The staggering message of the Christmas story is the arrival of God in the World— Emmanuel, "God with us." Majesty gracing the mundane. Omniscience enlightening the clueless. Omnipotence empowering the helpless. Love transforming the hateful.
This week we looked at the story of Zaccheus. It makes a great children's story, because every kid loves to climb trees. And the song is a lot of fun. It is easy to miss the heart message: the impact of the person of Jesus on a man whose life was mostly concerned with money, and not in a good way. Tax collectors were no more popular then than now. The words that come out of Zaccheus' mouth are unexpected. Those of his ilk were not known for being honest or repentant. But, Zaccheus is both. Jesus had that effect on people. Emmanuel impacting the hearts of men.
I was reminded of a recent experience. I took a friend to be checked out by her caregiver at the same clinic I visit. I also know many of the allied medical personnel there. As we were waiting for her to have a diagnostic test, a technician known for being very surly and difficult to get along with walked by. When I mentioned this to my friend, she said, "He has always treated me well." As more than luck would have it, he turned out to be the one who tested her. When he came out afterward to confer with her, his demeanor astonished me: soft spoken, kind, tender, concerned. I knew the dynamic was the result of this woman's loving spirit. She has that effect on everyone. I think Jesus would approve.
Being Jesus to the world. It is the year-round mission to which we have been called.
