04/07/2020
Park Hill UMC
Children
Zacchaeus is also about the "middle management" that the empire/corporation/institution uses to carry out it's agenda. May our children wrestle with this as they grow older. Otherwise, here's a version for younger children.
*Read along in Whirl Kids Story Bible pg. 250-285, and specifically 286-9. You can also email tory@phumc.org if you need help following along in a different Story Bible.
Youth/Students
One topic that Zacchaeus brings to my mind is social justice movements. Here's a conversation on Black Lives Matter of recent years, compared to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. Are we capable of making the changes that Zacchaeus did, in using his power to help the oppressed, vs. helping his superiors? Who inspires you today, and what will future generations think of your ministry and justice work today? May your faith and your church inspire you to be the best version of yourself.
Parents/Adults
Any Chapter 24-31 in We Make the Road by Walking.
Middle management is never a fun role. It's an ongoing part of the U.S. identity, to carry out the agenda of corporations, institutions, and a political agenda that we may not always resonate with. How do we teach our children to challenge power, while also living in the reality of this life? Do we need to be more willing to be "sacrificed" by the powerful leaders and systems of our day? This is a question that I hope we all keep grappling with, especially with climate change, let alone economics, race, immigration, LGBTQIA, gender, etc. It's amazing that this list tends to get longer instead of shorter. May we get better at making this list of injustice smaller rather than larger during our lifetimes. May Jesus connect with all the middle management Zacchaeus' who are living the tension between the powerful and the oppressed.
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