One month before Lent begins the Church begins to prepare us for this important time of our lives. We are invited to enter into a period of pre-lenten preparation. In the Orthodox Church every major feast or season is announced and prepared for. Why? Because the Church knows our worldliness an our preoccupation with things that are not needful. Therefore the Church introduces us into its seriousness for five Sundays before Lent begins. During this time we are given its meaning with theme for each prepatory Sunday.

This first announcement is made on Zacchaeus Sunday. The Gospel for this Sunday is from Luke 19:1-10. It is the story about a man who is too shot to see Jesus, but he desired to see Him. To overcome his shortness he climbed the Sycamore Tree.

The them of the firs announcement is desire. Without desire one remains short spiritually. It all depends where your treasure is: "Where your treasure is there is your heart also." If our treasure is in God, then we will desire Him with all our heart. All our efforts will be directed towards Him and his Kingdom. The way we live our lives every day will reflect that desire.

This first announcement announces to us that we have desires. The question put before us today is, do we desire the right things? Zacchaeus remained short spiritually. He desired the wrong things until he met Christ and Christ came to his home. He repented. Repentance brings us to the knowledge that man’s true desire is for God and His righteousness and His real life. Without the desire to change we will not change. With desire Christ will enter the home of our heart and abide in us, but first we must desire this.