Friday, July 27, 2007

The President Came to Town

When I was five years old the President came to town. I stood with my family watching as the motorcade drove by us. From the window of his limousine, President Gerald Ford waved; I returned a salute. That is as close as I got to the President, but it is a day I will always remember.

Most people are fascinated with celebrities, and Presidents are some of the most recognized celebrities in the whole world. When the President comes to town, crowds gather and people vie for the opportunity to shake his hand and stand near him. Being in the presence of a famous person is exciting and is an event to remember.

A fellow by the name of Zacchaeus was caught up in the hoopla as a celebrity visited his hometown. Being a rather short man, he resorted to climbing a tree to catch a glimpse of the man. There, walking down the road, came the man and his entourage. The crowds cheered and a few of the onlookers even ran toward the man, desperately trying to touch him.

As the man came near the tree in which Zacchaeus was perched, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” Zacchaeus’s heart leapt with excitement. “Could it be?” he wondered. “Did I hear him right? Does he really want to come to my house today?”

The man meant what he had said: he came to Zacchaeus’s house on that day. That day was one Zacchaeus would always remember: it was the day that his life changed. His contact with a celebrity, not the President or an accomplished actor or athlete, but Jesus Christ, was the turning point in his life.

Most people are fascinated with celebrities. Many individuals will go to great lengths to catch a glimpse of or touch a famous person. To be in the presence of a celebrity is an experience to remember. But no celebrity can offer the power to affect a life more than Jesus Christ. He is more than celebrity, he is the Son of God, the One through whom God has offered life eternal.

To what lengths will you go in order to see the Savior?

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