Jesus’ reputation preceded Him, so when he arrived in Jericho on His way to Jerusalem, the people were expecting Him. Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, short in stature, climbs a tree to see Jesus and to his surprise, Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ home. Zacchaeus was probably thrilled to get away from the maddening crowds because tax collectors weren’t the most popular of people, but he must have been shocked that Jesus wanted to be around him because his life has been one of isolating himself from the path of God in his life.
What was the point of Zacchaeus wanting to see Jesus? Perhaps he wanted something different in his life. Perhaps he wanted to change from what others saw as greedy and arrogant to a person whose life had more meaning. Perhaps he felt he would get that from Jesus, something might rub off. It did!
While others may have found it hard to believe, Jesus saw into Zacchaeus’ heart and recognised his desire to change. It became "his day" We have that same opportunity! We too can change. How many people do we know, some in various stages of recovery, who demonstrate huge changes?
Believing we can change or believing in another can actually bring about that change. What would we like to change in our own life? Even though we will not have the same “Jesus” encounter as Zacchaeus, that same Jesus waits patiently for us to scramble down our tree and invite Him into our home, into our heart. God loves all of us and leads us gently to new life as He did with Zacchaeus. We are all Zacchaeuses. Jesus believes in us. We need to believe in ourselves and in others, put out our welcome mat and accept Jesus’ invitation to come home with us.
As we prepare for the Grand Opening of our new front addition (November 19/20, 2016) and the conclusion of our Generations initiative, there is no better way to become a Zacchaeus than to create a welcoming and nurturing environment.
St. Mary of the Visitation Parish is known as a family of faith focused on its hospitality and friendliness, for being a place where there is something for everyone and where all are greeted with a smile. We are challenging ourselves to consider how we can create an environment so irresistible that everyone who enters our doors once will return again and again to become part of our family and our mission. How can we help newcomers discover this parish can be home for them as well? How can we continue to improve our commitment to hospitality excellence?
St Mary of the Visitation continues to grow, and with that, we are also challenged to nurture the faith and action of those who have been here for 2, 10 or 40 years! How do we invite all to discover their unique gift and place in our parish? We are a big church with a variety of different ministries. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of activities and events. Can we welcome others intentionally and nurture the faith and action of those already in the pews at the same time?
Some exciting days are ahead!