Friday 10th July | Rachel Kirkby
Readings
Reflection
The parallels between the story of Micah in Judges and the story of Zacchaeus in Luke are profound.
Micah and his mother are seeking to worship. Indeed, because Micah returns the money, his house becomes a place of worship.
Zacchaeus climbs the tree because he seeks to see the Messiah. Again, because Zacchaeus returns the money, his home becomes a place where Jesus dwells.
Both Micah and Zacchaeus seem to be seeking a home with God. They both display a personal striving to want to do good and return the money as a sign of repentance of their wrongdoing.
In both cases the giving and returning of money makes a way for the Lord.
Yet the Israelites in Judges clearly did not get their quest for God right. What may have started as a genuine desire to worship God, quickly turned to an act of disobedience and idol worship. Even the priests accepted money to serve the idol, completely against God’s commands. Verse 6 explains this, ‘In those days Israel had no king, everyone did as they saw fit.’
Perhaps this echoes how our nations live today. Individuals seek to live as they see fit, putting their own interests first and living in a way that fits their own idea of ‘good’. Many people (even those who have a desire for God) still reject God’s right way of living. But look again at Zacchaeus. It is not the act of climbing the tree, nor the giving back of the money, that secures Zacchaeus’ relationship with Jesus. It is not because of what Zacchaeus did but because of what Jesus did. The decisive moment is when Jesus gives the invitation in verse 5 to ‘come down from the tree immediately’. It is this invitation that sparks the beginning of the relationship with Jesus for Zacchaeus. This invitation is for you too. Not because of anything you’ve done, but because of what Jesus did for you.
If you have a sincere desire for the Lord and for your home to be a place of worship, don’t follow your own idea of what is good, but hear and respond to Jesus’ invitation to build a relationship with him and follow God’s commands.
Prayers
Dear Lord,
Thank you that we can be in a relationship with you because of Jesus.
We are sorry for the times we have lived by our own individual ideas, for when we have worshipped other things and rejected you.
Help us to live more in line with your commands, and follow your right way of living.
Come and fill our homes with your holy spirit and make them places of worship.
For we long for you God, our creator and sustainer, to be the Lord of our life.
Amen.
Collect
O God, the protector of all who trust in you,
Without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
Increase and multiply upon us your mercy;
That with you as our ruler and guide we may so pass through things temporal
That we not lose our hold on things eternal;
Grant this, heavenly Father,
For our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,
Who is alive and reigns with you,
In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever.
Amen.
