Thanksgiving In Jericho
Sermon
Come Dine With Jesus
Ten Sermons And Litanies For Lent And Easter
Worship Focus
A large bowl or basket of fruit; a pedestal bowl would be festive.
Jericho was known as the City of Palms, so an arrangement of dates would also be in order.
A Litany For The Seventh Meal
Leader: God of all power, we praise you, for you tower above all other loyalties.
People: Now is the acceptable time.
Leader: God of all grace, we thank you for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
People: Now is the day of salvation!
Leader: God of all majesty, we thank you once more that you have called us to yourself.
People: Now is the acceptable time.
Leader: God of all mercy, we adore you, for you have loved us and forgiven us.
People: Now is the day of salvation.
Leader: God of all life, we live because you live and have given us new life in Christ.
People: Now has salvation come to this house. Now is the day of new life. Let the people of God give praise! Amen.
Thanksgiving In Jericho
Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ''Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.'' So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ''He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.'' Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ''Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.'' Then Jesus said to him, ''Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.''
Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we call
Palm Sunday with a great, festive procession.
Before him and behind him surged crowds
of pilgrims on their way to the Passover,
shouting praises,
waving palm branches,
throwing their garments
for him to ride upon,
hailing him as a deliverer,
shouting ''Hosanna to the Son of David.''
''Blessed is the King who comes
in the name of the Lord.''
The whole city was stirred, asking,
''Who is this?''
Yet Palm Sunday was not Jesus' first
great procession on the trip to Jerusalem,
nor were these the first palms.
A week earlier Jesus had been in Jericho,
often called ''The City of Palms.''
Jericho was wealthy,
both from its date palms
and even more from the main trade routes
that ran through the city.
One of Jericho's wealthiest men
lived by taxing that trade:
he was also its most hated man,
the chief tax collector Zacchaeus.
Jesus' entrance to Jericho
was truly a festive parade.
The excited, cheering crowd filled the streets
so you could hardly find Jesus.
We all know the story of little Zacchaeus
who climbed a tree.
He was lonely;
he knew he was detested and despised.
He had heard of that strange Rabbi Jesus:
most rabbis would never speak to a person
like Zacchaeus,
but this Jesus
was said to be a friend of sinners.
Zacchaeus was desperate,
but the crowd was in the way,
probably happy to push him aside
and give him an extra shove.
Abandoning all dignity, he climbed a tree --
and you know the rest.
Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus' house
for dinner.
The grumbling started at once.
Zacchaeus was a sinner,
hated because he collected taxes
for the Roman government
and hated even more
because he collected extra for himself.
How dare a rabbi associate with such a sinner,
even eat with him
and his fellow scoundrels?
What was going on?
You know what was going on!
It was Thanksgiving Day!
That dinner in Zacchaeus' house
was a great big thanksgiving feast:
no turkey,
no cranberries,
but great thanksgiving!
It was the thanksgiving of an outcast,
long friendless,
now accepted by the love of God.
Thanksgiving, to mean anything,
has to be more than words.
Thanksgiving in Zacchaeus' house
was a time for action.
He began with repentance;
next came restitution,
a generous restitution.
(The law required a thief, if caught,
to pay back double;
Zacchaeus, repentant,
paid back fourfold.)
Then there could be renewal.
Zacchaeus' whole life-style changed
from me-first money-grubbing
to an outgoing care for others,
''Half of my possessions, Lord,
I will give to the poor.''
Palm procession in Jericho,
Palm Sunday in Jerusalem:
both were times of renewal.
The encounter in Jericho
brought restoration to Zacchaeus;
the celebration in Jerusalem
was a step in Jesus' plan
of redemption for us all.
When Jesus sat at table
with the sinners of Jericho,
salvation blossomed into actions
of thanksgiving.
Then the Savior entered Jerusalem
with cheers and the waving of palms,
in order to spread for us a continuing table
of forgiveness and rebirth,
of thanksgiving and service,
of rejoicing and praise.
A large bowl or basket of fruit; a pedestal bowl would be festive.
Jericho was known as the City of Palms, so an arrangement of dates would also be in order.
A Litany For The Seventh Meal
Leader: God of all power, we praise you, for you tower above all other loyalties.
People: Now is the acceptable time.
Leader: God of all grace, we thank you for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
People: Now is the day of salvation!
Leader: God of all majesty, we thank you once more that you have called us to yourself.
People: Now is the acceptable time.
Leader: God of all mercy, we adore you, for you have loved us and forgiven us.
People: Now is the day of salvation.
Leader: God of all life, we live because you live and have given us new life in Christ.
People: Now has salvation come to this house. Now is the day of new life. Let the people of God give praise! Amen.
Thanksgiving In Jericho
Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ''Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.'' So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, ''He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.'' Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ''Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.'' Then Jesus said to him, ''Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.''
Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we call
Palm Sunday with a great, festive procession.
Before him and behind him surged crowds
of pilgrims on their way to the Passover,
shouting praises,
waving palm branches,
throwing their garments
for him to ride upon,
hailing him as a deliverer,
shouting ''Hosanna to the Son of David.''
''Blessed is the King who comes
in the name of the Lord.''
The whole city was stirred, asking,
''Who is this?''
Yet Palm Sunday was not Jesus' first
great procession on the trip to Jerusalem,
nor were these the first palms.
A week earlier Jesus had been in Jericho,
often called ''The City of Palms.''
Jericho was wealthy,
both from its date palms
and even more from the main trade routes
that ran through the city.
One of Jericho's wealthiest men
lived by taxing that trade:
he was also its most hated man,
the chief tax collector Zacchaeus.
Jesus' entrance to Jericho
was truly a festive parade.
The excited, cheering crowd filled the streets
so you could hardly find Jesus.
We all know the story of little Zacchaeus
who climbed a tree.
He was lonely;
he knew he was detested and despised.
He had heard of that strange Rabbi Jesus:
most rabbis would never speak to a person
like Zacchaeus,
but this Jesus
was said to be a friend of sinners.
Zacchaeus was desperate,
but the crowd was in the way,
probably happy to push him aside
and give him an extra shove.
Abandoning all dignity, he climbed a tree --
and you know the rest.
Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus' house
for dinner.
The grumbling started at once.
Zacchaeus was a sinner,
hated because he collected taxes
for the Roman government
and hated even more
because he collected extra for himself.
How dare a rabbi associate with such a sinner,
even eat with him
and his fellow scoundrels?
What was going on?
You know what was going on!
It was Thanksgiving Day!
That dinner in Zacchaeus' house
was a great big thanksgiving feast:
no turkey,
no cranberries,
but great thanksgiving!
It was the thanksgiving of an outcast,
long friendless,
now accepted by the love of God.
Thanksgiving, to mean anything,
has to be more than words.
Thanksgiving in Zacchaeus' house
was a time for action.
He began with repentance;
next came restitution,
a generous restitution.
(The law required a thief, if caught,
to pay back double;
Zacchaeus, repentant,
paid back fourfold.)
Then there could be renewal.
Zacchaeus' whole life-style changed
from me-first money-grubbing
to an outgoing care for others,
''Half of my possessions, Lord,
I will give to the poor.''
Palm procession in Jericho,
Palm Sunday in Jerusalem:
both were times of renewal.
The encounter in Jericho
brought restoration to Zacchaeus;
the celebration in Jerusalem
was a step in Jesus' plan
of redemption for us all.
When Jesus sat at table
with the sinners of Jericho,
salvation blossomed into actions
of thanksgiving.
Then the Savior entered Jerusalem
with cheers and the waving of palms,
in order to spread for us a continuing table
of forgiveness and rebirth,
of thanksgiving and service,
of rejoicing and praise.
