11-3-25 “A Saint in the Sycamore Tree — and Among Us”

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“A Saint in the Sycamore Tree — and Among Us”

I want to start with something funny I found on an internet site: A few minutes before a church service, people were chatting in the pews. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone panicked and ran for the exit, trampling one another in a frantic attempt to escape. Soon, everyone had fled — except for one elderly gentleman, sitting calmly as if nothing were happening.

Satan approached him. “Don’t you know who I am?”
The man replied, “Yep, sure do.”
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Nope.”
“I can kill you with a word!”
“Don’t doubt it.”
“I could cause you unending agony for all eternity!”
“Yep.”
“Why aren’t you afraid?”
“I’ve been married to your sister for 48 years.”

Sometimes, family or friends are like that — they push our patience, challenge our faith, and make us pray harder. We may even wonder, “Why is this person in my life?” I’ve asked that question about my own father.

When I was a child, my father drank often. He was weak, lazy, and made many mistakes. The townspeople gossiped about him. My siblings and I were ashamed, and I avoided him whenever I could. Leaving home for school felt like freedom.

When I had an accident and was hospitalized, my father came — but stood far away, talking to others. I remember seeing his lonely shoulder turned toward me. He never came again during those three years.

But in that hospital, I met God through a pastor. I repented — not of my father’s sins, but of my inability to love him. I began to pray for him.

When I read today’s scripture about Zacchaeus, I thought of my father. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Jericho — rich but despised, isolated emotionally and spiritually, seen as a sinner by society. Yet, he longed to see Jesus. Three things blocked him: the crowd, his short stature, and the judgment of others — including himself. Still, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of the Savior. When Jesus passed by, He looked up and called him by name: “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”

Imagine that moment: Jesus didn’t see Zacchaeus as a sinner to condemn, but as a beloved child of Abraham. The crowd grumbled, but Zacchaeus opened his heart and said:

“Look, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone, I will pay back four times as much.” God’s grace had come to his house, transforming his life and the lives of those around him.

When I came to faith, I thought Jesus had found me in that hospital bed. Later, I realized — Jesus was also seeking my father through me. My father continued to struggle, causing frustration and shame. But our pastor never scolded him, even when my father shouted in church. He smiled and said, “Welcome to the church.”

One day, I spoke to him openly: “Father, I love you, and we welcome you.” Slowly, he changed. He came to church, was baptized, removed the ancestral temple, and encouraged home worship. Through him, our family became a Christian family.

Jesus seeks not only the one who climbs the sycamore tree, but also the one who challenges us — perhaps that difficult family member, that frustrated friend, that neighbor. They too are beloved children of God. Shall we call them saints?

Today is All Saints Sunday. According to the Book of Worship of the United Methodist Church, “All Saints Sunday (the first Sunday in November) is a day of remembrance for the saints, with the New Testament meaning of all Christian People of every time and place.”  In other words, “saints” means all of God’s people — beyond time and place. Even though we are human and imperfect, we are saints who die in Christ and are born again as Christians.

And this idea brings us to The Rabbi’s Gift: which I have learned at the Spiritual Formation Academy in Tucson. There was a monastery that had fallen on hard times. Only a few elderly monks remained, tired and discouraged. One day, the abbot visited a rabbi and asked for advice. The rabbi simply said: “The Messiah is among you.” The monks wondered: Could he mean one of us? Maybe Brother Thomas… or Brother John?

From that day on, they began to treat one another with reverence, as if Christ were present. Slowly, the monastery transformed — warmth returned, visitors felt God’s presence, and new novices joined.

On this All Saints Sunday, we remember those who have gone before us — not because they were perfect, but because they let Christ shine through their imperfect lives. A saint is not someone who never sinned; a saint is someone who, like Zacchaeus, responds to Jesus’ call and comes down from the tree. A saint is someone who, like the monks, sees Christ in the people around them.

Perhaps there is a “Zacchaeus” in your family — someone who makes you pray harder or tests your patience. Perhaps there is a saint sitting next to you, working beside you, or living under your roof. Or perhaps that saint is you — called by name, forgiven, and sent to bring salvation into the world.

Look around. The Messiah may be closer than you think.

Thanks be to God. Amen!