September 25: Making New Friends

Luke19:1-10 - Why Doesn’t Anybody Pay Attention to ME?

Zacchaeus had a reputation in Jericho as a bully. He may have been small in size, but he made up for it in meanness. At least, that’s what everybody said.

Then Jesus came to Jericho, and he noticed Zacchaeus sitting in a tree all by himself. Jesus stopped and talked to him, and even went home to his house. Nobody else in Jericho was happy about that – except Zacchaeus!

It turns out that Zacchaeus never felt right about how badly he treated others, but it took somebody who would notice him to get him to change. Jesus got to know him better and after that Zacchaeus was practically a brand new person. Right away he began to treat his neighbors better.

Maybe you know someone like Zacchaeus, someone who has been really mean to others but inside feels really bad about it. Or maybe that person, in fact, is you. Do you really want to stay lonely, or would you rather make a new friend?

Light a candle to remind yourself that it’s important to make new friends.

Adults: Turning a person away from violence can begin with spending a few minutes together, listening without judging, and giving them a chance to start again. Zacchaeus got that chance from Jesus.

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Bill Jacobs is Transitional lnterim Pastor at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Medford, Oregon. He loves it when church people try to make new friends of different ages and backgrounds, just in the same way that Jesus did.
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Our 2016 prayer vigil theme is Helping Our Children Heal from Violence. For more resources visit  disciplesjustice4children.org and docfamiliesandchildren.org.