Rev. Zach

Ezekiel 37:1-14      Acts 2:1-21     John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15 By now most of you know that I am of the genus and species known as the “Extravertus Maximus.” As was once noted by a member of my kind – who happen to be my General Presbyter when I began seminary – we think by speaking. For us, a conversation is much like working out a math problem on a black board with a group of people helping.  It is for this reason that there are few words that terrify me more than hearing someone say, “It’s like that time when you said…” because the good Lord may be the only one who knows what I truly said. Likewise, one of the most affirming experiences I’ve had in ministry was from a friend in Virginia who would occasionally respond to something I said in a discussion with, “Tell the truth!” Given that sometimes it is only God that knows  our hearts, and sometimes we only know that we have spoken truth when someone tells us that we did, I think we can all take...

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26     1 John 5:9-13     John 17:6-19 Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.     Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.    Wouldn't you like to get away?   Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name,  and they're always glad you came.    You wanna be where you can see,  our troubles are all the same.   You wanna be where everybody knows  Your name.  That song feels great to sing, and for many of us it describes exactly why we come to church.  While these words may tell the truth about the longing of our souls, they don’t particularly describe the church.  Or at least they don't completely describe the church.  Most of you will recognize this as the theme from the beloved sitcom about a bar named “ Cheers ,” and it could certainly be argued that this show was about more than a bar....

Psalm 22:25-31     1 John 4:7-21     John 15:1-8 I have been accused, and probably sometimes quite accurately, of being a perfectionist.  Of course, we are actually a culture of perfectionists who are always trying to reach greater heights.  We go so far as to separate people into archetypes and stereotypes based on – among other things – those that are the high energy take charge, Type A, people and those who are the “slow and steady wins the race”, or type B, people.  The funny thing is that these distinctions are actually related to stress producing risk factors for heart disease.  And while science tells us that B is the better choice, our culture tells us that unless you are the lead dog in the pack the view will never change. Scripture tells us something else, and thanks be to God!  It is God who is making all things perfect.  In fact, God’s love is being perfected through you.  That’s a fairly intimidating idea, bu...