WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.099 Your phone goes off. It's after 10pm. You're wrapping presents this week. And it's a number 00:00:09.099 --> 00:00:13.240 ! that's familiar to you, but you've not heard it from the person for years or seen them. 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:19.679 They're one of your oldest and in some ways closest friends. And there's a message that 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:27.440 comes up saying, I'm outside. You open the door and they are there with a beaming face 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:36.859 and a bottle of wine and a gift. And it's just a delight to see them again. The joy of unexpected 00:00:36.859 --> 00:00:42.179 visitors. Happens, doesn't it? Christmas week. People knock on your door who you're not expecting. 00:00:42.939 --> 00:00:48.219 It's a joy. But there are sometimes people that come to our front doors who we'd rather 00:00:48.219 --> 00:00:55.439 not see. Salesmen. Political canvassers. Religious proselytizers. 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:03.780 Maybe it's a friend or a family member that you find particularly difficult. Unexpected 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:12.560 visitors are a mixed bag. Some delight us by their coming to our door. Others not so much. 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:19.420 And I want us, in this short time, to consider what kind of unexpected visitor Jesus is. 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:28.200 Because Jesus entered our world when few were looking for him. And it's his unexpected arrival 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:32.939 that we celebrate each Christmas. And I want to explore tonight, how do we feel about that? 00:01:34.140 --> 00:01:38.879 And I want to do it by looking at the incident which Leslie just read to us when he met a man 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:46.379 named Zacchaeus. And he invited himself for tea. Because even though the Zacchaeus story is 00:01:46.379 --> 00:01:50.839 not Christmassy. It's not particularly Christmassy. In fact, I can't find anyone else who's preached 00:01:50.839 --> 00:01:57.840 on Zacchaeus at Christmas. I think it sheds a great deal of light on Christmas. That's why we read it earlier. 00:01:58.759 --> 00:02:06.199 It comes from Luke 19. And Luke introduces us to Zacchaeus himself. He seems to have lived in Jericho, 00:02:06.659 --> 00:02:11.599 where Jesus happened to be that day. He was the chief tax collector, which means he worked for the Roman 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:18.180 government by day. And his job was to ensure that taxes were collected from the people of Jericho 00:02:18.180 --> 00:02:23.979 for the public coffers. And we're told, aren't we, that he was a wealthy man. And as we discover 00:02:23.979 --> 00:02:31.299 a little later in the story, it seems that some of his wealth was ill-gotten. Some of it he acquired 00:02:31.299 --> 00:02:39.060 by cheating people. But whatever his past may have involved, at this moment, this guy is part of the 00:02:39.060 --> 00:02:47.140 crowds of people who are very curious about Jesus. And so keen was Zacchaeus himself to see Jesus 00:02:47.140 --> 00:02:52.500 that he famously climbs up this sycamore tree to get a better view of him. He's a fairly short fella. 00:02:53.900 --> 00:03:00.819 But I want you to notice that it's just not idle curiosity. This isn't just rubbernecking. You know, 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:06.360 like the driver who slows down on the road to get a better look at the accident, or someone who cranes 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.860 their neck over the crowd to get a better look at the celebrity signing autographs. 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:18.700 No, there's far more intent on Zacchaeus tree climbing than that. Listen to what it says in 00:03:18.700 --> 00:03:24.980 verse 3. Just look down with the green seat. It's the level number 3. He wanted to see who 00:03:24.980 --> 00:03:31.560 Jesus was. But because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. He didn't just want to get a 00:03:31.560 --> 00:03:38.560 glimpse of Jesus. He wanted to see who Jesus was. He didn't just want to be able to tell his friends, 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:47.319 I'd seen and heard Jesus. It seems he wanted to know about him. Perhaps we could even say that he wanted 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:55.860 to know him. So we should ask ourselves, shouldn't we, what is all this fuss about? Why should someone like 00:03:55.860 --> 00:04:03.580 Zacchaeus want to know this person who he'd never met before? And I'm sure you're aware of this. It 00:04:03.580 --> 00:04:09.380 seems that Jesus was something of a celebrity in those days. He was the travelling teacher. He'd moved 00:04:09.380 --> 00:04:14.460 around the kingdom of Israel for months talking about the kingdom of God, and he'd developed a reputation. 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:23.560 People said, you've got to hear this guy teach. He speaks with remarkable authority. The way he talks, 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:30.780 it's uncannily wise. But he's also enhanced his reputation by doing remarkable things. He's healed 00:04:30.780 --> 00:04:40.740 people. People say he's calmed storms. He's fed large crowds with little food. And some people even 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:47.360 say he's raised the dead, broken up funerals. And it's for those reasons that Zacchaeus wants to know 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:52.060 more. So you can imagine, can't you, Zacchaeus is surprised when Jesus stops right under the tree, 00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:56.360 where he's perched himself. He looks up and he invites himself around for dinner. Look at verse 5. 00:04:57.860 --> 00:05:01.860 When Jesus reached the point, the spot, he looked up and said, Zacchaeus, come down immediately. 00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:08.199 I must stay at your house today. And in that moment, the travelling teacher becomes the unexpected 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:14.160 visitor. Not only is Zacchaeus going to get a look at him or have a conversation with Jesus, 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:19.980 he's actually going to share a meal with him. This is Jesus, isn't it, ringing the metaphorical 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:29.780 doorbell of Zacchaeus' house. This is Jesus texting Zacchaeus and saying, I'm outside. And 00:05:29.780 --> 00:05:35.220 clearly from Jesus' perspective, from Zacchaeus' perspective, Jesus is an unexpected visitor 00:05:35.220 --> 00:05:41.680 of the most welcome kind. Look at verse 6. So he came down once. And he welcomed him gladly. 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:48.160 Now, this causes outrage, doesn't it? There's certain people looking on. And the next thing 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:53.220 Luke tells us, there were murmurs for a servant of the crowd. They begin to mutter. They begin 00:05:53.220 --> 00:06:02.759 to mutter. And they say, he's gone to the guest of a sinner. So clearly, Zacchaeus' repetition 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:08.960 of Jericho is not brilliant, is it? His repetition was not as favourable as Jesus was. He's known 00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:15.519 as a sinner with a capital S. People seem to think, it's beneath you, Jesus, for dying with this kind 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:22.899 of guy. Wouldn't Jesus be better off going to the home of a local governor? Or attending a charity 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:29.879 function with the local business leaders? Why would Jesus be rubbing shoulders with a lowlife like 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:36.439 Zacchaeus? And it's an understandable question in some ways. But for those who've been watching 00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:42.439 and listening to Jesus for any length of time, actually, him going to this guy's house unexpectedly, 00:06:42.939 --> 00:06:47.480 inviting himself in, it's not a surprise. Jesus did this sort of thing all the time. 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:54.199 And it's not because he saw some untapped potential in Zacchaeus that others didn't see. 00:06:55.600 --> 00:07:00.300 You won't find Jesus arguing with the description the crowds gave Zacchaeus. 00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:10.780 It's just that Jesus loves sinners. And he has the power to change them. The power to redeem 00:07:10.780 --> 00:07:15.139 their lives, which is exactly what happens on this occasion again. Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus' tax 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:23.540 collector, becomes Zacchaeus the reformed cheat. You see, this wasn't just a memorable dinner 00:07:23.540 --> 00:07:29.580 party and a pleasant experience that Zacchaeus could tell his grandkids about. Jesus turning 00:07:29.579 --> 00:07:37.079 up at Zacchaeus' house left him with some serious questions to think about. It left him with 00:07:37.079 --> 00:07:46.019 some questions to answer about Jesus' identity and about his own relationship to God and about 00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:53.279 his own way of life and about the choices that he's made. Listen to how Luke describes what 00:07:53.279 --> 00:08:00.719 happened to Zacchaeus. It's verse 8 if you glance down. Zacchaeus stood up and he said to the 00:08:00.719 --> 00:08:08.659 Lord, look Lord, here and now I give half my possessions to the poor and if I choose anybody 00:08:08.659 --> 00:08:15.579 out of anything I will pay back four times the amount. Notice what he calls him. He calls 00:08:15.579 --> 00:08:22.839 Jesus Lord. It seems, doesn't it, that Zacchaeus has already begun to answer the question of 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:27.939 Jesus' identity. And it also seems that Zacchaeus has begun to answer the question about his own 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:35.559 life and his own choices. He's started to do a U-turn here. He's starting to make different 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:44.079 choices. Choices that prefer the needs of others rather than his own. And it is meeting Jesus 00:08:44.079 --> 00:08:49.659 that has given him the insight and the power that he needs to start living in a different 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:56.019 direction. And that's why we can't resist the conclusion here that Jesus is much more than 00:08:56.019 --> 00:09:05.079 a teacher. He's more than a travelling showman. Jesus is not someone just to be curious about. 00:09:05.259 --> 00:09:15.019 He demands responses from people. He's looking to change lives. Because he loves sinners with 00:09:15.579 --> 00:09:23.399 the heart of God. And that is why Luke finishes this section with his own words. And these words 00:09:23.399 --> 00:09:27.720 show us, show us Jesus' identity. They show you in many ways the meaning of Christmas. 00:09:28.179 --> 00:09:33.120 They tell us who Jesus thought he was and what he came to do. Can you just see verse 9? 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:41.019 Jesus said to him, today Zacchaeus, salvation has come to your house. Because this man too is 00:09:41.019 --> 00:09:49.139 the son of Abraham. For the son of man came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus calls himself 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:53.080 the son of man. It's the language he uses to talk about himself right the way through 00:09:53.080 --> 00:09:58.860 Luke's cross tongue. And it underlines his humanity. Even though he comes from God. 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:04.460 And salvation, being rescued, has come to the home of Zacchaeus on this occasion. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:14.240 Zacchaeus is like Abraham and Israelites of faith. And God has met that faith with the gift 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:22.639 of salvation. Salvation is a Bible word that describes what God does for a person when they 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:31.700 turn to him. What does God do if you will call to him tonight and trust his son? Well it involves 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:37.340 forgiveness of sin. And a welcoming to God's family and certain promises for the future. 00:10:37.340 --> 00:10:42.360 salvation. Salvation, that is the key word here. And he reiterated, reiterated in verse 10, 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:51.700 doesn't he? To seek people who needed saving and to save them. The son of man came to seek 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:59.460 and to save the lost. And that's the verse that made me think this week that the Zacchaeus 00:10:59.460 --> 00:11:08.000 narrative would be a really good one to reflect on at Christmas time. Because verse 10 is not 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:14.340 just about Zacchaeus. It's not just saying that he came to Zacchaeus' house to seek and save 00:11:14.340 --> 00:11:21.560 the lost. He's saying that about his whole life. He's saying that is why Jesus came to earth. 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:28.480 And in that way the story of Zacchaeus is really a little microcosm of the whole. 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:38.440 Life and purpose of Jesus. What Jesus does for him, Jesus does for the world. And that's 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:46.160 why we celebrate Christmas every year. Because the Zacchaeus story answers the six million dollar 00:11:46.160 --> 00:11:55.360 question. Why did Jesus come? Why was this baby born? Why did Jesus enter the world? Why 00:11:55.360 --> 00:12:00.279 did God send him? Why did God send him? Well, he sent him to seek and to save the lost. 00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:11.259 People who are lost like Zacchaeus. People who are lost like me. People who are lost like 00:12:11.259 --> 00:12:18.940 you. I read a great story this week of two Australian backpackers who bluffed their way into a professional 00:12:18.940 --> 00:12:25.660 golf tournament in North Korea. They were over there to play a bit of polo. They managed 00:12:25.660 --> 00:12:30.540 to get in just to play a bit of polo. But they heard about this prestigious golf tournament. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:36.680 So they got some green blazers made up with the Australian logo and they registered for 00:12:36.680 --> 00:12:42.100 the event. The tournament organisers were totally taken in and believed that they were the Australian 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:47.480 golf team. They were very surprised that they'd been sent. And so these two guys were given 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:53.519 a chaperone and a tour of the country for five days. The only problem is they weren't very 00:12:53.519 --> 00:13:00.620 good at golf. The news report said of one of them, I hit 120 and my caddy told me I had 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:06.500 brought green shame to my family. Talk about unexpected business. Two cheeky lads, aren't they? 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:15.500 turning up unannounced. Turning up unannounced like Zacchaeus did that first Christmas. All of 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:24.600 a sudden there is a baby lying in a manger outside the back of some guy's hotel on the outskirts 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:33.019 of Bethlehem. There's no journalist to write up the story. There's no cameraman. There's no 00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:39.460 dignitaries that have been sent to welcome him. It seems, doesn't it, that no one was 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:44.460 expecting the Messiah to turn up in that way. Though we should acknowledge that his coming 00:13:44.460 --> 00:13:48.159 wasn't entirely unannounced. There were those angels singing to the shepherds in fields. 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:53.860 There was the star we sang about with the wise men that they followed from the east. 00:13:55.419 --> 00:14:00.019 Perhaps more importantly there were the words from many Old Testament prophets that predicted 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:05.720 that he would be born in Bethlehem and that he would enter the world as a child. So we 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:11.579 can really only say, can't we, that Jesus turned up unannounced, sort of, but in a real sense 00:14:11.579 --> 00:14:20.480 he did. There is very little sign, isn't there, that people were expecting him. Like Zacchaeus, 00:14:21.139 --> 00:14:28.879 that morning, he had no idea that Jesus would be there for tea that night. And so Jesus' entrance 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:38.820 into the world one day was business as usual. In Bethlehem, business as usual one day, the 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:45.240 saviour of the world lying in a manger the next. And what's more, he's come to invite himself 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:53.500 in. Did you notice that in Zacchaeus' story, Zacchaeus doesn't invite Jesus to dinner? Jesus invites 00:14:53.500 --> 00:15:00.299 himself. And Jesus' unexpected arrival in the world is similar. He hadn't come at the invitation 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:06.799 of humanity. He came of his own accord, sent by the Father. And he came not to be applauded 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:11.979 unwelcomed. He came to reach out to people. He came not expecting to be sought, but seeking. 00:15:12.439 --> 00:15:20.439 He came to seek the lost. And some people welcomed him with joy, like Zacchaeus did in Luke 19. 00:15:21.479 --> 00:15:29.259 When Jesus said he was coming for dinner, Luke says Zacchaeus welcomed him gladly. And the 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:37.019 same was when Jesus came into the world. Many didn't notice him. But some knew, some grasped how 00:15:37.019 --> 00:15:41.980 significant the birth of this baby really was. And they rejoiced, like the shepherds, like Mary, Joseph. 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:52.080 Like the wise men, like Samuel and Anna in chapter 2. These people welcomed him gladly. Like Zacchaeus would 00:15:52.080 --> 00:16:01.320 come. And some of them understood why Jesus had come, really come. And he came into the world 00:16:01.320 --> 00:16:07.800 with a purpose. And that purpose could not be expressed more perfectly than verse 10 of 00:16:07.800 --> 00:16:16.420 Luke 19. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. It's not a commentary on the Zacchaeus story, 00:16:16.419 --> 00:16:24.019 but on the incarnation that God became man. It's a commentary on the whole purpose of Jesus' 00:16:24.179 --> 00:16:32.299 life. Luke 19 tells us that Jesus was an unexpected visitor in the home of Zacchaeus. But that first 00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:38.419 Christmas, Jesus was an unexpected visitor in the world. And yet he turned up for a reason. 00:16:39.959 --> 00:16:45.879 And it was the same reason that he sat down for John with Zacchaeus. He came to seek people, 00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:54.839 who needed saving, and to save them. And just as Jesus' visit to Zacchaeus left him with 00:16:54.839 --> 00:17:01.319 questions to answer, so Jesus' visit to the world leaves you and I with questions to answer. 00:17:02.860 --> 00:17:09.980 Similar questions that Zacchaeus was pondering. Questions about Jesus' identity, and about our 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:14.099 relationship to God, and about ourselves, and our way of life, and our choices. 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:22.939 And I realise that that is quite uncomfortable tonight. Because most of us, we would prefer, 00:17:23.099 --> 00:17:28.899 wouldn't we, that Christmas was just magical. And even that is beyond some people's ambitions. 00:17:29.059 --> 00:17:34.319 Some of us are just hoping to survive Christmas. To make it through to the other side without 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:40.159 yelling at a family member or collapsing in a corner. But even those who have loftier hopes 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:47.360 for Christmas, very rarely will there want to be serious thought. We just want to be swept 00:17:47.360 --> 00:17:53.519 up in it. We just want to enjoy the warm feelings that come with it. We want to be transported 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:59.660 out of the hand drum of life and experience the magic of Christmas. And Christmas is magical 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:06.440 in lots of ways. But alongside the magic of Christmas, there are very serious realities to consider. 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:15.740 And I want to make an earnest plea with you tonight. To take even a little time to think 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:22.660 and to ponder the questions that Jesus has left us to answer. Who is he? Why did he come? 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:31.180 And who am I in relationship to God? You see, verse 11 really is a brilliant summary of Christmas. 00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:38.740 But it's very, very challenging, isn't it? For the Son of Man comes to seek and to save the lost. 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:45.920 Am I willing to accept that I'm lost? Do you remember the days without Google Maps? 00:18:47.180 --> 00:18:53.259 The days when you would get infuriated as you were driving around and angry with the other passengers 00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:59.099 and angry with everyone else? And in the end, you would have to stop going down your window 00:18:59.099 --> 00:19:05.180 and in all humility, through gritted teeth, ask someone for directions. It's a painful thing to admit, 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:12.779 you're lost. Children, if you haven't been to the supermarkets and you lose sight of your mum and dad, 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:15.759 it's a terrifying thing, isn't it? To admit that you're lost. 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:22.200 Luke 15, Jesus tells three brilliant stories. He tells a story about three lost things. 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:27.340 There's a coin that is lost. There's ten coins. And one coin is lost. 00:19:29.059 --> 00:19:33.200 And the woman searches diligently. And when she finds it, she has great joy. 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:36.600 But if she doesn't find it, it'll be lost forever. 00:19:38.080 --> 00:19:41.360 And then he tells a story about the lost sheep. There's a hundred sheep and one goes missing. 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:44.620 And the shepherd leaves the 99 safe and he goes after the one sheep. 00:19:45.340 --> 00:19:50.000 And when he finds it, there's great rejoicing. But if the shepherd doesn't find the sheep, 00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:52.119 it's lost forever. 00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:55.319 And the story about the lost son. 00:19:56.619 --> 00:20:00.079 The lost son who goes away from his father. 00:20:01.299 --> 00:20:02.900 He treats his father as if he was dead. 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:04.519 And he goes into the far country. 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.539 And he comes to his senses. 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:08.880 And he comes back to his father. 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:09.819 It's a wonderful story. 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:11.799 And the father welcomes him with open arms. 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:16.619 But if the son is not found, he's lost forever. 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:22.079 And I want to say, it takes great humility to accept your lost, doesn't it? 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:24.879 And I need salvation. 00:20:25.059 --> 00:20:26.519 Does my life need to change? 00:20:28.399 --> 00:20:32.559 And I think Christmas is just a great invitation for you to consider those things. 00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:35.119 But I need forgiveness. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:40.699 I spoke at a University of Carleton's in Belfast on Monday. 00:20:41.559 --> 00:20:42.579 It's absolutely packed out. 00:20:43.179 --> 00:20:44.279 Rock, Joy to the World. 00:20:44.379 --> 00:20:45.679 It's a pretty unbearable thing. 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:49.319 I spent loads of time trying to convince them that they were sinners. 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:50.839 And I think it was probably a bit of a mistake. 00:20:50.959 --> 00:20:52.479 Because I don't need to convince you of that. 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:53.359 Do I? 00:20:54.219 --> 00:20:57.459 It's not that you're more sophisticated in London than you are in Belfast. 00:20:59.019 --> 00:21:01.659 But if you know yourself, and you know others too, 00:21:01.719 --> 00:21:03.659 and you know the world that you live in a little bit, 00:21:03.660 --> 00:21:07.640 and you can see through the presentable exterior of your own life, 00:21:07.720 --> 00:21:09.440 and the lives of others just a little bit more, 00:21:09.800 --> 00:21:13.259 that you will have some insight into the mess and the mistakes that you've made. 00:21:14.580 --> 00:21:18.000 And the tragedy and the terror of this world that we call home. 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:22.620 And I hope it's becoming clearer to you that as you think about life, 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:23.920 you need more than a nice home, 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:26.000 and you need more than a satisfying occupation, 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:28.000 and you need more than just a few nice holidays. 00:21:29.100 --> 00:21:30.960 Because there are things going on in my life, 00:21:31.100 --> 00:21:33.480 and probably, in fact, definitely in your life, 00:21:33.660 --> 00:21:35.540 that you need deeper answers for. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:39.880 And I think as you get older, 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:42.080 I think we become more and more willing 00:21:42.080 --> 00:21:44.860 to admit that actually we do need forgiveness. 00:21:46.420 --> 00:21:48.080 That I am lost, 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:49.779 and I do need salvation. 00:21:50.860 --> 00:21:52.540 And my life does need to change. 00:21:53.600 --> 00:21:55.500 And I actually need God. 00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:58.340 And I need His Son, Jesus Christ. 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:02.639 And so my attitude for Christmas is changing. 00:22:03.699 --> 00:22:05.179 I still appreciate the magic of it. 00:22:05.919 --> 00:22:07.539 And I still enjoy its many blessings, 00:22:07.619 --> 00:22:09.539 and endure some of its endiosyncrasies. 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:11.959 But I'm looking for something more from Christmas. 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:16.659 I'm looking for a few moments to ponder the deeper questions. 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:19.740 I want to accept the invitation that Christmas gives me 00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:21.060 to think about my life, 00:22:21.320 --> 00:22:22.019 and about God. 00:22:23.120 --> 00:22:25.060 About the baby in the manger. 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:30.500 About whether He is the Saviour that I actually need. 00:22:30.500 --> 00:22:33.500 And I really hope that you are open to that too. 00:22:34.980 --> 00:22:36.400 That you'll stop just for a few moments, 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:37.000 and reflect, 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:39.640 and allow these questions to penetrate your defences, 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:40.420 just a little bit. 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:44.160 But I hope you'll be willing to hear the question 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:45.279 that Jesus leaves us, 00:22:45.380 --> 00:22:46.019 asking ourselves, 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:46.880 who is He? 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:49.759 Could it be true that I'm spiritually lost, 00:22:49.859 --> 00:22:50.619 and in need of saving, 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:51.660 and in need of forgiveness? 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:53.599 Could it be that my life does need to change? 00:22:55.779 --> 00:22:57.660 Could it be that Jesus who came to seek, 00:22:57.779 --> 00:22:58.640 and to save the lost, 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:00.180 is the very Jesus that I need? 00:23:01.140 --> 00:23:02.100 Not just tonight, 00:23:02.580 --> 00:23:03.520 but every day. 00:23:05.320 --> 00:23:07.420 When Zacchaeus had Jesus enter his house, 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:08.640 he was an unexpected visitor. 00:23:09.360 --> 00:23:10.080 He was lost. 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:13.360 But Jesus didn't leave him that way, did he? 00:23:13.520 --> 00:23:14.220 He sought him. 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:15.620 He found him. 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:17.100 He forgave him. 00:23:17.300 --> 00:23:17.740 Forgave him. 00:23:17.800 --> 00:23:18.400 He saved him. 00:23:19.720 --> 00:23:21.200 And when Jesus entered our world 00:23:21.200 --> 00:23:22.440 as an unexpected visitor, 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:24.380 He came for lost people like you and me. 00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:26.300 To seek us. 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:27.880 To save us. 00:23:29.620 --> 00:23:31.740 And so Zacchaeus becomes a model for us, 00:23:31.780 --> 00:23:33.100 as someone who responds to Jesus 00:23:33.100 --> 00:23:34.640 in the wisest possible way. 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:37.240 He wanted to see who Jesus was, 00:23:37.340 --> 00:23:38.759 and he welcomed him gladly, 00:23:39.160 --> 00:23:40.380 and then he turned from his sin. 00:23:41.520 --> 00:23:42.460 And he changed. 00:23:44.020 --> 00:23:44.940 And this Christmas, 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:47.560 he urged you to do the sin. 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:50.220 To get to know who he really is, 00:23:50.280 --> 00:23:51.560 to welcome him eagerly, 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:54.220 and then to change, 00:23:54.359 --> 00:23:56.159 as we turn from our sins. 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:58.779 And that is what I want to do this Christmas, 00:23:58.879 --> 00:24:00.279 and I hope it might be what you want to do. 00:24:01.659 --> 00:24:03.740 Because amidst the wonderful magic of Christmas, 00:24:03.899 --> 00:24:06.139 there are some very important questions to answer, 00:24:06.279 --> 00:24:07.359 and above all, this one. 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:09.960 Will I embrace, 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:11.980 and love, 00:24:13.019 --> 00:24:15.119 and submit my life to Jesus? 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:17.959 For he came to our earth, 00:24:18.659 --> 00:24:21.399 to seek and to save the lost. 00:24:25.219 --> 00:24:26.359 Or you can pretend, 00:24:27.179 --> 00:24:27.979 that you are not lost. 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:31.200 And that just ends up a disaster, 00:24:31.339 --> 00:24:31.599 isn't it? 00:24:32.980 --> 00:24:33.519 That's fine.