Rev. Zach

Sermon Delivered on 10/28/12  Psalm 91:9-16 Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45 About a month after coming to First Presbyterian I made the observation that mowing the grass was similar to confession because it is a way of keeping order by getting rid of excess and taming the weeds that would destroy. Bruce Turner has never agreed with me on that point – given his practical perspective that the grass and the weeds are simply obnoxious realities one must deal with no matter what. I still maintain my position, although my own lawn rarely reflects a sense of priority or repentance. Even so, I must say that I actually like yard work. There are so few other things in life that offer an instant return on your investment. Some of you know that I have been struggling with that kind of thing with Sam’s soccer team. In fact, last week my facebook status noted an unexpected return with this update: I’m pretty sure someone just replaced my team with a group of boys who know how to pass the ball....

Sermon Delivered 10/21/12 Job 38:1-7, (34-41) Psalm 34:17-22 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 Mark 10:46-52 “Help!” The old man yelled as he ran through a cartoon facade of the drab streets of London until he came upon four lads in a yellow submarine. Then he said, “H is for Hurry. E is for Urgent. L is for Love Me, and P is for P-P-Please! Help!” And so begins The Yellow Submarine, one of the first music videos ever created. It was the story of a refugee from a magical land called Pepperland seeking help from another land because his had been taken over by those terrible, despicable Blue Meanies. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt so deeply in need that you were even willing to bend the English language into a phonetic that matched your purpose? “E is for Urgent?” That is the sound of an animal in a corner. That is the sound Job made prior to today’s reading when he said, “I would lay my case before God, and fill my mouth with arguments.” God’s response of, “Where were you w...

Sermon delivered by Monique Peddy, Clerk of Session, on Laity Sunday First Presbyterian Church has an amaing tradition called Laity Sunday, where the service is entirely put together by the congregation and involves as many people in leadership as possible. As you will see from the following, it is not about being in charge or taking over from the Pastor. It is not about giving the Pastor a day off or apprecciating the Pastor. Laity Sunday is about letting the Holy Spirit take over. It is a corporate expression of who we are and what we believe. Who is in charge? God is in charge, just like always. Job 23:1-9, 16-17 Psalm 22:1-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31 OK, I don’t know about you guys, but I always think of that as “The Stewardship” passage. Maybe that is because it always comes in October and October is when the annual Stewardship drive starts. More likely it has to do with hearing it and then getting a “sermon” (and I’ll use that term loosely) about how we n...

Sermon Delivered on September 30, 2012  Psalm 19:7-14 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50 For the past few weeks the book of James has been dispensing some practical theology. We’ve been told that all good things come from God, and that we have the opportunity to participate in the actions of God. We’ve been told that we discover our true identity when see others as equally valuable in the eyes of God. We’ve been told that we cannot see others this way and still deny their basic needs. And we’ve been told that we must not spend time judging the performance of others and instead put our energy toward doing the will of God. Today this wisdom continues. Are you suffering? Pray. Are you happy? Praise! Are you sick, don’t keep it to yourself. Go to the congregation and the church Elders. Get them to anoint you and pray for you! Whoa. That’s not what we do. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard of individuals and families leaving Church X because they had a health crisis and no one fr...