Rev. Zach

Deuteronomy 34:1-12      1 Thessalonians 2:1-8      Matthew 24:1-2 As many of you know, today marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began with a young monk with a law degree nailing a list of 95 arguments, or thesis, to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Or at least that’s the legend. We don’t know if he simply mailed it to his local Bishop or posted it for public viewing, but his arguments against Catholicism changed the way that believers in Jesus understand and experience God’s active presence.  And we are a part of his legacy, even though our views may not exactly line up with his. For those that may not know, two of his greatest concerns were the selling of indulgences that would confirm the entrance of a loved one into heaven, and the access of the average person to scripture. Now, indulgences were kind of the tip of the ice berg of a theology of power wherein the church believed that p...

Exodus 33:12-23     1 Thessalonians 1:1-10      Matthew 22:34-46 Once again, I bring you greetings from the congregations, worshiping communities and ministry partners that make up the Presbytery of South Louisiana! That may not sound so very exciting to you, but it gives me great joy. In fact, every time our General Presbyter reports on the activity of God’s Spirit in and through our midst he closes his remarks by saying, “I am sinfully proud to be a part of the Presbytery of South Louisiana!” Of course, that has nothing to do with who we are and everything to do with recognizing what God is doing in our midst. For just as Moses told God, “How are we to be any different than anyone else unless you go with us?” Examples of God with us were abundant at the Presbytery meeting, believe it or not. Worship of God set the tone for our work, as we recognized and commissioned Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) and celebrated God’s active presence ...

The following sermon was delivered by Emily Ruppel on October 8. In our congregation we call this day Laity Sunday, because the Laity (non-clergy) are responsible for constructing, leading, and engaging one another in worship. It is a beautiful expression of who we are as a people of God. Emily's sermon was a beautiful engagement of vulnerable reflection on God's word, and I pray you find it valuable. Take it away, Emily... Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20       Philippians 3:4b-14        Matthew 21:33-46 One Sunday on vacation many years ago, Mom and Dad took my brothers and me to this outlandishly large contemporary church for one of their services. I remember feeling less like I was going to church and more like I was going to a concert. We were sat in auditorium-style seats listening to a modern-era praise band and a preacher who’d used a video in his sermon. I don’t remember much about that morning, not even which city we’d been in or how old I’d be...

Exodus 32:1-14     Philippians 4:1-9     Matthew 22:1-14 Well, there’s no getting around it. Today’s Gospel Lesson is one of the more uncomfortable passages in the Bible. In fact, David Lose of workingpreacher.com says, “Let’s just admit it: this is an ugly parable. No amount of generalizing about God’s hospitality or vulnerability or invitation is going to do away with that.” Maybe it will help to just name some of the ugliness. First off, the King burns an entire village because of the behavior of a few that reject an invitation to his son’s wedding. Sure, they killed the messenger, but burning a village seems a bit much. Then once it seems that everything is going well, he has a guest bound and thrown into the outer darkness for having on the wrong clothes. This is definitely the type of story that makes you want to – as noted in the Pulpit Fiction Podcast – bring back the Christmas Jesus. I mean, where is the love? Where is the G...

Exodus 17:1-7     Philippians 2:1-13     Matthew 21:23-32 “So, what do you think?” That’s a pretty dangerous question, don’t you think? Language has some very interesting conventions and phrases sometimes. There are words and phrases that we use all the time – some of us more than others – that have the intent of establishing authority, or at least expecting agreement. Am I right? That was one. “Am I right?” Sometimes it gets shortened further and I hear people who speak to groups or on podcasts or even just in conversation that end sentences with the declarative question, “right?” They may say something like, “Well, it’s the levee system that we can thank for our disappearing coast line, right?” or “Jesus was obviously concerned about people’s lives and not just about making sure they followed the rules, right?” There are certainly many other, and more subtle, ways to convey power or expect agreement, and I believe that is exactly wh...