Rev. Zach

First Presbyterian – Lafayette, Louisiana June 19, 2011 – Trinity Sunday (Year A) – Father's Day Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a Psalm 8 (sung with cantor) 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28:16-20 "You know about The Trinity, right?" That was the first truly doctrinal question that was asked of me as I moved from Georgia to Louisiana. It was not so much of a question of what I knew as much as it was an attempt to be sure I understood where I was. The Trinity stands as a means of describing completeness.  It is a word used religiously and culturally to describe something that can only be understood as the sum of its parts.  By the same token, the concept of a triune God has offered as much confusion as it has clarity for centuries.  Yet here in south Louisiana, the Trinity is simply a part of who we are and what we do. Everywhere you look you will see the Fluer de Lis. Interpretations of this symbol vary widely, and I think it is fair to say that it is more of a cultural sym...

First Presbyterian Church – Lafayette, Louisiana Day of Pentecost, Year A June 5, 2011 Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Acts 2:1-42 (Performed as a readers theater - written by The Rev. Eric Beene and used with permission.) "You're on fire!" is a phrase that I use every now and then. It comes from a restaurant I used to work in.  Every server (which is what I did there, I was a waiter) had a station of three or four tables that he or she was primarily responsible for, but every server was also responsible for every customer they walked by.  You did not walk past a dirty dish without picking it up unless your hands were full.  You did not walk by a table that had not been greeted without taking a drink order and seeing that it got to them.  If two or more were gathered at the dish pit, one of them would take the responsibility of scraping dishes so that the other could wash their hands and take clean dishes to the cooks before checking to see if there was food to go...

First Presbyterian Church – Lafayette, Louisiana May 29, 2011 – Easter (6A) Acts 17:22-32 Psalm 66:8-20 1 Peter 3:13-17 John 14:15-21 How many of you have a word that bothers you – a word that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and your gut clench a little bit?  Anyone care to share his or her word?  I have a good friend who feels that way about the word 'pumice', and I don't know why.  My word is 'irregardless'.  It's a double negation.  Though there are those that would defend its usage as satire, I've never heard it used in jest.  I've only heard it used to say "without regard," which would simply be regardless. A word that makes some people a little uncomfortable, especially in church, is intimacy.  Consider what images come to mind when I mention the word intimacy.  The topic of intimacy or the thought of becoming intimate with someone seems not to apply to church, at least not in our culture – but that is exactly w...

First Presbyterian Church – Lafayette, Louisiana June 5, 2011 – Easter (7A) Acts 1:6-14 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 A few days ago my 7-year-old daughter asked me what it means to say, "That's for me to know, and for you to find out!" She had seen this in a book and wasn't sure what to make of it. She understood the words, but the way they were being used didn't quite make sense.  We talked about the idea that sometimes this phrase is used to tease someone and make a person feel like she or he is not important enough to know all that there is to know about something.  We also talked about its use as a way of letting someone know that there is a prize in store for her or him.  Sometimes this phrase can also be a way to let someone know that whatever it may be, it is none of that person's business. Secret knowledge, insider trading – that's what the gospel message is all about, right? It sure seems that way by looking at today's text...

This was my newsletter article for June/July. It came out just before Memorial Day, so I thought I would share it here... Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name. Psalm 103:1 “America, Bless God!” I remember seeing this phrase on a homemade sign in Chester, VA in the days following September 11, 2001. I thought it interesting and strange at the time. I don’t know who wrote it or why, but I believe they were trying to make a different statement than “God, Bless America.” It reminds me of a time during prayer when Zoe said, “Daddy, you’re being kind of demanding to God.” Of course there is more to it than all of that. Scripture tells us “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” So, there is nothing wrong with asking God to bless America, but there is more to it than that. A blessing can mean many things. We often think of it as getting something good. Som...