Rev. Zach

Nehemiah 8:1-10       1 Corinthians 12:12-31a       Luke 4:14-21 Have you ever had one of those moments when it was confirmed deep within your soul that what you were doing was wrong? I don’t mean simple mistakes. I’m talking about realizing that some of your actions – or even patterns of behavior – are entirely disconnected from your values. All of us have some moment like that – some dark night of the soul – if we live long enough, or at least I hope that we do. Otherwise we may never see ways to correct our imperfections and truly become what we have been created to become. Otherwise we might live our lives like a spare part and never know it. Most of us have drawers full of those little parts that we hold on to because they might be useful someday – an extra screw or one of those weird little rubber things that went to a shelf, or a desk, or something. The Israelites in today’s passage were certainly confronted with the idea that they had been less th...

Psalm 36:5-10        1 Corinthians 12:1-11 The new year has dawned, and one of the things that strikes me as interesting is how much loss I have seen expressed at the beginning of the year. Not only have there been a few deaths in our congregation and with some of our close members and friends, but there have been a few famous actors and entertainers that have died. I have never been one for the worship of stars, and so I found it interesting how moved I was when I heard of David Bowie’s passing. Sure, he may have encouraged us to get to the church on time, but I think it was his creative spirit and his encouragement to embrace change that inspired me as a kid. In the midst of that change there was also the claim that we could be heroes – just for one day. Even knowing that our heroics may only matter in the moment we act and with the person we’re with doesn’t stop us from being heroes. And who doesn’t want to be a hero – or at least, who wouldn’t love to be though...

Isaiah 43:1-7        Acts 8:14-17        Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Just when you thought the feasting of the holidays was over, we have come to worship God today and found an all-you-can-eat buffet of spiritual food. Our plates are filled with the promise of restoration, the baptism of Jesus, and the promise of the Holy Spirit – and it’s not even Lent, let alone Pentecost! And even while we load our plate with these delicacies, we know we must save room for the impact of ordaining Church Officers and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet that is communion. That’s a pretty full plate, and yet these ideas and experiences are all important for the nurture of our faith. No matter where we are in our walk of faith, we always need to be fed and encouraged – for there is work to be done. We have lives to live for the glory of God, and we have a certain freedom from sin that needs to be experienced and shared in order for it to be real. This is what Howard Th...