Rev. Zach

Acts 2:42-47      1 Peter 2:19-25       John 10:1-10 We live in a culture of excess and extreme. We have invented entirely new forms of competition that encourage people to risk life and limb for the glory of a trophy, endorsements, and bragging rights. We have game shows that place people in situations they would not wish on an enemy. We hold contests that elevate talented individuals to the level of gods and encourage those who are desperate for attention to do things on stage that make you wonder if they just don’t have a momma to embarrass. In some ways it seems like the coliseum of Rome is alive and well, except that people enter it all too willingly – and when they can’t get in they can still create their own version on the internet! Yes, we are a culture of extremes – and we are bought and sold into slavery by the idea that we are always and forever in a position of need. We need the latest technology or else we simply cannot communicate or even...

Acts 2:14a, 36-41 1 Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35 One of my favorite, so called “reality TV,” shows is the one with the beefy Englishman who comes in and reconstructs a restaurant from the ground up. Maybe you’ve seen it? He takes a failing restaurant and lifts up the barriers to their success. It’s usually the same: uncleanliness (they get used to their own mess), overburdened menus (trying to be everything to everyone and losing a unique character), complacent staff (loss of vision equals loss of passion), and worst of all – bad food. Some customers are brought in; sometimes neighborhood residents are even interviewed, to demonstrate the way in which people from the outside perceive the restaurant and its food and service. Usually the perception of those from outside of the restaurant (customers and neighbors) is quite different from those inside the restaurant (owners and staff). I have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with the show, because the part where the ...

Jeremiah 31:1-6 Colossians 3:1-4 Matthew 28:1-10 Those who know me well know that if I were to ever raise live stock I would hope to own a small herd of myotonic goats . These are goats that have been bread especially to highlight a certain genetic trait that otherwise would have been naturally eliminated. That trait is an enzyme which naturally constricts their muscles when they are startled, causing them to fall over. Yes, these are the so-called “fainting goats” who have the unfortunate flight or fight response of falling over. Now, before you get carried away with the idea that I am simply a dark humored person who delights in the misery of a helpless creature, let me say that I am enamored by these creatures because I see myself in them. Fear of conflict is more apt to paralyze me than to motivate me. Fear of the unknown can make me want to hunker down and hope it will all go away. Those things that are beyond my control often make me want to exert more control over the t...

My son's baseball picture came in. He has a winning smile, and a confident look in his eyes. It doesn't matter that some of the other teams he plays against also play in tournaments every weekend and treat his games like a batting clinic. It only matters that he still gets a base hit, and an RBI, and an occasional good throw to first base. It matters that he is learning humility and yes, it matters that he is having fun. Winning. My daughter tried out for a musical, just for fun. It doesn't matter if she gets the lead role. It matters that she stood up before three strangers and sang a song that she chose because it seemed fitting for her voice and the particular part of interest. It matters that she read with inflection and enthusiasm. It matters that she stood (with toes in first position, no less) by a friend who was scared (but not really scared) during the dance portion. It matters that she demonstrated skills that she has learned through participating in activitie...