Rev. Zach

First Presbyterian Church - Lafayette, Louisiana October 9, 2011 - Ordinary (28 A) Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14 How many of you remember the song O Be Careful, Little Eyes? Some of you may have sung it as a child or to your children. I’m not sure where or when I first encountered that song, but I have to admit that it has always made me uncomfortable. O be careful little eyes what you see O be careful little eyes what you see There's a Father up above Who’s looking down on you in love So, be careful little eyes what you see And it continues with be careful what you hear, what you do, and where you go. The thing that has always made me uncomfortable is that it seems like a set up. God loves me, but God is watching me like a hawk. So, I had better be careful. I have choices to make - and I had better make good ones. That is the implication of today’s parable; at least that is the traditional interpretation of this parable. God is the King. J...

First Presbyterian Church - Lafayette, Louisiana October 2, 2011 - Ordinary (27A) Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Philippians 3:4b-14 Matthew 21:33-46 The passages we have received today are the kind that many Presbyterians like. Indeed many who claim the name of Christian like these kinds of passages. The words we have received today are very comforting to many of us - which is nice since there are so many passages that confront us. We have the Ten Commandments, Paul’s encouragement of what lies ahead in eternity, and Jesus telling stories that discredit the Pharisees. These passages are orderly. They make sense. They offer the rules we follow, the promise for success, and a warning for failure. Not only that, they offer us the chance to point a finger at those nasty Pharisees. What more could we need? The Pharisees were not all bad though. They were the rule keepers - even the rule makers at times. Had it not been for them the Jewish people may have been consumed, as other occu...

First Presbyterian Church - Lafayette, Louisiana September 25, 2011 - Ordinary (26A) Exodus 17:1-7 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32 The story of the people of Israel’s journey through the wilderness of sin is one that more people in our culture can relate to these days than perhaps any other time in our past - excepting the days of the frontiersmen and women. More people transfer from town to town than ever before. More people switch careers than ever before. More people travel and find themselves physically and metaphorically in the wilderness than ever before. My own family has had its share of moves, averaging one a year over the last five years. We’ve moved for jobs. We’ve moved for cheaper rent. We’ve moved so that we can be in a preferred school district. I complained about it on Facebook during our last move and was counseled by one of our wise and faithful elders who simply said, “Quit moving!” Someone must have said that to Moses during this part of the story b...