The Old South Church in Boston
Our Journey with God
Sermon by Lael P. Murphy
Psalm 51: 10-12; Luke 19: 1-10
November 9, 2003There’s a children’s church school poem that goes something like this:
I love the story of Zacchaeus. I love it because it lays out a beautiful account of spiritual hunger, of Christ’s compassion, and of God’s transforming powers. Here, in these ten simple verses, we get a glimpse of what it means to follow Jesus even if – even when – we may not feel we are worthy of God’s love. The story of Zacchaeus is an invitation to all people to journey with God.Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in the sycamore tree, the Savior for to see.
And when the Savior passed that way, he looked up in the tree,
He said, “Zacchaeus, come down from there, come down and speak to me.”
So Zacchaeus came right down and said, his face lit up with glee,
“I’ll give my money to the poor and a better man I’ll be.”And it begins with that wee little man climbing a tree. “Short in stature” is the way he’s described in the verses Betty just read, and while that may well describe this man’s physical height I think it might more accurately define his life perspective. Zacchaeus is corrupt, after all, one who’s put the accumulation of money over so many other things – things like honesty and compassion, service and social justice. Zacchaeus is known in Jericho for the ruthless ways he breaks the law, filling his purse by profiting from the poor. He is, as we heard, the despised chief tax collector.
But at the same time, by climbing that tree, Zacchaeus shows that he’s trying to rise above this reputation. Hoisting himself up in those branches he demonstrates that he’s open to seeing the world from another perspective, ready to be uplifted and changed by One who offers wealth of another kind. Zacchaeus gives life to the words of Psalm 51, as his action says so clearly, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, put a new and right spirit within me.”
None of this passes Jesus by. It’s a beautifully intimate scene we watch unfold as Jesus stops on that street and says, “Zacchaeus, come down and walk with me. Come down and stand tall. I want to enter your home – I want to enter your heart.”
Oh, God works in mysterious ways. Reaching out to a corrupt and hated man, we see “the Son of Man [come and] seek out and save the lost” by showing Zacchaeus compassion and care. No one in the crowd understands. They think Jesus is crazy – a hypocritical, foolish prophet who cares more for sinners than for Jewish law. But Zacchaeus gets it. He’s hungry for meaning and forgiveness, and he’s searching for a better way to live. It’s just like that little children’s poem reads: Zacchaeus came right down and said, his face lit up with glee, “I’ll give my money to the poor and a better man I’ll be.”
This is where the power of this story exists for us today: it tells us even someone like this tax collector can change; it shows us no one is excluded from God’s merciful attention. With this story’s teaching we’re reassured no matter how lost or unworthy or anxious we may feel we are still welcomed into God’s loving realm, invited down, as it were, from the branches of that sycamore tree.
For as we sit here in worship I believe that’s where we really are: up in that sycamore tree with Zacchaeus. Gathering in this place I sense we’re all hoping to catch a glimpse of God, clutching the trunk and branches of that tree as we touch these pews, hold our hymnals, turn the pages of the bulletin. Like Zacchaeus we peer with anticipation, recognizing that we may also be short in stature as we carry our burdens of the past, our present problems, our anxieties for the future into this house of prayer. We’ve realized there’s got to be more to life than the accumulation of money and material things and so we perch with that man, hoping for a vision of eternal truth and purpose.
At least I know that’s why I’m here. I confess to you today that I worship Sunday in and Sunday out because I seek a foundation for my life that’s filled with meaning and hope, one that offers mercy and love and inspiration. That’s how my journey began in this place nearly twenty years ago as some of you might remember I once worshipped at Old South, not up front like I am now, but rather in those far back pews – right where you people are in that left hand corner. I came here, newly out of college and working for a software firm, curious to find out how I might come to know and follow Jesus, eager to understand more about God. I came and I went, never saying a word to anyone around me. But I was listening intently, writing notes on my copy of the bulletin, getting inspiration from the words of Jim Crawford and Bob Christianson. Oh, don’t get me wrong: I wasn’t here every week! Eleven o’clock was often much too early for my lifestyle back then! But when I did attend church, here and in other places around this city, I know that I was climbing up that sycamore tree, sharing a limb with that chief tax collector. At five foot eleven I realized I was short in stature and I wanted to grow.
Yes, God works in mysterious ways. Like Zacchaeus Jesus called me down from that tree. In 1987 I left the corporate sector to help people in need, becoming an advocate for the elderly at Boston City Hall. My still very private faith continued to grow and in 1992 it became more public as I entered seminary, thinking I’d study to be a hospital chaplain. As the process unfolded I found myself returning to Old South to serve as your Pastoral Associate. By then it was 1995 I was no longer silent about my faith. I was staying for coffee hour and fellowship group dinners and retreats and work days. I was sitting with you in committee meetings and hospital rooms, in sewing circles and at cabarets. My singular experiences of seeking moved from private yearning to public learning as Jesus hollered to me over and over again, “Zacchaeus – Lael – come down from that tree!” I came down and walked cautiously. Here and in other places of faith I came down and learned to travel on the path of Christian service and discipleship in community.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu’s wisdom is so appropriately applied to the spiritual dimension. Step-by-step and day-by-day God forms us into devoted Christian disciples. With patience and love Christ shows us the way.
And this is why I now share with you one of my favorite aspects of this historic sanctuary – this grand and blessed treasure that is your church home. My favorite thing is not the cupola painted with stars high above us but rather the worn wooden floor boards down at your feet. Look in your pew: you’ll see the varnish faded by footsteps and scuffing, portions of the wood lightened and rough. You’ll see small marks in some places or larger patches in others and with them lies proof that it’s here we climb that sycamore tree, gathering together for a glimpse of God. Those markings are not an indication that the members of the Operations Committee have another project on their hands. No, that’s not my point at all! The worn floorboards of this place show the faithfulness of this congregation and they touch my heart and soul. They are your steps and mine on our journey down that road in Jericho.Yes, “a journey…begins with a single step.” The story of Zacchaeus reminds us today that we are all invited to travel with God, no matter what our standing in life, no matter what our age or race, our gender or sexual identity, our I.Q. or our occupation. Through the conversion of this “wee little man” we see that God’s healing grace is offered to everyone. That’s the invitation presented to us, just as it’s offered throughout the gospels in the stories of the women at the well, the return of the prodigal son, the cleansing of the lepers, and curing of the blind. Over and over again the authors of Matthew and Mark, Luke and John show us that God’s grace is extended to the world in new and miraculous ways through the merciful acts of Jesus. Can we believe it? Can we admit that we are being invited down from this sycamore tree to walk with God?
I will always be grateful for our time together in this perch. I give God great thanks for the many ways we’ve come down from this tree to walk with Jesus. We have traveled far together. By the grace of God we’ve shared in times of worship and study, fellowship and service, making meals and banners, palm crosses and Christmas ornaments, our hands and hearts joined in Christian discipleship and love. Through the Spirit of Christ we’ve reached out to the hungry in body and soul at Saturday’s Bread and Hale House and Habitat for Humanity. At many, many committee meetings we’ve wrestled with ways to offer educational, financial and spiritual programs that might give life to the gospel here and in God’s wider world. Yes, together we’ve traveled from the manger to the cross and over to the empty tomb, sharing the joys of birth and baptism and the sorrows of sickness and death, always strengthened by our faith in a God who offers eternal and resurrecting power. For the last eight years our journey with God has been filled with grace and purpose and joy and I will always be grateful for it.
And so, as we come to this fork in the road I say to you through other images that have touched me deeply here:
With the second miracle window here on my right: “Damsel – woman and man – I say unto thee, arise.” Be healed by the love of God, made strong by Christ’s resurrecting power, that you may then, as shown in the center image on my left,
“Go and do thou likewise,” that following the example of our most loving and compassionate Lord you may go forward in your most personal lives to share that healing power of God with others.For as it is etched in stone above the portico, the phrase celebrated here at Old South so joyfully, “Behold, I Set Before Thee an Open Door.” Today, with the story of Zacchaeus clear in our minds, we remember that the door that so lovingly welcomes each of us into God’s realm is one that also swings the other way, as it opens wide and beckons us back out into the world that we might spread the good news of the love and community we know here.
It’s with this image that we part today. Passing through that open door we remember that while our time together here has come to an end, our journey with God moves forward. You, the community of Old South, move forward with God’s blessing and grace, continuing Christ’s great mission in this city and world. You, with the leadership of Carl and Jennifer, Gregory and Guy, Russ and Ely and Dwight, move into a new era that’s bright with hope and promise. How could it be otherwise? For the God who has brought us this far will continue to sustain us. And so I pray that your journey will always be faithful, your hearts filled with Christ’s compassion, your souls filled with God’s undying love.
Let us pray.
We give you thanks, O God, for our time together in this tree, for the time we have worshipped and served with one another. We give you thanks for the visions you offer of eternal love and compassion and peace. Lead us onward, we pray, call us down from these limbs and branches that like Zacchaeus we may continually dedicate our lives to you by following Christ, in whose name we pray.
Amen. And amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Psalm 51: 10-12Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore me to the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Luke 19: 1-10He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
The Old South Church in Boston
645 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 536-1970