Many years ago, when Josh (our son) was much younger, we went with family to Silver Dollar City (SDC) in Branson, Missouri. When I was a kid, we went to this theme park several times, but when I visited with Josh, I noticed the park had changed. When I was a kid, SDC was mostly a place where you could watch someone make a candle or blow glass – not exactly items at the top of my list when I was 10! Today, SDC is full of rides … big rides … roller coasters. So when we arrived at the park with my sister’s family (including her two daughters who were middle schoolers and high schoolers at the time, we immediately ran toward coasters like Wildfire, Powder Keg, and Outlaw Run. Josh, not wanting to be outdone, followed quickly behind. He may have only been in elementary school, but he was ready for whatever that park could throw at him! After waiting in line to ride Outlaw Run, and all the anticipation built, we approached the area where we would board the coaster. It was here that a worker had Josh measure against the required minimum height to ride … and sadly he missed it by a fraction of an inch! If only he had spiked up his hair with hair gel or wore some platform sneakers!!!! Josh had to step through the ride vehicle and wait on the other side while the rest of his family blasted down the track.
Fast forward to this past summer. In June, Josh (now a senior in high school), his mom and I went to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Ever been there? If you haven’t been to Dollywood, here is how I would describe it: It is basically Silver Dollar City EAST. AND, it was also full of roller coasters. Really cool ones. Josh and I ran ahead and hopped in line to ride Lightning Rod and Wild Eagle (two rides that make all the coasters at SDC look like the moving walkways at the airport by comparison). While these rides also had a designated necessary height to ride, in his grown up state, Josh and I walked right on. It is amazing the difference a few years make!
Now, I was thinking about this experience today as I prepare for Sunday’s message at Wildwood. This week we are in Part 2 of our new series, “Finding a Place of Grace.” This week we will be looking at Luke 19:1-10. In these verses we hear the story of a man from Jericho named Zaccheus. In these verses we learn two things about Zaccheus: he was short (physically) and he was small (morally). As a person vertically challenged, Zaccheus had to climb a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he could not see over the heads of the surrounding crowds. As a tax collector, Zaccheus had made a living exploiting his fellow citizens for personal gain. If gaining access to Jesus was a ride, Zaccheus would come up short and be unable to ride.
Any Zaccheuses out there? Anyone you know think they are beyond the reach of God’s grace? Anyone feel like you have measured your life against the height of God’s holiness and come up lacking? What does Jesus do with you? Does He even see you? Will He allow you to ride? Do we have to wait years to grow into a more respectable person before being welcomed into fellowship with God?
Join us this Sunday as we see a vivid example of God’s grace in part two of our series. You won’t want to miss this beautiful section of God’s Word as we look into it together. See you Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 services … and bring friends!