Audacious Welcome: Making Room Like Jesus

Jul 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Spirit’s Stirring in Unexpected Moments

A teenager pedals past familiar streets when a tent gathering arrests his attention. What seemed ordinary becomes holy ground as God’s Spirit stirs curiosity into divine encounter. Like Billy Graham’s bike ride toward a gospel rally, moments of holy interruption still happen today. The Spirit nudges through ordinary details: a face in a crowd, a whispered prayer, a sudden urge to turn toward Jesus. These are invitations to move closer, to climb trees, to risk curiosity. Salvation often begins with a flicker of holy distraction. [43:55]

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. (Luke 19:1-4, NIV)

Reflection: When has a seemingly ordinary moment become a doorway to encountering Jesus? What practical step could you take today to lean into the Spirit’s nudges?

Day 2: Climbing Trees to See Jesus

Zacchaeus’ shortness wasn’t his true obstacle—the crowd’s judgmental murmurs blocked his view. Yet his hunger to see Jesus outweighed dignity. He scrambled up a tree, trading reputation for revelation. Jesus still stops for those willing to look foolish in their pursuit. The climb may feel awkward, but Christ meets seekers where they perch. True sight comes not from height but humility. [50:27]

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” (Luke 19:5-7, NIV)

Reflection: What “tree” might God be asking you to climb to see Him more clearly? Where have you let others’ opinions hinder your pursuit of Christ?

Day 3: Jesus Invites Himself to Your Table

Christ’s welcome disrupts social scripts. He doesn’t wait for repentance before claiming a seat at Zacchaeus’ table. Jesus initiates fellowship with sinners, turning muttering crowds into witnesses of grace. His bold hospitality transforms tax collectors into generous sons of Abraham. When we feel unworthy, Jesus still says, “I’m staying with you.” His presence redeems spaces we assumed were too broken. [58:11]

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:8-9, NIV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ initiative to dine with sinners challenge your approach to others? Where might God be inviting you to extend unearned welcome today?

Day 4: When Crowds Block the View of Grace

Religious crowds often obstruct grace. They labeled Zacchaeus “sinner” while missing their own hardness of heart. Jesus redirects attention from human failure to divine pursuit. The same voices that critique seekers often resist being sought themselves. True welcome requires dismantling our barriers—whether judgment, busyness, or comfort—so others can see Christ clearly. [58:47]

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10, NIV)

Reflection: When have you been part of a “crowd” blocking someone’s encounter with Jesus? How can you actively create space for others to see Christ this week?

Day 5: From Friendly Smiles to Running Fathers

Friendly churches greet; welcoming churches sprint. Like the prodigal’s father hiking his robes to embrace his son, Jesus-style welcome is undignified and urgent. It’s not about perfect programs but posture—noticing, moving toward, celebrating. When Anamik joined a struggling young mother in the broom cupboard, she embodied the running Father. Dignity dies where love comes alive. [01:08:17]

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20, NIV)

Reflection: What practical shift—a conversation, a seat offered, a follow-up coffee—could move you from friendliness to radical welcome? Who needs you to “run” toward them this week?

Sermon Summary

Luke lets Zacchaeus step onto the scene as a man already being drawn. The Spirit has been stirring in the background, and a desire to see Jesus wakes up in him before he says a word. The crowd then becomes the problem. His short stature matters less than a wall of people who decide he is not worth a look at grace. The tax man is known for skimming, so the crowd guards its view and bars his.

Zacchaeus chooses the undignified way. The sycamore fig becomes his pulpit in the branches, and Jesus halts the parade beneath it. Jesus looks up, calls him by name, and invites himself in. Table fellowship, not a passing pardon. Jesus does not simply forgive people. He brings them home. Luke slows down here so that the welcome can be seen, because the grumbling starts just as the grace becomes personal.

The crowd mutters about sinners, but the Son of Man states his mission. He came to seek and save the lost, and his welcome breaks the status quo that had kept “sinners” at arm’s length. The Father’s heart sets the tone, not the crowd’s memory of a man’s failures. The grace comes first. Before Zacchaeus proves anything, Jesus makes room for him and names him a son of Abraham.

Repentance then outruns the minimum. A changed heart speaks with open hands. Half to the poor, and fourfold to the defrauded. Luke shows salvation arriving as trust in Jesus shows itself in concrete repair. The tree that lifted Zacchaeus up now becomes the vantage point for everyone to see what grace can do.

A wider moment hums underneath this story. The Spirit is moving people to look for Jesus again, and an undercurrent of openness keeps surfacing. The question then turns. What will seekers find when they meet Christ’s body. Friendly says hello, but welcome makes connection. Jesus notices, moves toward, sits down, and stays. The Father in the parable runs to robe and ring his child. That is the shape of the kingdom’s hospitality.

The table then seals the point. Bread and cup say again that Jesus has made room. Communion remembers a body broken and a covenant poured out so that strangers become family. The call to the church is simple and costly. Notice. Move toward. Make room. Welcome like Jesus welcomed.

Key Takeaways

1. The Spirit draws before response [49:14] The initiative belongs to God. Desire awakens in hidden places long before words form on a person’s lips. Spiritual curiosity is not an accident, it is mercy arriving early. Paying attention to these nudges trains a church to meet grace with grace. [49:14]
2. The crowd can block Christ’s sightline [54:22] Gatekeeping often looks ordinary. A shoulder turned, a path not opened, a memory of someone’s past held like a badge. The ones gathered to see Jesus can become the ones who hide him. Repentance for the church sometimes starts with simply making room. [54:22]
3. Jesus invites himself and brings people home [58:28] Hospitality in the kingdom is not cheap courtesy. It is presence, table, and time. Jesus crosses the threshold first and calls a name into belonging. Forgiveness then feels like furniture being moved to fit another life in the room. [58:28]
4. Repentance outgrows the minimum standard [01:02:28] Law can set a floor, but love pulls toward overflow. Repair aims not at getting even, but at healing what greed has bent. When Christ is trusted, wallets and calendars convert too, and restitution becomes a form of worship. [62:28]
5. Friendly isn’t the same as welcome [01:07:16] A smile is a start, not an end. Connection requires noticing, moving toward, and staying long enough for names to become stories. The Father runs, Jesus lingers, and the church is called to build chairs, not barriers. [67:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[41:52] - Gathering and opening question
[42:22] - When attention gets snagged
[43:20] - The Spirit’s quiet nudge
[45:04] - Billy Graham’s first yes
[46:31] - An undercurrent of openness
[49:14] - The Spirit is moving
[50:07] - Reading Luke 19 on Zacchaeus
[52:15] - Short king and a hard crowd
[56:59] - Jesus stops beneath the tree
[58:28] - Jesus brings people home
[61:57] - Zacchaeus acts on faith
[67:16] - Friendly vs true welcome
[68:17] - The Father runs to embrace
[75:27] - The usher who made room
[77:37] - Communion and the open table
[93:39] - Prayer, response, and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 19:1-10 (NIV)
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Observation Questions

What practical steps did Zacchaeus take to see Jesus, and what does this reveal about his desire?
How did Jesus respond when he noticed Zacchaeus in the tree, and what does his invitation imply about his priorities? [58:28]
What specific actions did Zacchaeus take after encountering Jesus, and how did they exceed cultural or legal expectations? [01:02:28]
How did the crowd’s reaction to Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus contrast with Jesus’ mission stated in verse 10?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus chose to invite himself into Zacchaeus’ home instead of simply forgiving him and moving on? What does this teach about the nature of God’s welcome? [58:28]
Zacchaeus’ repayment of four times what he stole went far beyond the Old Testament requirement (Exodus 22:1). What does this suggest about how encountering Jesus transforms our response to sin?
The crowd labeled Zacchaeus a “sinner” and resisted his inclusion. How might their assumptions about “worthiness” conflict with Jesus’ mission to “seek and save the lost”?
In the sermon, it was said, “Friendly says hello, but welcome makes connection.” How does Jesus’ interaction with Zacchaeus model this distinction? [01:07:16]

Application Questions

The crowd unintentionally blocked Zacchaeus’ view of Jesus. Are there ways you or your community might unintentionally “block” others from encountering Christ (e.g., assumptions, busyness, cliques)? What is one step to “make room” this week? [54:22]
Jesus’ welcome involved noticing, moving toward, and staying with Zacchaeus. Who in your life needs this kind of intentional welcome? How could you practically “move toward” them?
Zacchaeus’ repentance led to tangible acts of generosity and repair. Is there a relationship, habit, or area of your life where God is prompting you to “outrun the minimum” in making things right?
The sermon emphasized that “the Spirit draws before response.” How can you cultivate awareness of the Holy Spirit’s nudges in your daily interactions? [49:14]
Think of a time you experienced true welcome (not just friendliness). How did it impact you? What would it look like to create that kind of space for others in your home, workplace, or church? [01:07:16]
Jesus’ table fellowship with Zacchaeus disrupted the status quo. Are there cultural or social “norms” in your community that might need to be challenged to reflect God’s radical hospitality?

Sermon Clips

72s

#WelcomeLikeJesus

“``And in that small act of noticing moving toward him, that act of welcoming like Jesus welcomed, we have seen incredible fruit for the kingdom. And I think that's what we see in Luke 19. When, sadly, there's a crowd who didn't make room, who were focused on Zacchaeus' past and mistakes, they saw someone they didn't think was worthy. We made Jesus who sees differently. He doesn't just notice Zacchaeus but moves towards him, who stops him, who calls him by name, who says I'm staying at yours. That is bold, audacious, countercultural welcome. And for Jesus, that meant relationship. For Jesus, that meant time around the table.”

65s

#AudaciousWelcome

“``And it struck me that this same kind of radical welcome is exactly what we see happening in Zacchaeus' story. As Jesus boldly, audaciously, counterculturally welcomes Zacchaeus into relationship, as he welcomes Zach home. Because for Jesus, people coming home matters more than anything. He's a God who welcomes, a God who breaks the status quo because his heart of seeing people loved, restored, and made whole, and ultimately brought back into relationship with him is what he cares about. He came to seek and to save the lost. He's a god who moves toward people, all people, so that they may come to know him and be transformed. That's the kind of audacious welcome that I think we too are called to carry.”

59s

#PrioritizeNewcomers

“``What would it look like for us to not speak to anyone we knew until everyone we don't know had been spoken to after our services? You see, think it's things like this that take us from beyond friendliness into the welcome that we are called to. It allows us to welcome like Jesus welcomed. And I think this is an exciting moment in our culture where we're seeing people exploring faith. What would it look like for us to look back in ten years and see how those decisions we made to welcome like Jesus, we seeing incredible fruit from that. As more and more people hear of his love and his hope, more and more people are transformed by the good news and are living out the good news in incredible ways.”

64s

#GraceBeforeChange

“``For Zacchaeus, he encountered a crowd that focused on his past, his his reputation, his wrongdoing, and they blocked him. What it look like if we were people who looked a little bit more like Jesus, who noticed as people came to spend time with us, who moved towards people, who who sat with them, who have made room for them, and who welcomed like Jesus welcomed. I think the beauty of this story isn't found just in Zacchaeus' transformation, but firstly, in the grace of God. Before Zacchaeus changed, before he made things right, before he could offer anything back, Jesus saw him, named him by name, and began welcoming him home.”

62s

#MoveFromFriendlyToWelcoming

“``You see, friendly says hello, but welcome makes connection. Friendly has a smile, but welcome is genuine relationship. Friendliness is polite, but welcome home. I think it's easy for us to be a friendly church, but I think our call is bigger. And I think it takes boldness to go deeper and to become one of welcome, warmth, and hospitality, a place where anyone can find deep, meaningful relationship with community and with God. A week or so ago, I sat down, with some of our welcome team leaders. And Andrew started sharing some of his heart and vision for welcome here at New Hope. And he brought us to the story of the prodigal son.”

43s

#DeterminedToSeeJesus

“``You ever noticed that? The very people who lined up to see Jesus were the ones who stopped another from seeing him. And yet despite this block, Zacchaeus' desire to seek Jesus is greater. And he does something a little bit undignified. You would have never caught an official doing this, but he pulled up his robes, he ran ahead, and he climbed a tree. Can't block me from seeing Jesus from up here.”

68s

#RadicalRepentance

“``And so as the spirit had been stirring in Zacchaeus' heart as he sits high in that tree, we start to see the work transform into actions. Here's a man who's who's willing to do the undignified thing to climb a tree because he wants an encounter with Jesus, and Jesus doesn't just notice it. He honors it. And as Jesus calls on Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus responds straight away. He jumps out that tree, and Jesus welcomes him gladly. as the crowd is grumbling and gossiping, we see Zacchaeus put his faith into action. He was he was a Jewish man. He he knew the law. He knew what was required of him, you know, the minimum standard to pay back his dues. But an encounter with Jesus doesn't lead to minimum action, and so he gives away half his wealth to the poor and pays back those he cheated fourfold.”

52s

#StewardTheMoment

“``And now I think we have to ask ourselves how will we respond to this moment? How will we steward moment? As people begin searching for Jesus, what kind of welcome will they find when they meet his body? When people come, how will we welcome them? As we sit in the midst of this moment, I'm actually reminded of scripture. We're seemingly out of nowhere. God came alongside one man, And the Holy Spirit shifted something inside of him, and he had this need, this desire to see Jesus.”

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Audacious Welcome: Making Room Like Jesus

Devotional

Day 1: The Spirit’s Stirring in Unexpected Moments

Day 2: Climbing Trees to See Jesus

Day 3: Jesus Invites Himself to Your Table

Day 4: When Crowds Block the View of Grace

Day 5: From Friendly Smiles to Running Fathers

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Audacious Welcome: Making Room Like Jesus

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