference about the needs and visions for this charge, an accelerated confirmation class, preparation for Advent and Christmas, and getting ready for our goodbye.

Amid the crowded list of things I’d like to do before departing, I’ll remind myself to look elsewhere, off the beaten path, to notice the little things that matter, that make a difference. For trees and leaves, harvest and homes, we give our thanks.

Faith Fair – That We May Know Each Other

On Saturday October 16^th, Trinity United Church hosted a Faith Fair entitled “That we may know each other”. A rapt crowd listened to the origins, unique elements, and daily expression of four different religions at this second ‘Faith Fair’, a continuation of the series of regional events for area United Churches. The purpose of the event was to promote understanding of non-Christian religions in our predominantly Christian community. Organizers felt that by offering an evening of discussion, then awareness, respect and understanding for all faiths could be advanced.

Explaining their individual faiths were Emanuel L. Levin of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Matthew Stevens of Sarnia, William Neal, and Leon Shanfield, both of London.

Emanuel Levin is a direct disciple of the Sufi mystic teacher Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, with whom he studied from their meeting in 1972 until the teacher’s death in 1986. Mr. Levin has since shared what he learned, speaking around the globe about the teachings of Sufism. The International Association of Sufism has published his book On the Road to Infinity, a compilation of his talks.

Matthew Stevens is an ordained minister within the United Church, but with his Kanien’keha:ka Haudenosaunee (Mohawk) and Irish Metis heritage he has been recognized as an Elder within the Anishinaabek (Ojibwe) people and represented First Nations Spirituality at the Faith Fair. He has served both First Nations and dominant society congregations across Canada. Mr. Stevens serves as the Resource for Stewardship, Justice, and Right Relations with the London Conference of the United Church of Canada.

William Neal grew up in North Bay, Ontario. As a student of theoretical physics at the University of Guelph he felt spiritually unfulfilled and studied various religions. Upon moving to Guyana, he was introduced to the Baha’i Faith and found it answered his life questions. He began his teaching career in Guyana at a Baha’i-inspired school, met his wife there and subsequently moved back to Canada. He is now Vice Principal at Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute, a Baha’i-inspired school in London.

Leon Shanfield has been a friend of Glencoe’s Gord Leach since they were students together at Sir Adam Beck Secondary School in London. Mr. Shanfield was born into the Jewish faith and continues to embrace his Jewish heritage. He is a retired lawyer.

Rev. Kenji Marui directed each of the panelists to answer five questions about their faith: its origin; its unique elements, or what personally attracted them to it; how it affects their everyday lives; the misconceptions about their faith that they would like to clear up; and finally, any further remarks.

Stevens indicated that all beings are divine. The only sin is a lack of gratitude. Sunrise offers a fresh opportunity every day to start over through cleansing and prayer. He felt that if you used your religion to beat down others you have defiled your own religion.

Neal advised we are all the leaves and fruit of one tree. The Baha’i faith is a monotheistic religion. It was founded by Baha’u’llah in the 19^th century, whose writings were voluminous. They strive for universal unity among mankind. They accept the teachings of all of the great prophets and saints throughout the ages.

Levin explained that Sufism is an ancient mystical tradition, which found its form in Islam. It is based on a teacher-disciple relationship with the teacher being the mirror for the disciple. Sufism is about transformation, changing from Insan (man) to Insan Kamel (perfected man). This is done by becoming the qualities that are God-like.

Judaism is based in the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. In Canada at present, there are three major branches of Judaism - orthodox, conservative and reform. Judaism is an ethical religion. Some of the major holidays are Passover - the exodus from Egypt; Rosh Hashanah - the New Year and the period of repentance, which culminates in Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement; and Hanukkah which is the festival of lights and regeneration and coincides with Christmas but is not otherwise related.

Upon reflection listeners noted the common threads of all faiths. While each individual may take their own personal path, we all share a common goal of ultimately connecting with God. We are more similar than we are different.

The formal portion of the evening was followed by refreshments and an opportunity for individual discussion.

The Numbers

The congregations of Appin and Trinity United Church met this morning to discuss the idea of worshipping together in the new year. The results of the respective votes were quite decisive.

In Appin, 16 voted "Yes" and 33 voted "No".
At Trinity (Glencoe), 36 voted "Yes" and 4 voted "No".

What this means is the proposal will not go forward and that things will continue as the status quo. As for next steps, we are not sure what will happen. The questions of why people voted as they did and what might be other suggestions to consider need to be answered.

The respective Sessions of the churches will re-evaluate and re-group as we continue to seek new vision for our mission in Southwest Middlesex. If anyone has ideas or input, contact any Session member, or leave a Comment below.

P.S. my cellphone works again - albeit a little damp still - after another adventure through the washing machine. My compliments to Samsung! - Kenji

Dog Days and Cleaning Bees

After an August "off", with thanks for the hospitality of Presbyterians, things are gearing up for September's far-too-quick arrival.

This Saturday, September 4th at 9 a.m., Trinity United Church will be having a cleaning bee to clear out cobwebs, dead bugs (possibly bats) and polish things up for a return to routine. Join us if you're able to help for even a little bit.