There is an old legend about Zacchaeus, the little man who climbed a sycamore tree one day, so that, he could see Jesus passing by. You all know the story…recorded for us in Luke’s Gospel, about the tax collector who ripped everybody off, and who no one liked, and how Jesus essentially invited himself over for dinner to this guy’s house one afternoon as he was passing through town.

Well, that encounter with Jesus ended up being the single most important thing that ever happened to this man, and he took Jesus into his heart, as well as his home, and changed his life from that very moment and became a Christian.

Anyway…legend has it; that Zacchaeus would rise early every morning thereafter and leave his home without saying a word. His wife apparently became curious as to what he was up to, and so, one morning she decided to follow him.

She watched as he went into town and filled a water jug at a well and then proceeded to the sycamore tree just outside of town…the very tree that he had climbed that day to see Jesus. He then poured the water at the base of the tree and then stood there for a few moments as if he were reminiscing about something wonderful.

At this point his puzzled wife came out of hiding and asked, “Zacchaeus, what have you been doing?” To which he replied, “This is the tree that enabled me to see Christ, I must take care of it.”

For most of us, it is the church, perhaps Emanuel, or another, that has enabled us to see Christ, and we too, must likewise take care of it…water it, so to speak…so that it will continue to survive for the benefit of current and future generations.

I know that for many people, they tend to be overly concerned about how they will be remembered once they’re gone and would like to think that they could leave behind a legacy of some sort for future generations.

Well, if you want to know what the greatest legacy we could possibly leave behind for our children and our grandchildren, and for everyone else in this part of the world for that matter; would be our church, and the pure, unaltered Word of God that is proclaimed from this place.

According to legend, Zacchaeus understood this…do we? Zacchaeus also apparently understood that to leave behind a legacy of his salvation which he received in Christ, it would require some work.

But there are different kinds of work to be done, and also different kinds of gifts…in other words…not everyone needs to water the tree…some need to prune it, others need to clear away the debris that has blown up against it, while others will need to bring people to the tree to explain its significance.

The point is…everyone within the church has a role or a function to play within it, and no one task is more important or significant than another, and this is what St. Paul was trying to communicate to the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 12:12-31) with his illustration of the church being like the human body, comprised of many different parts, but all working together to allow the body to function.

And we are all a part of the body of Christ’s church, and as such, we all have a function to play.

So, the question for you is…what part of the body of Christ are you?

The Church exists for the purpose of strengthening your faith in Christ and his promises. The Church exists to help you combat the assaults of the devil in this often difficult, fallen, sinful world. The Church exists to remind you that we are God’s children through faith and our baptisms.

This is our legacy…because Jesus came and gave us his very life for the forgiveness of our sins…let’s be sure to pass that message on to the next generation.

Until next month….

Pastor Roloff