November 23, 2008

Proper Perspective

Luke 19:1-10

Opening Words: On November 26, 1789 President George Washington called the nation to a day of thanksgiving. The mood of the country was right. Those early Americans were thankful for their independence and thankful for the progress they were making as a nation. Washington’s idea of a national thanksgiving was not new. Many individual communities across America had been celebrating their o wn thanksgiving day. The most famous was the thanksgiving day held by the Pilgrims, English colonists, in Plymouth Massachusetts in 1621. They were thankful they had survived the harsh New England winter of 1620. It was the Episcopal Church who made thanksgiving an annual event. They called their members to a thanksgiving service annually on the first Thursday of November. This event became so popular many states declared the first Thursday in November a state holiday. It wasn’t until Abraham Lincoln in 1863 declared Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. He moved it to the last Thursday in November. It stayed on that day until 1941. Franklin D. Roosevelt permanently moved Thanksgiving Day to the forth Thursday in November. The reason for the change was economics. He wanted to help the struggling economy by extending the shopping season.

Can I tell you something everyone knows. Thanksgiving is not a day on the calendar. It is an attitude! Thanksgiving Day challenges us to look at life from a different perspective. On this Thanksgiving Day are you going to be preoccupied with everything you want? Or on this Thanksgiving Day are you going to be preoccupied with what you have? You can own everything you want and still be miserable. If you don't believe me then look at the main character in this morning's Gospel lesson, Zacchaeus. We find his story in the first ten verses in the nineteenth chapter of Luke. Let us hear these words together.

Luke 19:1 -10 1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' " 8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." 9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."

It is all a question of perspective. I love the story of the young college student who wrote the follow letter home to her parents.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Just thought I'd drop you a note to clue you in on my plans. I've fallen in love with a guy called Jim. His story is a little complex. He quit high school after grade eleven to get married. That married didn’t work out so well. He got divorced three months ago .

We've been going steady the last two months and plan to get married in the fall. Until then, I've decided to move into his apartment and I maybe pregnant.

At any rate, I dropped out of school last week, although I'd like to finish college sometime in the future.

(On the next page the letter continued)

Mom and Dad,

I just want you to know that everything I've written so far in this letter is false. NONE of it is true. I am not living with a guy named Jim and I am not pregnant. But, Mom and Dad, it IS true that I got a C- in French and flunked my math class... and it IS true that I'm going to need some more money for my tuition payments.

Love,

Jessica

PS I love you

Jessica may not have mastered French or mathematics but I think she will do very well in life. Why? Because, she understood the human condition. She understood the significance of holding the right perspective. The perspective you hold in your life has the ability to make your failures sound like successes and your successes sound like failures. Holding the right perspective in life is extremely important. It is not just true of our generation. It is true of every generation. When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He's so big we can never kill him." David looked at the same giant and thought, "He's so big, I can't miss." The perspective you hold is extremely important.

In June of 1992 Christopher News Notes published these words for us to ponder.

When the other person acts that way, he's ugly...

When you do it, it’s nerves.

When she's set in her ways she's obstinate...

When you are, it's just firmness.

When he doesn't like your friends, he's prejudiced...

When you don't like his, you're showing good judgment.

When she tries to be accommodating, she's apple-polishing..

When you do it, you're using tact.

When he takes time to do things, he's dead slow...

When you take ages, you are deliberate.

When she picks flaws, she's cranky...

When you do it, you're discriminating.

The perspectives you hold in life are very important.

What makes this morning’s scripture lesson so wonderful is that it illustrates for us the need to hold a proper perspective. Jesus actually changed Zacchaeus’ self perspective. Let us look at the text together. Last week I told you one-sixth of the Gospel message revolves around the issue of money. Zacchaeus’ was a rich man. If money can buy you happiness then Zacchaeus should have had a good life. He could buy anything he wanted, excepted the one thing he really needed, acceptance. To a degree we understand his situation. There is a stigma that goes along with being a tax collector. However, he his story is a little more complex and extreme. The text tells us Zacchaeus was a Jew working for the Romans. He was collecting Jewish money to be sent back to Rome. Through the eyes of his country men he was a Benedict Arnold, who grew rich on the back of the poor. His world told him he was a bad person and he believed them. Have you every felt trapped by your own identity? If Jesus had not come to his hometown of Jericho, there is no reason to believe he would not have lived his entire life in isolation. He would have never found acceptance and he would have continued to hate himself. He was a outsider in his own home. But this is the Good News for today!

Jesus did travel through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, where the cross was waiting for him. The Master is so popular a great crowd of people are waiting to see him. There are many people but one person stands out, Zacchaeus. How could you miss him? He was a grown man sitting in a sycamore tree. Why is he there? He is there for two reasons. First, he is vertically challenged. In other words, he is short and can’t see over the taller crowd. Second, he is in the tree for his own protection. He is extremely unpopular. People would love to get their shot at him. Zacchaeus was sitting in the tree that day but it was really a symbol of his whole life. He is isolated and alone. The person who hates him the most is himself. It is Jesus who calls out his name. It is Jesus who talks to him. It is Jesus who accepts him and changes Zacchaeus’ self perspective.

The story of Zacchaeus is not just a story about a tax collector who lived thousands of years ago. His story is our story. If you really are a disciple of Jesus Christ then there came a point when Jesus singled you out of the crowd and called your name. He asked if you would take him home and become part of your life. It was a great day for many reasons. This is one of the reasons. On the day you accepted Christ your self worth changed. What a thrill to finally understand that the God of the universe wants a relationship with you and me! How man your self perspective not change.

Today, I want to talk about three great discoveries you made on the day you heard Jesus calling your name. They were always there. It was your self perspective that changed. I need to be up front with you. If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and your Savior then these three discoveries won’t speak to you. However, by your presence here this morning I trust that they will. Each one of these discoveries is illustrated in Zacchaeus’ life. So if you are ready to examine those three great discoveries say, “Amen!” I am going to be brief.

A New Relationsh ip with God.

On the day you heard Jesus calling your name, you discovered a new relationship with God. Zacchaeus had it all, yet he had nothing. He lived his life in isolation. Everyone rejected Zacchaeus. Only Jesus accepted him. Only Jesus wants to go home with him. On that day Zacchaeus’ understanding of God changed. His relationship with God is no longer built on fear and guilt. It was suddenly built on love and acceptance. It is all a matter of perspective.

The early church leader Augustine was once accosted by a heathen who showed him his idol and said, "Here is my god; where is yours?" Augustine replied, "I cannot show you my God; not because there is no God to show but because you have no eyes to see Him." On the day Jesus called you name your eyes were opened. You had 20/20 vision and saw they loving God that wanted to have a relationship with you. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

A New Regard for Others.

On the day you heard Jesus calling your name, you discovered a new regard for others. As chief tax collector Zacchaeus had cheated people for years. He really didn’t care because everyone had rejected him. Then it all changed. Jesus accepted him and suddenly he has a new regard for people. Verse 8 says, “Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessio ns to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’" It is all a matter of perspective. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

Historians tells us Harry S. Truman held a staff meeting every morning at 8:30. One day the mail clerk brought in a lavender envelope with a regal wax seal and flowing purple ribbons. Opening it, the President found a letter from King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, whose salutation began, "Your Magnificence." "Your Magnificence," Truman repeated, laughing. "I like that. I don't know what you guys call me when I'm not here, but it's okay if you refer to me from now on as 'Your Magnificence.'"

On the day you heard Jesus calling your name, your discovered a new self worth. You are valuable to God but you are not alone. There are six billion people in this world and every single person is valuable to God. How would your relationships in your life improve if your addressed and treated everyone like Your Magnificence? The very image of God is stamp on every soul. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. And all of God people said, “Amen!”

A New Reason for Living.

On the day that Jesus called your name, you discovered a new reason for living. I do not believe Zacchaeus’ transformation was short lived. Not even the most cynical writers have ever told me Zacchaeus reverted back to his old ways. He was changed forever because be a new reason for living. He was and you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. Everyday you should find a new way of thanking for accepting you. It is all a matter of perspective.

When Dan Rather was with CBS news he had a good way of keeping his professional objective always in mind. He says he looks often at a question he's written on three slips of paper. He keeps one in his billfold, one in his pocket, and one on his desk. The probing reminder asks, "Is what you are doing now helping the broadcast?" The Westminster Confession says the purpose of life is to glorify God. What are you doing now to glorify God? Don’t waste a single day. Everyday is a gift from God. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

A young couple rented a vacation cottage for a week. One afternoon the husband looked out a window at the swimming pool and exclaimed, "Let's change our clothes and go get some exercise!" His wife, who was washing the dishes in the kitchen and looking out the window watching some people play tennis, quickly agreed. While she dressed for a tennis match, he put on his swimming trunks. It is all a matter of perspective.

On Thursday we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day! What window are you going to be looking out? Are you looking out the window of discontentment, focusing on a ll the things you want. Or are you going to you going to be looking out the window of contentment, focusing in on all you have. One of the things you have in your life is Jesus. You are a disciple of Jesus Christ! He called your name and accepted you. Who could ask for more? It is all a matter of perspective. And all of God’s people “Amen!”