Monday, September 5, 2011

Z is for Zacchaeus


Link to Zacchaeus Video

Last year for our Stewardship Campaign, our pastor asked the youth department to put together a video presentation representing the story of Zacchaeus.  We were given free creative license but a short turn around time.  It was a lot of fun to sit and brain storm about the video but we ultimately decided to create a video that was a modern day telling of Zacchaeus.  The movie opened with Zacchaeus as an old man teaching Sunday school.  During his class there is a fight over money between two girls.  Zacchaeus confiscates the money and tells them that he was the same way until he met Jesus.  We then flashed back to when Zacchaeus was younger and living in Jericho. 
We show him getting ready for his day by having him dress in a suit with a huge gold medallion around his neck.  He gets his Roman guards, two guys dressed in trench coats and they go out to collect taxes.  After they collect the taxes for the day, Zacchaeus is back at home and decides to get on facebook.  He sees that Jesus is coming to town and he decides that he wants to see him.  The next day Zacchaeus goes to see Jesus but because he is so short, he can’t see over the crowd.  He ends up climbing a tree to see Jesus.  Jesus sees him and tells him to get down and they go to Zacchaeus house for dinner.  At dinner, Jesus speaks with Zacchaeus and gets him to change his ways. Zacchaeus is then shown going out and giving money to the people he took it from.  He was a changed man. 
The youth had a great time making the movie and Justin and Bobby were great as Zacchaeus and Jesus.  I was really proud of them.  They loved creating the music video that we did which was to “I Want to be a Billionaire” by Travie McCoy.  That part is the funniest part of the whole video.
Making this video really made me think about how Jesus changes our lives.  We don’t all get the first hand experience like Zacchaeus did where we get to talk directly to Jesus and have him talk to us, but he does speak to us.  He speaks to us through friends, co workers, Pastors, youth, mentors, teachers, and through ideas and talents.  He gives us things that we can use to glorify him.  When we find him or meet him, or lives our changed because we recognize these things.  We are then able to go out into the world and live a fuller life because we have meet Jesus.  I am sure that is how Zacchaeus felt, full of life, full of love, and full of the Holy Spirit. 
If you haven’t met Jesus then you are missing out!  It’s time for you to get your inner Zacchaeus on and climb your tree to meet Jesus.  He’ll tell you to come down and walk with him.  That walk will change your life forever!

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