Rev. Zach

Exodus 1:8-2:10     Romans 12:1-8     Matthew 16:13-20 The world is broken, and we need some good news. That’s why we’re here, right? The worst storm since Katrina and Rita has just hit Texas. Our nation remains in a protracted war in Afghanistan with ongoing military actions in Iraq. Meanwhile some seek to tear us apart from the inside over issues of race and political ideologies, while there are yet those among us that are suffering. They suffer from lack of healthcare or because they are immigrants fleeing violence or because there are issues of discrimination and bias and privilege that we have simply never dealt with in our 241-year young nation. Yes, the world is broken, and we need some good news! Of course, when we realize this, most of us look for a cat video or something positive to distract us from the brokenness. Or, maybe we’ll look for one of those emails to forward – or a meme to post – that justifies what we think and fe...

Please note that (unlike most posts on this blog) this is not a sermon that I preached at FPC Lafayette. It is a personal reflection on a recent experience as a faith leader in our community. An active attender of my congregation contacted me a few days ago to invite me to a press conference/protest for the relocation of the Gen. Mouton monument in downtown Lafayette. While it was not entirely unexpected – given recent events around the nation – I have to admit that I was caught off guard. I was caught off guard, because I was not as clear on my position on the issue as I expected to be. There are probably a whole host of reasons that I was not clear, but I think it comes down to a feeling that all the focus on statues may be distracting us from institutional issues of racism. Truth be told, I am also aware that there are good people of faith in my congregation that disagree over the connection between the statues and institutional racism, and my stance (either way) has the potenti...

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love It's the only thing that there's just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No not just for some but for everyone.' These words were written in 1965 and have been sung by others to greater effect, but they're still true today. They were true even in the time of Jesus, and certainly during the time when Matthew's gospel was written. Most scholars believe that Mathew's audience was mostly Jewish — and some curious seekers as well — and probably worshiped in synagogues and followed the teachings of a local Rabi. As they began to follow the way of Jesus, they learned quickly that he was different. Jesus moved around a lot and taught and healed, and word spread of his amazing work. There were these stories of healing and power over spiritual forces that must have been circulating about him long before his death and resurrection. Why else would the keepers of tradition come all the way from J...

Genesis 37:1-4;12-28             Matthew 14:22-33 I know that there are those of you that will be disappointed in me today if I speak about current events. I know there are those of you that will be equally disappointed with me if I do not. What I need all of you to know is that my intention was never to please any of you, but only to be faithful to God. So, the first question I ask myself in times like these is, “Am I up to the task?” If I am to be honest with myself the answer is, “No.” The answer is no, because while I want to follow the advice of Karl Barth who said to preach with the “Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other,” I no longer trust the news for anything but entertainment. Not only that, but every source seems to have a bias. I find it increasingly difficult to stay informed of issues that impact our ability to view one another with compassion, because compassion just doesn’t sell ad space. M...

Genesis 32:22-31       Matthew 14:13-21 Some of you will know exactly what I’m talking about when I say, “Guess what day it is. Guess… what day.. it is.” That is of course the famous talking camel from the insurance company commercial reminding his co-workers that it is “hump day”- Wednesday – the middle of the week. While many of us think of our days as markers of what we must do or endure, today’s scriptures remind me instead of something I read in an interview with Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, published in Inc. Magazine . The article was about Bezos’ ability to maintain their culture as a “start up” company even as they grow and become more established as one of the biggest retailers in our country. In the article, he said that the basic idea is to remember that every day is “Day 1”, and every year he sends out the original letter that he sent to his stakeholders and employees that maps out a vision for who they’ll become. For them, it is alw...

Romans 8:26-39     Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 The Kingdom of Heaven is counterintuitive. It doesn’t make sense. At least not from an economical point of view. It doesn’t make sense that a merchant would sell all she has in order to buy a pearl – which she presumably would not turn around and sell – unless she did not want to be a merchant anymore. It doesn’t make sense that a person would sell all he has to buy a field that has a treasure in it. I guess that’s more honest than digging up the treasure and taking it, but would the person who owned the field sell it if he knew there was treasure buried in it? Is it the ethic of the Kingdom of Heaven to only disclose what you have to disclose in order to make the deal? And what will this person do with the treasure? Perhaps these things will make more sense in light of the mustard seed and the yeast. First off, let’s remember that the parable right before this is the one about weeds and wheat. Wheat good / weed bad...

Genesis 1:1-2:4a     2 Corinth ians 13:11-13     Matthew 28:16-20 Having just returned from being immersed in God’s good creation at the Feliciana Retreat Center, and Camp Agape, these words from Genesis have a special meaning for me today. In that place – just as in this place – we were held in the arms of God. I had the good and wonderful opportunity of being a counselor for the Adventure Camp group of Sr. Highs. One of our “adventures” was a day hike, not far away at Clark Creek in Mississippi. While on the trail we were encouraged to look for, and think about, ways in which we saw each other make a choice to love – that is to make a choice based on someone else’s need before our own. I’ve led lots of these trips, and I have to say that this one seemed unique in a lot of ways. Maybe it was the mix of kids, or the time of day, or something in the air – but there was something different about this group. I saw a wrestler offer to carry a bac...

                                                Numbers 11:24 - 30              Acts 2:1 - 21               John 7:37 - 39 In the classic film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” there is a point where King Arthur and his knights approach Camelot and one after the other they wistfully exclaim, “Camelot! Camelot. Camelot.” Then a squire ruins the mood by telling them they are looking at a backdrop by saying, “It’s only a model.” Then they decide that it is a silly place and they go on their way, until God gives them a task to complete. As silly as that story is, sometimes I think that describes the way some of us think about ...