Life After The Apocalypse

Brad Sullivan

Proper 28, Year C

November 13, 2016

Emmanuel, Houston

Isaiah 65:17-25

Luke 21:5-19

Life After The Apocalypse

Your worst fears are coming true, but fear not.  That’s basically part of what Jesus was saying in the discourse to his disciples that we heard today.  “Guys, you’re about to be living in Diaspora again.  You are about to be scattered among the nations, living in places that don’t really support your faith.  The Temple that you love so much…it’s gonna be gone in 40 years, and in about 100 years, Israel is going to be gone too.”  Jesus didn’t get that specific with the timeline, but he was telling them about the future destruction of the temple and of the nation of Israel itself. 

“Continuing to live out your faith is not going to be easy, guys,”  Jesus was saying.  “You won’t be able to depend on the beauty or even the existence of the Temple.  You will have no state, no Jewish government to allow you to keep in the ways of your faith.  Also, y’all who are following in my way, before the total destruction of Israel, you’re even going to be persecuted within Israel.  So here then, is how y’all will need to live post apocalypse.” 

“Be steadfast in your faith, more than ever. Trust in God and in the ways of his Gospel, because you will have no temple, nor any government to turn to.  You will have no great community around you making it easy for you to live out your faith.  So be steadfast, live out your faith with intentionality.  Live out your faith with each other, and continue to follow in my ways, even when the culture around you says and does otherwise.”

As disciples of Jesus in the 21st century, we find ourselves in a much less dire but similar situation to what Jesus was preparing his disciples for.  In America, we’re not exactly persecuted for our faith, but we do live in a culture that often says and does things counter to the Gospel.  Truth be told, we often end up taking that culture as our own, and not following in the ways of Jesus ourselves all that well.

Some of Jesus’ teachings are rather difficult and don’t exactly jive with our mainstream culture or even our natural inclinations.  “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it,” Jesus said. (Matthew 16:25)  ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:43-44)  ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;’ (Matthew 5:38-39)

Not easy, right.  If someone were to punch me, I would really want to punch them back.  Instead, I’m supposed to not lose my temper, not give into my anger and my hurt, and instead take a breath and say, “ok, do you need to hit me again, because if you do, here I am, you can.”  I believe that way of Jesus will bring about more peace and love in the world; I think it might actually resolve the situation, but it’s not exactly easy, and it’s not exactly the American way.  “Speak softly but carry a big stick” is a far cry from “turn the other cheek.” 

As Christians, we are somewhat a people in diaspora.  We don’t live in a Christian nation.  We don’t live in a Christian theocracy like the first century nation of Israel.  We don’t have some overarching governmental authority to help guide us and keep us in our faith.  As Wendy Claire Barrie wrote in her book, Faith at Home, the way of Jesus is “counter-cultural, revolutionary, and not quite what mainstream culture would have us believe.”  So, she writes about many ways we can live out our faith at home or at any time, when we’re not surrounded and supported by our church buildings, by the sanctuary that our church community makes for us.

Make the dinner table the altar in your house.  Prepare your meals and then eat together in such a way that the whole meal is a prayer, in which you share your stories of faith, you share where Jesus has been working in your life.  Offer up that meal to God in remembrance of Jesus, like we do here on Sunday morning.

Turn your bedtime into a time of reflection like Jesus took when he went away to a lonely place so often to pray and offer up his life to God, take that time at bedtime to God the day that is past:  the good, the bad.  “How have I turned away from Jesus?  Where have I seen Jesus in my life?”  Offer that time of reflection to God as you end your day, and as you rise in the morning, dedicate the day to come to God.  Look for all those times and places where you may see him.  You will have turned your bedroom into a sanctuary, into a sacred space for God.

Rather than seeking retribution when wronged, seek peace and forgiveness, following after the ways of Jesus. 

“Follow my way anywhere and everywhere,” Jesus said.  That’s another part of what Jesus was teaching his disciples when he told them that the temple would be torn down.  Jesus revealed to his disciples that when the temple was gone, they would need to and also be able to find him and follow in his ways anywhere in the world.  That was an apocalypse for them, apocalypse meaning a revealing, a revelation.  “God’s not just here in the Temple, or just here in Israel,” Jesus was saying.  “God is everywhere and we can live out our faith anywhere.”  So too do we get to find God anywhere in the world, anywhere in our lives.  That’s life after the apocalypse, life after the revealing.  “Your worst fears are coming true,” Jesus was saying, “but fear not, for you can find God anywhere.”

For many folks, people’s worst fears came true when Donald Trump was elected president.  To be fair, I think a lot of people’s worst fears came true when Barak Obama was elected president…and before that, and before that.  People’s worst fears often come true when we elect a new president (or when darn near anything happens that people don’t like). 

In both cases, with both our president-elect and our current president, I think some of people’s fears were probably well-founded.  Presidents make bad decisions, we see who is coming, and we expect those bad decisions.  I think also that some of those fears are not well founded, but largely emotional reactions that get so worked up that we’re afraid it’s all coming to an end, but I don’t think that particular apocalypse is going to happen because of who’s sitting in office.  The real apocalypse for me, the real revelation has been to see how much hope or despair we place in one person. 

I’ve seen it written and heard it said many times that “We need to bring God back to our country.”  When did he leave?  Perhaps we at least thought he left when anyone started thinking that it is up to our president or anyone in our government to allow us to believe in God, follow in the ways of Jesus, or teach us how to follow in the ways of Jesus.  I don’t want the government teaching us how to follow in Jesus’ ways.  They suck at it.  Sorry, but they do.

Whether we’re talking about the president or congress or any government official, whoever it is, is not Jesus.  That one person, whoever it is, is not in charge of us following in the ways of Jesus.  Regardless of who is president, regardless of if we like that person or not, we are still a people in diaspora.  We are still disciples of Jesus living among a nation, within a culture that does not seek first and foremost to follow in Jesus’ way, and it is not up to any president to teach people to follow in Jesus’ way. 

It is not up to a president or anyone else to teach our children to follow in Jesus’ way.  It is not up to a president or anyone else to show people the light of the Gospel, the love of Jesus, and the peace of his way. 

It is rather, up to us, Jesus’ disciples, to show people the light of the Gospel.  It is up to us, Jesus’ disciples, to show people the love of Jesus.  It is up to us, Jesus’ disciples, to show people to peace of Jesus’ way.  It is also up to us to notice all of the times, and places, and ways that we see Jesus in the world.

That is life after the apocalypse.  God still the creator, ruler, and redeemer of all creation.  God is still anywhere and everywhere in the world, and as disciples of Jesus in this house or in our own houses, or anywhere in the world, we get to see God’s presence and point it out.

Regardless of what anything in the culture or world around us may say, regardless of whether our worst fears have come true or our prayers have been answered, the question we ask ourselves is:  “What do we give our hearts to?”  That’s what belief really is, not just what we think is true, but what do we live and follow?  What do we give our hearts to?

Living in diaspora, it is easy to give our hearts to all kinds of ways that are not the way of Jesus, and we usually do so for really good reasons, like being connected with other people or seeking solace from the storms of life.  At the same time, living in Diaspora, we can find Jesus and find people following in his ways in all sorts of places and situations that on the surface don’t seem particularly Jesusy. 

Jesus is alive and well in all kinds of ways and places, in our religious culture and even in the culture around us.  In giving our hearts to Jesus, we don’t need to rail against and point out all the places, and people, and situations that are “bad and evil” and say, “Jesus isn’t there.”  Jesus might argue that point with us.  Giving our hearts to Jesus and living in disapora, living in a culture that is not particularly Christian, we get to point out all the ways and places that Jesus is there, all of the ways and places where we see Jesus in the culture and the lives of people all around us.  Even in the places where people think, “I shouldn’t tell the priest that I’m going here tonight...it’s Saturday night, I’ll pray on Sunday morning.”  No.  If you’re somewhere on Saturday night, Jesus is there too, and you get to point it out.  You get to notice, and see, and show where all the blessing are in this world.  That’s life after the apocalypse.

Wherever we see grace, we see the way of Jesus.  Wherever we see forgiveness and love, we see the way of Jesus.  Wherever we see people doing their best to make the right choice, we see the way of Jesus.  Even living in disapora, even living in times when our worst fears have come true, fear not, Jesus says.  Fear not, and give your hearts to me.  Do not fight against each other or the culture around you, but follow in my ways, practice your faith even if it is counter-cultural, and then open your eyes to see me everywhere in the world around you.  Amen.

The Way of Jesus: Breaking Down the Wall that Divides Us

We are a nation divided.  We have been for a long time, and we are divided in many ways, not just Trump v. Hillary.  In the church, as members of the Body of Christ, we are sadly not that different in our division over the same issues.  We were called to be one in Jesus, and yet we are often divided over any number of issues (beliefs, church doctrine, political affiliation, biblical interpretation, dog people vs. cat people, the list goes on and on). 

Yet, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians,

[Jesus]  is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. (Ephesians 2:14-16)

Paul was writing about the initial division in the church between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.  He said we are one.  He said Jesus has broken down the dividing wall of hostility between us. 

Why then, do we keep building it back up?

Well, fear plays into why we allow hostility to continue.  So does being hurt by the other.  In short, as much as we have been redeemed by Jesus, we are still broken and are still constantly in need of Jesus’ healing and restoration.  We still break each other out of our brokenness and are still constantly in need of Jesus’ forgiveness and reconciliation.

People on both sides of the presidential election were doing their best to make a choice that is right for this country.  That is the way of Jesus.

Some people on both sides have said and done hateful and hurtful things, and as the Body of Christ, our joy is to get to offer grace to those who have hurt us and those we love.  Offering grace is the way of Jesus.

People on both sides of the presidential election have been vilified, condescended  to, and told what to do by folks the other side.  As disciples of Jesus, we have the joy to get to offer compassion, empathy, and hear the stories of people who are tired of being vilified and condescended to.  Offering compassion, empathy, and hearing people’s stories is the way of Jesus. 

Many people who voted for President-Elect Trump are joyful that he won.  Many people who voted for Secretary Clinton are fearful that she lost.  As disciples of Jesus, we get to be curious and find out why.  We get to continually break down the dividing wall between us.

Remember that the first dividing wall between two people was made of fig leaves.  Adam and Eve, once they disobeyed God, were no longer naked and unashamed.  Instead, they were ashamed and fearful.  They hid, and put a dividing wall between themselves and between them and God:  fig leaves and accusations of blame and passing the buck. 

The way of the Gospel of Jesus is to be naked and unashamed.  The way of Jesus is to be fully who we are with each other and to let the grace of Jesus dwell in our hearts to allow us to see and love each other as we are, rather than as we think the other should be.

So, we get to be curious.  We get to ask each other, “Why did you vote for Trump/Clinton?”  Then, we get to listen.  We get to listen and not be right, not assume anything, and not give a response - other than “thank you.”.  We get to simply see the human being in front of us and remember the image of God in which they were made, the grace of Jesus which redeems, and the Holy Spirit which dwells within them.

We get to remove our fig leaves and embrace each other as brother and sister, for that is the way of Jesus. 

Be kind to others, and love those of whom you are most afraid. Remember, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear...be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep. Let humility, compassion, and love rule in your heart.

Blessings and peace to you all.

Brad+

Prayers and Scripture for All Saints’ Day

Begin, if you can, by lighting a candle, or sit in silence for a moment to create sacred space and a peaceful time.  You can pray the following by yourself or with others.  Use some or all of the readings.

Prayers are from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer; Scripture is from the New Revised Standard Version.

Beginning Prayers

Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Thanks be to God.

A Prayer for All Saints (BCP p. 245)

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:  Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.

Readings from Scripture

Psalm 111, 112

2 Esdras 2:42-47

I, Ezra, saw on Mount Zion a great multitude that I could not number, and they all were praising the Lord with songs. In their midst was a young man of great stature, taller than any of the others, and on the head of each of them he placed a crown, but he was more exalted than they. And I was held spellbound. Then I asked an angel, ‘Who are these, my lord?’ He answered and said to me, ‘These are they who have put off mortal clothing and have put on the immortal, and have confessed the name of God. Now they are being crowned, and receive palms.’ Then I said to the angel, ‘Who is that young man who is placing crowns on them and putting palms in their hands?’ He answered and said to me, ‘He is the Son of God, whom they confessed in the world.’ So I began to praise those who had stood valiantly for the name of the Lord.

Hebrews 11:32 - 12:2

And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Psalm 148, 150

Wisdom 5:1-5, 14-16

Then the righteous will stand with great confidence

in the presence of those who have oppressed them

and those who make light of their labours.

When the unrighteous see them, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,

and they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous.

They will speak to one another in repentance,

and in anguish of spirit they will groan, and say,

‘These are persons whom we once held in derision

and made a byword of reproach—fools that we were!

We thought that their lives were madness

and that their end was without honour.

Why have they been numbered among the children of God?

And why is their lot among the saints?

Because the hope of the ungodly is like thistledown carried by the wind,

and like a light frost driven away by a storm;

it is dispersed like smoke before the wind,

and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.

But the righteous live for ever,

and their reward is with the Lord;

the Most High takes care of them.

Therefore they will receive a glorious crown

and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,

because with his right hand he will cover them,

and with his arm he will shield them.

Revelation 21:1-4, 22-22:5

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals.

He will dwell with them;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

Death will be no more;

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away.’

 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practises abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.

Observe a Moment of Silence

Prayers for the Saints

Name before God those saints in your life, your friends and loved ones who have died and yet are alive in Jesus.  Name those saints of the church whose lives and witness inspire you.

Silence

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.  Amen.

A Prayer for the Departed (BCP p.253)

Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life:  Give to your whole Church in paradise and on earth your light and your peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at the last enter with them into your unending joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Concluding Prayers

The Song of Simeon

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake

we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Lord, you now have set your servant free *

   to go in peace as you have promised;

For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *

   whom you have prepared for all the world to see:

A Light to enlighten the nations, *

   and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *

   as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake

we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

Conclusion

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Song, and Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us.  Amen.

Climbing Treese & the First Winter Breeze

Brad Sullivan

Proper 26, Year C

October 30, 2016

Emmanuel, Houston

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Luke 19:1-10

Climbing Trees and the First Winter Breeze

“The Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”  Thank God for that!  Amen, and Alleluia!  I could almost end right there…I won’t, but I almost could.  Thank God that the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.  It’s a crazy world, and it is pretty easy to get lost in this world.  Zacchaeus, as we heard in our Gospel story today, was one who got lost, lost seeking after riches and security for himself.

As a tax collector, Zacchaeus was a Jewish man who made his living collecting taxes for Rome.  He was the ultimate turncoat.  Not only did he not hate Rome, he got rich by collecting exorbitant taxes for an occupying nation from his own people and then taking more than necessary to line his own pockets. 

He was kinda the scum of the earth, and yet Jesus saw him as lost…lost and wandering in the desert, desperately trying to find his way home, trying to find his way back to God.  Zacchaeus was lost, and in his efforts to find his way back, he was doing terrible things.  He was defrauding people, stealing, getting rich off others’ misfortune and oppression.  For him to do that, however, he had to have been lost already.  Maybe he felt helpless and powerless, and he wanted more power.  Maybe he was afraid of Rome, afraid for his life and well being, so he joined them to find security.  Maybe he just hadn’t been raised all that well and had been a greedy jack-wagon ever since he was a kid.  We don’t know, but he was lost in the desert even before he started collecting taxes for Rome.

So, Jesus called Zacchaeus out of a tree and asked to have lunch with him.  Imagine being part of the throngs of people wanting to see Jesus, crowding around him, and then seeing him ask to have lunch with this scumbag.  I think we’d be pretty upset, just like the crowd was, at the seeming injustice.  Zacchaeus should have been scorned by Jesus, or at least given a throughout tongue lashing, and instead, Jesus asked to go be a guest at his house.  There’s this part of me that feels like that just doesn’t seem right, but “the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.” 

That part of me that feels upset about Jesus showing mercy to Zacchaeus is a part of me that is also lost in the desert.  What if the crowd had gotten their way, if they had been given free rein to chastise Zacchaeus (and make themselves feel more righteous in the process)?  They would have ended up lost in the desert just like Zacchaeus was.  No good would have been done.  They’d have felt righteous for a time.  They’d have been able to get their hate out and feel some temporary power over this man who had power over them.  Then, Zacchaeus would have continued doing what he was doing, except he’d have felt even more justified in collecting their taxes.  He’d have probably taken even more for himself from those jerks who were mean to him.

Zacchaeus would have stayed in the desert, and the people would have just joined him there, but Jesus came to seek out and to save the lost.  Jesus invited Zacchaeus out of the desert and into the promised land.  Notice that this story takes place in Jericho.  

Anyone remember a place named Jericho?  A guy named Joshua fought a famous battle there, and the walls came a tumbling down.  So the people of Israel were lost in the desert, waiting to go into the land of promise, and once they got there, the first stop they made was to the huge city of Jericho.  They saw the wall of this hugely fortified city, and they knew they were in trouble.  They figured, we should just go back to the desert and give up now before we get hurt.  Josh talked to God and said, “No, guys.  We’re good.  We just need to march around the wall a few times and blow some trumpets, and it’ll come down.”  So, they did, and crazily enough, it worked.  God led the people out of the desert and into the promised land.   

I bring this up because in today’s story, Jesus (whose Hebrew name was Joshua) was in Jericho, and Zacchaeus, like Israel, was lost in the desert.  Like the people of Israel trying to make their way in the promised land, Zacchaeus was trying to see Jesus, and like the people of Israel, he found himself hindered by a wall.  In his case, being a rather short dude, he was hindered from seeing Jesus, hindered from entering the promised land, by a wall of people.  So, Zacchaeus climbed a tree. 

That was kind of a childlike thing to do, right?  Little children climb trees.  Adults tend not to quite as much.  Jesus said that we need to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Childlike wonder.  Childlike joy in the world.  Childlike viewing of creation as beautiful and the world as our playground, alight with wonder, beauty, and joy. 

Zacchaeus climbed a tree, like a little child and went from being lost in the desert of greed and security to entering the promised land of Jesus.  He met Jesus, and immediately his heart was transformed.  He was no longer lost in the desert of greed and security.  He was found in the way of Jesus, the way of loving God and loving people. 

Way of Jesus hard to see sometimes.  It seems crazy that the way of loving God and loving people is hard to see, but we also know that the way of Jesus is at times hard to see.  We know Jesus’ way, we get it, and still we find ourselves lost in the desert.  We want to find Jesus, and we think we’re almost there, then we find ourselves running into a wall in our faith and in life.  We can’t get where we want to go.  We want to live with joy.  We want our hearts full of hope, full of wonder, full of love.  Sometimes, however, we just can’t get there.  We’re going through life in the doldrums, not that hopeful, or joyful, or even loving. 

Sometimes we look around and we realize we’re lost in the desert, and we know Jesus is near, but we just can’t find him.  We’re too busy or too stressed.  It feels like there’s a wall in the way to the joy of Jesus that we just can’t get through.  We want to be transformed.  We want to live in his light and spread his light, and we can’t see over the wall.  Maybe then, like Zacchaeus, we just need to climb a tree.

Maybe we need to recapture our childlike joy and wonder in creation, in the presence of God all around us, in the people we see, even in ourselves.  We need to become children again.  Climb a tree.  Open our eyes, ears, heart to see and hear Jesus all around us.  Constantly saying, “hey, I came to seek you out.  I need you for my kingdom.  I want to transform your life, maybe for the first time, maybe all over again.  I am seeking you out because you’re lost again, and I want you to be found, to be able to love God and to love people and to experience joy and wonder in creation once again. 

This call from Jesus can come from anywhere.  Once a year, at least, I get to re-experience the joy and wonder of creation when I hear and feel the first winter breeze of the year.  When I was in first grade, walking outside to go to gym class, I heard what sounded to me like a winter breeze.  It was not cold outside (I grew up in Houston), but there was a crispness to the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.  I was so excited for the promise of the return of winter, a rest from the 9 month heat and humidity of Houston, and the rest that comes with the season (back then it was Christmas break for us elementary school kids). 

Every year since then, I’ve heard the first winter breeze, and without fail, the Spirit of God blowing crisply through the leaves transforms my heart, brings me out of whatever desert I am in, and leaves me with the joy and wonder of a child.  Even if for a moment, I am found with Jesus and all the worries of life are gone.  I’m back in the promised land of Jesus, and I am free to love God and love people once again. 

Any authentic encounter with Jesus sets us free.  Jesus set Zacchaeus free from his love of money and fearful need of security so that he could instead love people and use his money as a means toward loving people.  Trusting in Jesus sets us free from our fears and anxieties, from whatever desert we find ourselves in.

Sometimes the very craziness in our lives that is keeping us in the desert can also be Jesus inviting us to have lunch.  We just need a change of perspective.  We just need to become like a child again, and climb a tree, to see Jesus right there already in the midst of our lives calling us out of the desert and into the promised land, calling us to rest in him, to be freed from our fears and anxieties, and to love God and love people with childlike joy and wonder once again.  Amen.