In Luke 19:1-10, Zacchaeus joyfully welcomed Jesus into his home, where Jesus prompts a changed heart and mind in his host and proclaims salvation. All this reveals an undercurrent of hospitality and welcome that propels much of the narrative of the Bible. As in other instances of practiced hospitality, something important changes. Salvation is revealed in Zacchaeus’s changed heart and mind, and perhaps even in the changed perception of the crowds who witness Jesus accompanying Zacchaeus to his home. And the salvation that is visited upon Zacchaeus’s home will reach out into his neighborhood and community through his generosity and compassionate living.
In Jena’s message to us this week, she had us think about how we overlook people. perhaps because they are too short, too poor, too…etc. The gospel lesson isn’t just about Zacchaeus but about all of us and how we look at people. Just as Zacchaeus and the peoples’ hearts and minds were changed, so ours can be too.
In our worship , we welcome the risen Christ to join us, and we invoke the name of God as we gather. God welcomes us around the communion table and through this holy hospitality feeds us with Christ, so that transformative salvation may follow us home and wherever we go. Will you welcome anyone? Have a blessed week!
Faith Lutheran Church 