What mixed blessings we find ourselves sharing this Sunday. At 7:00am we celebrate the Saints of the past … those we have read about and learnt from, together with those we have known and loved, who have laid the foundation stones of our faith and our community.  At 9:00am we welcome Elizabeth Malinda Irmer as our newest and youngest member of the faith. We also celebrate the anniversary of Miranda Collins Confirmation. People of faith are growing in our midst! So we look, with gratitude to the past, and with hope towards the future.

The story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector, told in the 9am gospel (according to Luke)  is a wonderful story of  acceptance. The character of Zacchaeus is full of contradictions – his shortness in stature and status present obstacles and the “grumbling” crowd is quick to judge both Zacchaeus and Jesus for their association. Jesus silences the crowd, calling Zacchaeus a “son of Abraham,” thus restoring him to the covenant community. Just as some people in Jesus’ day did not accept tax collectors, prostitutes, and Samaritans, some who consider themselves the “in crowd” today despise and exclude people they think are beneath them.

How does this story speak to us today? And what are the ways God’s love is made visible in our day, in our community, and in the world?

We are pretty accepting here in our faith community, but its worth thinking about our connections in the wider community and across the face of the earth.

Love and Blessings

Reverend Shan