In the message this week I used a metaphor that I heard from John Burke, Pastor of Gateway Church in Austin. It was of the a masterpiece found in the mud.

People made in the image of God & stuck in sin are like masterpieces stuck in mud. One of the main points of contention between Jesus & the Pharisees was that Jesus saw the masterpiece while the Pharisees only saw the mud. Take a minute & run through the Bible with this metaphor in mind & tell me if this isn’t one of the main components of not only the gospels but of the whole story of God & Us.

I cited 3 examples from the gospels (Luke mostly) one of which was the chief tax collector Zaccheus (Luke 19).

Today in my prayer time I needed a change of pace so I decided to do something I haven’t done in a while & go through the little daily contemplative prayer exercise at Sacred Space. Here’s how today’s reading opened up.

Zacchaeus was a small man, used to being despised and spat upon, feeling he deserved it, for his greed and extortions as a tax-collector. His motives were mixed in seeking Jesus. (Luke 19:1-10) He wanted just to see him, not to engage with him. But that faint beginning of desire was enough. It met a greater desire in Jesus to meet him, call him by name, ‘Zaccchaeus make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’
 In my prayer, Lord, I am often like Zacchaeus, making huge efforts to catch a glimpse of you, only to find that you are waiting for me, calling me by name, inviting yourself into my heart. Once I am with you, I find happiness in putting things right, ordering my life, finding the springs of generosity and justice that have been stifled by old habits.

Wow! Don’t you love this!

One time this week, take 10 minutes or so & go through Sacred Space. Click here often!