The events of the past few days have somewhat dulled my senses. I’m trying to do the “pastor thing,” but I find myself in a bit of mental and emotional fog.

If I may briefly return to my thoughts on our Lord’s signs and wonders, I’ll simply say this: When we take up our Bibles and read the Book of Acts, it would hardly be right for us to categorically set artificial boundaries where God’s miraculous power is concerned. In my opinion, there is nothing in Scripture suggesting that God can’t do anything He wants to do in order to build Christ’s church and enlarge His own glory. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

I for one have no desire to secretly capitulate to a brand of cold determinism that leaves God uninterested in the cries of our heart. That’s not the Jesus I see in the Bible, the Christ who “had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Such human desperation seemed to be the most fertile soil for Christ’s miraculous intervention and healing.

While affirming that ours is a Savior of such amazing love and willingness to do the “impossible” on our behalf, we must also come to terms with the fact that the Christian experience trajectory post-Pentecost has taken a more natural (and explainable) course. That is not to say that miracles ever ceased entirely, but it is simply an observation that miracles are now more the exception than the rule.

We wanted a miracle for our friend Mason. We sought that miracle with all of the faith that was in us, knowing that our God could do it. I like what Wayne “Mac” McElroy says about “unanswered” prayer: “God isn’t saying ‘no’ to our prayers, but He’s saying, ‘I have a better idea.’” For now, I’m holding tightly to that perspective with both hands.

The English poet and hymnodist, William Cowper, penned these words in 1774:

“God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sov’reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow’r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.”

William Cowper faced many of his own emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical “dangers, toils, and snares” – to rob a few lyrics from his good friend, John Newton – but each trial served only to convince Cowper of the manifold mercies of God.

Such knowledge of God’s mercy, right when we need it, is nothing short of miraculous. I am still persuaded. God is good.

Take courage, my dear friends, for the clouds will soon break.

Pastor Charles

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

That account is taken directly from Acts 19:1-2. Generally speaking, we do not build entire ecclesiological doctrines (doctrinal tenets regarding church life and practice) from Acts alone – as the Book of Acts records a unique period of redemptive history. But this text is illustrative for us, at the very least, of our need for the Spirit of God!

We were created for worship that is alive

of a God who is alive

based on a Word that is alive

empowered by a Christ who is alive!

It is my contention that none of this can happen, or will happen, without the Holy Spirit.

What will happen if we – in theology or practice (what we think, say, or do) – abandon any concern for, or dependence upon, God’s Spirit? We will inevitably spiral down toward lifeless, institutional intellectualism.

What will happen if we – in theology or practice (what we think, say, or do) – leave behind a deep love and commitment to the truths of Scripture? We will surely fall into superficial, entertainment-oriented, self-driven, self-absorbed emotionalism.

Neither of those options keeps Christ at the center. But I’ll bet you know professing Christians who could be described using those very terms.

Meanwhile, our world grows darker and darker. The last thing that we want to do as a church is to become more and more powerless to reach that world with the gospel. That’s where doctrinal compromise will lead us, even if it’s cleverly disguised as “spiritual power.” At the same time, the same fate awaits us if strain out intellectual gnats while swallowing the camels of religious pride.

The Holy Spirit was given to the church on the Day of Pentecost. Historical fact. We need His power in the church, and through the church, today. Present reality.

We have heard that there is a Holy Spirit. Let’s seek Him for the revival that our world needs, and that we need, for such a time as this. I’m honored beyond words that you’re on this journey with me.

Pastor Charles

Are there signs and wonders in our day?

The earliest Christian believers prayed in faith, even under persecution (Acts 4:29-30): “… grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

As a senior pastor, I really want to get this right. I have no desire to lead us on a wild goose chase – searching for some spiritual experience at the expense of Biblical truth – but neither do I want us to miss out on anything wonderful that God might desire to do among us here and now (simply because we were too afraid to humble ourselves before His power and majesty). I hope that makes sense.

Trendy and faddish, I’m not interested. Real and revolutionary, count me in. I’ll bet you agree.

If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to start a blog series on signs and wonders. I solicit your input, and your prayers, as we take up this topic before the Lord.

Today I’ll simply focus our attention on a delicate balance that – in my humble opinion – every believer ought to desire to consistently strike. That is the balance between setting proper experiential boundaries (for the preservation of sound doctrine) and passionately seeking God’s unquenchable glory in and through the church today.

Please allow me to say that another way: I always want the Bible to define my behavior (and even my expectations), but I also want to be stretched beyond my comfort zone in those areas of my life where I have been handicapped by tradition (those areas where I have wrongly equated my tradition with God’s truth).

So I invite you to take this journey with me. Even as we round a curve or two along this road – when we’ll try to slow down, and listen to the Spirit – we will trust our great and Sovereign God to do spectacular and exhilarating things.

For the glory of Christ.

Pastor Charles

As we continue our Sunday morning study of Nehemiah, we’re continuing to learn from Nehemiah’s consistent example of persevering faith. Nehemiah has faced enemies, obstacles, and discouragements from near and far, but he has kept his eye on the ball – both as a leader and as a follower of God.

In our pursuit as a church family to become a missional community more than an edifice or an institution, we likewise experience our ups and downs along the way. Sometimes it feels like two steps forward, and three back, but we’re learning that there is great joy to be found in the journey itself. Christ is with us! He is all we need.

I haven’t taken up the subject of Millennials in a couple of months, and I want to keep our heart for that generation alive – so please bear with me as I make a few observations and suggestions for life on mission in and beyond Paducah. First of all, make no mistake, the statistical trends are still clearly in the direction of fewer and fewer of our neighbors identifying with any religion at all. And Millennials specifically, by every indicator that I can get my hands on, are “leaving Christianity” in record numbers (compared to any previous generation). A psychology professor at San Diego State, Jean Twenge, connects this trend – at least in part – to a steady leftward drift among Millennials on key social issues. As an expert on America’s religious habits, Dr. Twenge bases this link on extensive research. Said another way (by me), evangelical Christianity feels more and more distant from most Millennials.

Is there any good news in all of this? Yes. Among those Millennials who do profess faith in Christ, around 96% claim that the Bible is the actual or inspired Word of God. This statistic is in fact considerably higher than the same measurement of the U.S. population at large. Please allow me to translate that: Millennials, once committed, tend to be all in! And Millennials rank Scripture reading as more important than other spiritual disciplines. Perhaps God is preparing Millennial Christians in our day to shake their own generation with Biblical truth. The thought of such a bright light shining among American Millennials in our day should bring gladness to our souls.

Now for some (graciously offered, I pray) suggestions for us as a church family …

1. We need to be careful that our political commentary does not overshadow our gospel hope.

If my research is on-target, today’s young adult Christians will track with us in terms of Scripture and even theology. But they have cut their teeth on liberal media, so they’re very unlikely to respond favorably to rhetoric that is more political than Christian in tone. This reality ought to be a very positive check for us, and should drive us back to the Bible, as we never want our main message to be anything other than Jesus Christ. After all, every political worldview has its strengths and its weaknesses – but the only Truth that counts for eternity is Christ. A 2014 Deloitte survey found that Millennials get easily frustrated by the paralysis of indecision that is often caused by outdated procedures and bureaucracies. Let’s show them a church that is less cold-hearted institution and more warm-hearted Christ!

2. We need to be honest about our own mistakes, and about our own brokenness.

The Millennial generation has been raised on “tolerance” – but tolerance has a huge downside. Today’s version of tolerance – though this never appears in the glossy brochure – is actually apathetic toward honesty. Let me explain what I mean. Politically correct tolerance demands that we “love people for who they are.” Let me ask you something. Is anyone really happy just being “who we are?” No, we’re not. We all recognize that we need to grow and change. Contemporary “tolerance” robs us of that opportunity. In sharp contrast, Christianity calls us to something higher and better: being conformed to the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29)! If we want Millennials to tap with us into the only hope of real life-change, then we’ve got to be honest with them about how far we have to go as well. Honest about our own failures, weaknesses, and regrets. No one will ever admit their spiritual brokenness if the church feels like a museum full of proud people who always have their act together.

3. We need to pursue Christ’s kingdom even more passionately than we pursue cultural transformation.

Together in Christ, let’s call Millennials – and everyone else – to radical kingdom living! Jesus said (John 18:36): “My kingdom is not of this world.” As Christ’s life is lived in and through us, His light and salt will bring with it transformative real-world impact in a myriad of ways. But it’s Christ’s life, and not our revolution. As a strong believer in the sovereignty of God, I contend that God must choose us. But I also believe that we must choose Christ (Joshua 24:15). Brendan Carr, a Millennial Christian himself, offers this challenge: “In Jesus, we are free. He came to free us from sin and death … Try regularly praying for freedom from anything that holds you back from being your highest self. It is a powerful prayer, and in the end, it is the greatest motivation of the human heart.”

I’m choosing to see the glass half-full. I’m choosing to see these as gospel-hopeful times. I’m choosing to be all in.

What say you?

Pastor Charles

Many of you know that Eileen and I got caught in the recent East Coast snowstorm. Once we resigned ourselves to the fact that we would not be getting home in time for Sunday’s services, we decided to visit some of the “senior saints” who were part of the first congregation that I pastored (1989 – 1998) in Raleigh, North Carolina. When I think back to those visits of just a few days ago, here’s my summary: “What a joy!”

Here’s a pic of our dear friend, Victoria Stevens. At age 90, Vickie is still the Southern Belle par excellence. Now widowed and living alone, she still has her sense of humor, her poise, or her gracefulness. Most important: she still has her Savior. Said more correctly, He still has her. (Vickie told me I’m getting a little too “chubby.” #truthbomb)

Please let me clarify what I mean by that word “joy.” By “joy” I do not mean “happy and carefree.” By “joy” I do not mean “nonstop giddy laughter.” By “joy” I do not mean “easy peasy lemon squeezy.”

By “joy” I mean that I would not have wanted to be anywhere else on Earth! But, in fact, the visits were not easy. Many of the pillars of that church – the church family that loved me through the “teenage years” of my pastoral ministry – are now diving head-first into the harshest realities of aging. This was not easy for me to accept or admit. And certainly not easy for me to observe. (Some of you know that, when it comes to tears, I’m planted fairly close to the stream.)

Forgetfulness. Falls. Estrangement from family and friends. Problems with vision and hearing. Aches and pains. Sadness and loneliness. Loss of personal freedom and autonomy. Who’s ever in the mood to give up driving? No way.

Yes, their faith in Christ remains strong, but that doesn’t erase all of the ugliness of the conditions and situations this side of heaven. Sometimes I was tempted to ask, “Why, Lord, why?”

Grab your Bible and open to Psalm 71. As you read from God’s songbook, keep in mind that we really don’t know, in the case of this particular psalm – with absolute certainty, at least – the identity of the human writer. My best guess is David, and that he wrote it when Absalom rebelled. The harp and lyre sound like David to me, and there are other clues in my opinion. If my assumption is correct, David would have been in his early 60’s at the time – which was considered very old back then.

But regardless of the human writer, the ultimate Author is certain. God wrote this psalm for us. As you read it, and meditate on it, here are some thoughts for your pondering:

1. If I am going to delight in God when I am old, then I better get to know him well while I am young, and still able to hide His word in my heart. Since some of my abilities will dull as I age, now is the time to fortify my soul with spiritual truth.

2. If I am going to trust God when I am old – when I am standing on the brink of eternity – then I better not forget all of the trials through which He has safely steered me. I should write down my victories now, and tell as many people as I can. Maybe at least one of them will remember to remind me of God’s faithfulness TO ME when I need it most.

3. If I am going to praise God in the midst of the storms of my old age, then I better practice praising Him now. Today can be a foretaste of heaven, so I don’t want to miss it for the temporal lures of this world.

Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come … for you, O Lord are my hope … my praise is continually of you … forsake me not when my strength is spent … and I will praise you yet more and more!

Christ is our refuge … when we are young, and when we are old, and every moment in between. He is our hope today, and forever.

Pastor Charles

Since the Fall of humankind, people have taken advantage of other people (or gone down trying). This is sin’s way. The Scriptures are replete with examples: Jacob’s and Laban’s shenanigans (Genesis); Rehoboam’s unjust labor policies (First Kings), Haman’s murderous ploy (Esther). Those are just for starters, and little has changed across the spectrum of successive generations. From Persia to Peoria, that’s the way it really is.

Thankfully, the Bible’s backdrop is not human merit, but divine grace. Grace wins. We don’t get past Jacob’s story before we see that.

But that’s not my attempt to minimize, in any way, the plight of those who are victimized, marginalized, and hurting. Our sins against each other levy heavy tolls this side of heaven. (That’s why we need grace in the first place.)

Where people are hurting and struggling to make it, there should be our heart. Because there is the heart of our God! We observe God’s unfathomable compassion for the down-and-out on nearly every page of Scripture. God selected a nation of slaves to be His own special people – His own peculiar inheritance. He sent angels with good news to poor shepherds. He loves widows and orphans, and calls you and me to do the same. Our high and holy calling is to minister to the suffering, to visit the imprisoned, to bear the sorrows of those around us, and to protect the defenseless unborn.

Some of those around us are suffering because of poor personal choices and careless sins. Others are suffering because life on this fallen planet sometimes, well, hurts.

But your calling and my calling is to love, as we have been loved (John 13:34-35). To be on the lookout for opportunities to display such a magnanimous heart may not square with all of our friends, with pop culture, or with self-help ethics, but LOVE ought to be how you and I live (and how we feel). After all, we are in Christ. Thankfully, Jesus was – and indeed is – the friend of sinners. In my mind’s eye, I can see Him pursuing the woman at the well as if she were the only person on Earth.

Charles Spurgeon preached: “A vague notion is abroad in the world that the benefit of Christ’s passion is intended only for good people. The preaching of some ministers, and the talk of some professors, would lead the uninstructed to imagine that Christ came into the world to save the righteous, to call the godly to repentance, and to heal those who never were sick.” 1862 or 2016, it’s really much the same.

Christ is Lord. He is head of the body. We are His, the various and sundry parts of His body. By His resurrection power, at work even now in and through us, you and I are being transformed from scattered, fearful, and faithless doubters – like the apostles – into world-changers. All for Christ’s glory. We must remember that once, a long time ago, a little band of disciples who were maligned and persecuted swelled in faith and grace until they filled Jerusalem with gospel truth. And the rest is global history.

Chris Tomlin sings:

“Our God, You reign forever

Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God

The everlasting God

You do not faint

You won’t grow weary

You’re the defender of the weak

You comfort those in need

You lift us up on wings like eagles …”

Our God is the defender of the weak! For this we give Him thanks and praise.

Pastor Charles

Monday night Eileen and I were blessed by our dear friends from SoCal, Scott and Jody, who joined us for dinner and a time of reconnecting and fellowship. Sweet!

As is often the case when old comrades get together, our conversation eventually migrated toward our spiritual lives – and soon after that we were talking about our consistent need to keep Christ at the center of everything. This is not always easy, as you know, as so many of the demands of the “daily grind” often tilt us off-center and away from our abiding source of hope and joy. Before long, Christ feels distant – though we are the ones who have strayed.

I know that a number of you have taken up Bible-reading plans for 2016. That’s fantastic, but I have a challenge for you: Look for Christ on every page! When Christ becomes our consistent Bible hermeneutic (method or principle of interpretation), we can be sure that we are reading the Scriptures in the way that will yield the greatest spiritual rewards.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss (now Wolgemuth) says it like this: “Sometimes I am reading in parts [of the Bible] that don’t seem to have anything to do with Jesus. You get into those heavy parts of the Old Testament. One of the things in my subconscious that I am mindful of when I am reading in the Scripture is how does this picture Christ? How does it point me to Christ? That is not always easy to see. But if you’re asking that question, you’re going to be seeing Christ throughout the Scripture. It is His story. This is the redemptive story from beginning to end.

“How does Jesus show up in the Garden of Eden? Ask yourself that question as you’re reading the Scripture. The answer won’t always be obvious, but at least you’ll be more tuned in. When God clothed Adam and Eve in their nakedness because they were ashamed and guilty after they sinned, He killed animals, and out of those skins made clothes for Adam and Eve. Do we not see here an Old Testament foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ, who was killed, the slain lamb of God so that we could be clothed in His righteousness? Look for Jesus in the Scripture. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you. I think that will help you keep a fresh love for Christ.”

The more we see Christ for who He really is, the more we will love Him. That’s as it should be, because you and I can expect to be tested in our love for Christ. The enemy is not going to sit back and do nothing as we take up God’s Word and fall more and more in love with our Savior and Lord. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, martyred for God’s glory amidst the horrors of the German Nazis, wrote in The Cost of Discipleship: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

Jesus speaks to each one of us: “Take up your cross and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That is no plea for halfhearted commitment, but is rather a clarion call to full-blown discipleship. A discipleship that, by Christ’s own description, must include denial of self, daily discipline, and the loss of one’s own life in order to gain the very life of Christ. It is my contention that all of that prayerful rigor is a part of keeping Christ at the center of all things: my mind, my heart, my theology, my worldview, my vocation, and even all of my relationships.

I do not write these things to discourage you in the new year, but to prepare you for the new year. Readiness for the tests that lie ahead should be encouragement for us to face each day with confidence in our more-than-faithful God.

So keep looking for Jesus, friends. He is alive and well, and He desires to be passionately pursued by us (Jeremiah 29:13). Like Nancy said, the whole Bible is His story. In that special revelation first and foremost, as well as in the general revelation happening all around us, Christ still speaks. May our ears be attentive to His voice as the promises of this new year come to life! He is all we really need. By His grace and for His glory, let’s keep Christ central.

Pastor Charles

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! While the moment is here, let’s make much of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus was born amidst the most humble surroundings to show us God’s opinion of human pride. This season ought to be when we delight not in what we might get, but in what we have already received: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). God has visited us! And, because of that, you and I will never bethe same. Eternity is ours, because we are His. If you will allow me to borrow from C.S. Lewis (1952): “Look for Christ and you will find Him. And with Him, everything else.”

For you, dearest friends, I pray the riches of Christ.

Another year has passed, and God has faithfully led our faith family forward by Christ’s grace. I’m so grateful to be on the journey with you. First Baptist Paducah is a remarkable place to lead in pastoral ministry, and I thank you for the honor, privilege, and joy of serving as your senior pastor.

Walt Disney was right about a number of things, but I take issue with him on one point. The happiest place on Earth is not Disneyland. The happiest place on Earth is with you.

This Christmas, my cup runneth over.

With love and affection,

Pastor Charles

for Eileen and Joshua

You may already know that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, which was written by Charles M. Schulz – and which made its debut on December 9, 1965. In ways, for me at least, it doesn’t feel quite like Christmas without a delightful dose of the Peanuts gang. Who doesn’t enjoy their jazzy scores, timeless themes, and simple animation? And, in the case of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charles Schulz had to insist upon the inclusion of Luke 2:8-14 as the story’s climax: “And that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!”

The Scripture is quoted (from the King James Bible) by Linus, in response to Charlie Brown’s lament: “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” When Charles Schulz originally proposed this, the show’s producer, Lee Mendelson, as well as its director, Bill Melendez, expressed their serious concerns. Melendez warned Schulz: “It’s very dangerous for us to start talking about religion now.” Schulz’s answer was quite simple: “Bill, if we don’t, who will?”

So have some fun with me, if you will, and watch that scene again. Click here for the video. It will take less than two minutes of your time.

If you’re like me, nostalgia will take over in a wonderful way. You remember Linus, don’t you? He never went anywhere without his near-famous blanket. The blanket was first introduced in the Peanuts comic strip in 1954, and was featured throughout the remainder of the strip’s run. Whenever the blanket appears, Linus can be seen carrying it around and sucking his thumb. Various storylines involve Lucy trying to do away with the blanket, disapproval of it from Linus’ unseen grandmother, and Snoopy frequently trying to steal it for himself. The blanket also transforms for use in a plethora of other ways, from a cummerbund to a bullfighter’s cape.

In the Peanuts strips from the later years, Linus sometimes wants to rid himself of blanket-dependence, even though he understands what a mess he is without it. On one occasion Linus attempts to persuade Charlie Brown and Snoopy to take away his blanket and refuse to give it back – no matter how much Linus begs for it. That sounds a lot like you and me – dependent on things we know (somewhere deep inside) we don’t really need.

But back to the scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas. As you watch the video clip, pay careful attention to the blanket. As Linus quotes the angel of the Lord speaking to the shepherds – right when he says, “Fear not!” – Linus drops his security blanket. And he doesn’t pick it up for the remainder of the scene in which he tells Charlie Brown the Christmas story.

Was the blanket drop intentional on the part of Charles Schulz? For a man of such creatively detailed significance, I’m rather sure that it must have been. It’s the most profound moment in the story, and it’s a startling revelation in the life of one of its most important characters.

Does not that “Fear not!” apply to us as well? The angel’s “tidings of great joy” are also our reason to celebrate. Christ has come! He lived for us. He died for us. He rose again for us!

I am in touch with at least a few of my own fears, but I don’t know yours. But I do know that all of our fears stem from what appear to be (to us, at least in the moment) very real threats. And I also know that Christ has come to set us free from all our fears (Second Timothy 1:7). Our greatest enemy, death, He has fully conquered on our behalf (John 14:19). Christ owns yesterday, and Christ owns tomorrow. Christ authors human history. Christ is King of kings, and Lord of lords, forever. For those of us who are in Christ (Romans 8:28), all is well.

In regard to whatever we’ve been hanging onto for security, other than Christ, the time has come. The moment is now. The season of peace is upon us.

So go ahead. Drop it!

Pastor Charles

Nobody liked the tax collectors all that much, but if you were the “chief” tax collector – and wealthy on top of that – you were particularly shunned and reviled. Such was the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). I’ve always liked that “wee little man,” Zacchaeus. Maybe it’s because I’m convinced that the taller people wouldn’t let him stand in front so he could see. I tend to vote for the underdog.

Everyone knew Zacchaeus, because this was one of the three regional tax centers in the land of Israel: the northern one being Capernaum, the central one on the coast being Caesarea, and the southern one being Jericho. Caught up in his materialism, no doubt, Zacchaeus had a heart that was blinded by money. At least at first. That was before Jesus came to town. Jesus was headed through Jericho up to Jerusalem for the Passover. This would be His last time. So Christ arrived at the City of Palms, as it was called, six miles north of the Dead Sea and six miles west of the Jordan River.

In the Bible’s account of that day, it’s possible for us to read past what Zacchaeus did. After all, he’s most remembered for climbing a tree. And what’s the big deal about climbing some tree? In the culture of that day, what mattered most to people was a sense of dignity, honor, and respect. A grown man would never climb a tree. To do so would be saying to whole world: “Please ridicule me, starting now!” But height-challenged Zacchaeus didn’t care. He just wanted to see the Lord.

So there was high-profile (not literally, of course) Zacchaeus in a tree. Meanwhile, all the religious people were looking on – already ready to pounce on this notorious “sinner” if given even half a chance. So Jesus chose Zacchaeus as the one to whom He would extend friendship. That’s what staying with someone meant – even just sharing a meal – it meant relationship. This offended everyone. Except Zacchaeus. And that’s usually how grace works. The recipient is blown away by the absolutely undeserved joy of it all, while the religious hypocrites – who seem always within arm’s length – have some version of a fit (at least internally).

As for Zacchaeus, his life was changed forever. That’s also how grace works. We are saved “for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). In the case of Zacchaeus, some of those works included giving 50% of his income to the poor. And paying back everything he had ever stolen with 300% interest. Now that was radical, especially for a guy who – ten minutes ago – loved his stuff more than anything else on Earth. This man, who had made a fortune at the expense of others, had to become poor. So that he could become rich. Again, all of grace.

Pause and rewind. Back to that tree. I want you to picture little Zacchaeus up in that tall tree. He must have looked something like an animated Christmas ornament! And what was happening there? Hated Zacchaeus was beholding, with his very own eyes, Love. Love was passing by. And the town reject – that despicable and despised dude who was regarded by the crowd at Jericho as inferior to a prostitute – enjoyed a bird’s-eye view of the Son of God who had come “to seek and to save the lost.” For a moment in time, that tree – which may well have become somebody’s firewood soon thereafter – must have sparkled with the brilliance of a thousand diamonds. Verdant beauty? I don’t know. But beauty for sure. And in my mind’s eye, Zacchaeus is precariously perched there, grinning from ear to ear!

When it was all over, Luke recorded these words of Jesus: “Salvation has come.”

Maybe the first Christmas tree was a sycamore.

Pastor Charles