Song Sheets & Sermon
Christus Victor
O Most High King of the ages
Great I AM God of wonders
By the blood You have redeemed us
Led us through mighty waters
Our strength our song our sure salvation
Chorus 1
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won
Hallelujah Amen
Verse 2
O Most High dwelling among us
Son of man sent for sinners
By Your blood You have redeemed us
Spotless Lamb mighty Savior
Who lived who died who rose victorious
Chorus 2
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won
Hallelujah
With every tribe and every tongue
We join the anthem of the angels
In the triumph of the Son
Hallelujah Amen
Verse 3
O Most High King of the nations
Robed in praise crowned with splendor
On that day who will not tremble
When You stand Christ the Victor
Who was and is and is forever
Chorus 2
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won - Hallelujah
With every tribe and every tongue
We join the anthem of the angels
In the triumph of the Son
Hallelujah Amen
Bridge
Amen amen amen
Amen amen amen
Amen amen amen
Amen amen amen
Chorus 2
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing honor glory power
For the battle You have won - Hallelujah
With every tribe and every tongue
We join the anthem of the angels
In the triumph of the Son
Hallelujah Amen
Cornerstone
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus' Name
Chorus
Christ alone cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Saviour's love
Through the storm He is Lord Lord of all
Verse 2
When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil
Chorus
Christ alone cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Saviour's love
Through the storm He is Lord Lord of all
Verse 3
When He shall come with trumpet sound
Oh may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless stand before the throne
Chorus
Christ alone cornerstone
Weak made strong in the Saviour's love
Through the storm He is Lord Lord of all
Beautiful Saviour
1 Beautiful Savior! King of creation!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I'd love thee, truly I'd serve thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.
2 Fair are the meadows, fair are the woodlands,
robed in flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer;
he makes our sorrowing spirit sing.
3 Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight,
bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
than all the angels in the sky.
4 Beautiful Savior! Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine!
Lift High the Cross
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
1. Come, Christians, follow where our Saviour led
our King victorious, Jesus Christ our head.
Chorus
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
4. O Lord, once lifted on the tree of pain,
Draw all the world to seek you once again
Chorus
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
5. So shall our song of triumph ever be:
praise to the Crucified for victory!
Chorus
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
God the Father of Your People
God the Father of Your people
You have called us to be one
Grant us grace to walk together
In the joy of Christ Your Son
Challenged by Your Word and Spirit
Blest with gifts from heaven above
As one body we will serve You
And bear witness to Your love
May the grace of Christ our Savior
And the Father's boundless love
With the Holy Spirit's favor
Rest upon us from above
May we now remain in union
With each other and the Lord
And possess in sweet communion
Joys that earth cannot afford
EBENEZER CRC
MARCH 23, 2025
ADAM VEENSTRA
SCRIPTURE READING:
Our passage for this morning comes from Luke 19, which you can find on page 1630 of the Bibles in front of you. We are going to use it to reflect on the next aspect of our mission to reach out and witness, which is to be present.
Being present might seem like the most obvious and practical part of reaching out that we’ll cover in this series, but it is also the most foundational for our witness.
So I’m going to invite Ann forward to read the passage for us, and then we’ll take some time to reflect on it together.
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
MESSAGE
Part 1 - Context
At this point in the book of Luke, the action is propelling Jesus and his disciples towards Jerusalem and the events of Holy Week.
Just as the season of Lent is leading us towards easter.
But there are a few stops to make along the way.
So far on this journey towards the events of Easter Jesus has already stopped to help a blind man who was begging on the side of the road.
And now here the opening line of our passage itself says that Jesus was just “passing through”: Zacchaeus isn’t on the itinerary.
But, Jesus makes himself present as needs arise, and as the Spirit moves.
Because he comes to seek and to save - to do what he can, wherever he is.
This is just as much a part of our call to witness today: to be present as needs arise, and as the Spirit moves.
My favourite part of this passage is when Jesus says that “I must stay at your house today.”
Because it sounds so wonderfully indulgent, and I love the idea that Zacchaeus is so starry-eyed and enthusiastic and desperate for connection that he just goes with it.
No, Jesus didn’t have to stay there. He was well on his way to Jerusalem.
But he was compelled to stay there by the Holy Spirit, and Zacchaeus’ need for his presence.
Because once he’s present with him, he can demonstrate love and forgiveness.
It is a proclamation and demonstration of grace, that he is the Saviour.
The presence of Christ in our homes, in our communities, and in our lives, is the witness.
When Jesus is present with him, Zacchaeus is able to recognize his sin, but also his worth as a child of God.
And then his entire life can be transformed.
His becomes a heart that wants to atone, that wants to grow, and that wants to do good, because he finally experiences how loved he is.
He finally knows that he can be saved, and that he is not alone.
That is the power of the Gospel when Christ is present.
Bible scholar Darrel Brock once wrote that Jesus’ presence with Zacchaeus shows that his purpose is “to lead to God those whom others have given up on.”
To seek and to save what was lost.
That while the crowds seem to have given up on him, Christ will not.
He calls on him by name, and spends time with him.
The primary reason that his community had given up on him was that he was the chief tax collector, who were notorious for their greed and corruption.
It is a relatively safe assumption that this is how he gained his wealth.
The connection for the first readers of this story, and those present in Jericho, would have been obvious.
So when people comment that Jesus was going to the home of a sinner, the undercurrent could be that he seems to have everything he could want, and at their expense.
And while that may be true, Jesus knows that there is still much that he needs.
And by climbing the tree, Zacchaeus seems to acknowledge it, too.
That ALL of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
So we can never assume what someone’s inner life is like.
We can only assume that we ALL need the presence of Christ in our homes and our lives.
Part 2 - Mission/Application
In the Message translation of the Bible, John 1:14 says this: the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood.
Joined Zacchaeus, joined us, right where we’re at in order to be fully present for the witness.
That is what we are also called to do in order to bear witness to the power of Christ - be present.
Which is easier said than done in a culture that values privacy over community, and success over being a Good Samaritan.
If it was hard in the 1st century, it is just as hard today, if not moreso.
We all know the barriers that keep us from being present with one another in our modern, North American culture.
But as Reformed Christians we believe that Christ is already present in our neighbourhoods and communities.
We believe that God has not abandoned the work of his hands, but that he preserves our world, and guides us to our purpose.
Our purpose is to witness.
And it may require a change in how do we things, because of the culture we live in, and the habits that has caused us to develop.
By visiting with Zacchaeus, Jesus changed his schedule and his reputation, two things that our society still places a high value on.
But we have to be willing to make the same change.
We’ve probably all heard the suggestions for how to be more present in the world around us:
Walk to work instead of driving (if we’re able).
Eat lunch in the park instead of in a restaurant.
Shop local, and take some time to talk with retail staff.
Go to an actual bank instead of doing all our financial work online.
Sit on the front porch in the summer instead of in the air conditioning.
Take a few minutes to say good morning to your coworkers.
Work at the library instead of at home.
These might be trite, little examples.
But maybe we need to take some baby steps because we’re so far down the rabbit hole of modern, North American convenience and self-interest.
Because I know that these examples are overused and cliche, but as a society we still haven’t fully embraced them.
If we are supposed to prepare for the context, we need to be present in that context.
A community like ours, because of its size and geography, has a strong sense of identity, and so it does actually place a high value on being present.
If someone new moves in, especially if they are trying to be an agent of change or influence, they earn greater respect when they are truly present with the local population and take time to get to know us: in the County, you’ll get more respect if you have a regular order at Imperial Sub than if you’ve tried every artisanal item on the menu at the Royal.
It is important to be TRULY present for EVERY facet of a community, especially those that are overlooked and unnoticed.
When you’re present in this way, you become aware not just of the community’s needs, but of its assets: its richness, its joys, its beauty.
Jesus didn’t just see the crowds, he saw a short, overlooked man up in a tree.
And then he didn’t just see him as a sinner, but as a loved child of God.
Broken, but beautiful.
This week I asked a handful of you to share a picture of a spot in our community or your immediate neighbourhood that you find beautiful.
Just a spot that you see as part of your daily routine.
One of tonight’s talking points is about noticing that kind of beauty.
It is about being present enough to notice the good in your surroundings.
These pictures are a reminder of why we love our community, and why we want to see it redeemed.
That is why we want to witness: because this part of creation deserves to hear how loved it is, and how Christ has come to seek and to save it.
Twenty years ago I heard a phrase in a song that has really resonated with me over this last year: “responsibilities to the living”.
Since the very beginning, God has given us a responsibility to be present in our communities and in one another’s lives.
A responsibility to share in each other’s joys and sorrows.
So that we can understand the rhythms and patterns a relationship or community, so that we can effectively witness and present the Gospel.
There is a unique language spoken in each culture and subculture: we have to be present in order to speak it.
Here at Ebenezer we have a unique culture, and every individual in our church family has a unique rhythm.
We have individual and collective joys, sorrows, and need for the Gospel message.
We need to be present with one another to learn it.
We have a responsibility to those we are living with.
There are currently loved members of our church family who have stepped away, and have been away for a long time.
Maybe it was part of a normal rhythm for them to be absent for a couple of weeks at a time.
Or maybe it was part of normal rhythm for them to spend the whole summer at the cottage, or most of the winter in Florida.
But when the absence was no longer normal, were we present enough to notice?
And if we noticed, did we reach out?
I know for a fact that in some cases, we didn’t.
There are so many ways in which we do this well!
We diligently pray for one another, provide meals and help one another move, provide support during difficult times, and are present in one another’s lives in so many important ways.
But there are ways in which we could still improve that, for everyone.
When Zaccheaus was no longer part of the community, Jesus came and joined him in his home.
A home represents this intimate space where he could truly be himself, and be truly known. Where they could be authentically present with one another.
Like in a living room.
We have one of those.
I mentioned this fall that I don’t let just anyone into my living room.
My house isn’t open concept, so it’s easy to keep someone in the kitchen.
The living room is if you’re going to stay for a little while.
The living room is for someone whom I don’t mind seeing the leather peeling off my couch, or the ugly dog toys that I tried to put away but that little monster dragged out at the last minute before you showed up…
You get into the living room if you’re present in my life.
Because that presence is like collateral. That presence helps earn trust.
Presence allows you to know someone well enough to know their needs, and earn the right to speak to those needs.
I want you to think about someone who has been truly present in your life.
Someone who has earned the invitation past the kitchen, and into the living room.
Someone who has been truly authentic with you, and allowed you the freedom to be truly authentic in return.
Think of how that felt.
I hope it helped you to feel free.
I hope it helped you to feel loved.
And I hope it helped you to get a sense of what it’s like to be in the presence of Christ.
Because whether they realized it or not, that is what they were bearing witness to in your life.
Martin Luther King Jr. called this the ministry of presence.
Ron Nydam of Calvin Seminary called it sitting on the bench with someone.
Researchers from the University of Kansas found that it takes approximately 50 hours of being present to become a casual friend to someone, and 200 hours to become a close friend.
Being present is vital.
Conclusion
Being present allowed Jesus to truly and authentically see Zacchaeus, as a whole person.
Not just as a sinner, not just as a tax collector, but as a loved child of God.
Being present with one another allows us to truly and authentically see one another, as whole people, and not just as a mission project or part of a list of Christian accomplishments.
Yes, your school, your workplace, your hockey team, and your neighbourhood can be your mission field, so to speak.
They are opportunities for redemption and witness.
But they are first and foremost your school, your workplace, your hockey team, and your neighbourhood that you are meant to be an equal and engaged part of.
You cannot redeem or witness if you’re not present.
Part of the reason Jesus’ disciples needed to know about his resurrection on the first Easter morning is because he was their Saviour, but also their friend.
And it was his presence as their friend that earned him the collateral as their Saviour.
They could believe his witness because they knew him and loved him.
His presence assured people that he was the Saviour.
Our presence is meant to assure people that we are trying our best to represent the Saviour.
When we know them, when we love them, when we have been present with them, that is when they will believe our witness.