November 2, 2025

“Out of His Tree”

“Out of His Tree” A sermon based on Luke 19:1-10 and 1 Corinthians 4:1-10 delivered on Sunday, November 2, 2025 by Rev. Alison Andrea Young at the First Congregational UCC of Onekama, Michigan.

He was trying to see who Jesus was,
but on account of the crowd he could not,
because he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him.
—Luke 19.3-4
If the crowd in Jericho that day were a more modern one, they might have said something like “Look at that little shyster tax collector guy—that sinner—always hate it when he comes to my door—what is he doing climbing up there? He must be ‘out of his tree!’” They would all agree with the self-descriptive words of Psalm 119: 141 “I am small and despised” to describe him! . . .