March 2019 Monthly Letter
Dear ORM Reconcilers,
What if Jesus came to your house, knocked on the door and said hello? Would you greet him or drop to the floor? A man name Zacchaeus had the privilege of seeing Jesus face to face. The apostle Luke tells the story.
He says, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus, who was a wealthy chief tax collector. He wanted to see who Jesus was but being a short man, he could not see over the crowd.
He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree in order to watch Jesus’ arrival. Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. The people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and claim what was lost.”
This is an act of reconciliation worth noting. Zacchaeus was willing to give back half of his possessions and turn to the life Jesus wanted him to have – a life of reconciliation, peace, and honesty.
Again, what if Jesus came to your house one day? What do you think your reaction would be? Would it be “welcome Lord, so glad to see your face” as you chat with him? Perhaps you’d say, “Let me get my wonderful wife or awesome husband! We have been going through the Bible and discussing a few difficult scriptures. We love going through the scriptures every day and learning more about you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.”
“We thank you for some of the trials we have been going through, like living next door to neighbors who are hard to get along with. We see teenagers sailing by on their bikes, blasting their ‘so-called’ music loudly. Lord what should we do?” Jesus might reply, “You listened to some of their music? Have you taken the time to have a conversation with them?”
The Lord might surprise us by saying, “I enjoy some of their music, just as I enjoy some of yours. But the main thing that you should do as an adult is set an example of love. Show them that you love them, and you will surely win them over.”
Keep in mind this description of love from the Holy Word of God in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: “Love is patient; love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
So, once again I ask, what if Jesus came to your house to have a conversation and share a meal with you? My answer is: He comes into our homes every day. He always knows where we are and what we’re doing. So that means we always should be able to say, “welcome Lord.”
Thank you for your prayers and for supporting the Ministry of Reconciliation.
Love and peace,
