Rev. Zach

Readings:  Acts 2:42-47 1 Peter 2:19-25 John 10:1-10 Worship with us! youtube.com/c/fpclafatte It seems that we have become a nation of those who Zoom and those who do not. Obviously, there are other options, but the point is that while we are connecting in new and different ways there are also members of our society who feel more and more isolated as our time of separation goes on. Times like these make people say things like, “Imagine the look on the faces of our founding fathers and mothers if they could see us now”. Of course, the “founding mothers” are rarely mentioned, but I would wager they had more to do with things than any of us can imagine. Statements such as these about our past and present do more to divide than they do to unite, but they are, unfortunately, true to some extent. Long before all of this COVID 19 mess, we had already begun a slow, steady march toward greater division in our society and our world. I remember the first time it was made clear to me as I ma...

Scripture Readings: 1 Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35 Worship Online: youtube.com/c/fpclafayette I wonder how many of you are as tired of talking about COVID 19 as I am. I suppose we could just ignore it all and talk about Jesus, but the problem is that Jesus doesn’t live in denial of our troubles. He’s right there, walking with us, even when we walk away. That’s what the two disciples were doing. They had heard the testimony of the women. Peter had gone to check it out, and to his horror, the body of Jesus was gone. Only strips of cloth remained where his body had been. It didn’t matter that there were multiple women sharing the same truth. The disciples still rejected their story as a delusional fantasy of someone overwhelmed by grief. They did not know who had taken the body or where he was, but they weren’t going to stick around and find out either. It was over. Jesus was dead and the dream of the restoration of Israel was over. That was their reality, and they could not s...

 Scripture Readings:  1 Peter 1:3-9 , John 20:19-31 Join us for worship: youtube.com/c/fpclafayette I love the way John 20:19-31 ends! It ends with so much mystery and yet so much assurance. “these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” I imagine that you know at least a few people of faith who embody the phrase, “you may have life in his name.” One of those persons in my life is the Rev Terry Jo Crego. She was the Camp Director of our Presbytery’s camp when I was in seminary, and an early mentor of mine. Terry Jo recently put together a little video I want to share with you that may embody the feeling of disciples hunkering down in fear, and it might even connect with how some of us are feeling during this time of social distancing. [A clip of Terry Jo’s video is incorporated into the worship service posted below video. Click here for the original.] I hope you ...

Worship With Us: YouTube (please subscribe) Scripture Readings: Isaiah 25:6-9 Matthew 28:1-10 This Easter Sunday is a totally unprecedented event! Who would have ever imagined that people across the world would be united in the experience of worshiping online and in homes, having been chased out of our congregations by our love for the vulnerable? I suppose that if you take the long view of things, there have been plagues and pandemics before – there just weren’t so many people to move. In the middle ages, and across Europe, people were certainly moved out of their normal patterns of worship, and the church moved with them, and the plague followed them. Fortunately, for the most part, the Christian church is taking a more responsible approach this time, but not without significant loss. Certainly, there are congregations big and small feeling the same economic pinch as our members who have lost jobs and businesses that have closed. Yet there is something else that we lament, ...

What is This? This resource is being provided in order to help you and your family celebrate Maundy Thursday Safe @ Home. It is an expression of the church’s love for you and a recognition that we are all connected through God’s love even when we are apart. Anyone may use and/or amend this resource without attribution.  While it was written for the use of the members of First Presbyterian Church in Lafayette , LA, it is intended to include all who might join us through God's spirit in their homes. It is also intended to be used with items already in your home, as additional trips to the store may be counterproductive to the idea of staying "safe at home." Those who use it are encouraged to post pictures of your table set up on social media and tag us with #fpclaffymaundythurs. This resource includes some background information, set up tips, and then a plan for celebrating Maundy Thursday safe at home.  You are encouraged to read through the whole thing and make...

Worship with us:  YouTube (Please subscribe!) Scripture readings:  Psalm 130 ,  John 11:1-45 The gospel reading was presented today in a dramatization by one of our families who are stuck at home as a part of our national response to the spread of the coronavirus. Their enthusiasm for the story is heartwarming and it helps us to see that there is a reason to hope in the midst of all the anxiety and fear all around us. I have to admit, it’s a very strange time to be alive, and I wonder how it will be remembered in the days ahead. There is certainly a greater record of human experience during this pandemic than any that has ever been. One of my favorites is the idea that in a decade or so there will be an American Girl Doll telling the story. For those that don’t know the brand, American Girl dolls represent stories from different time periods. They have clothes and accessories that tell the story, and sometimes they even come with a movie that tells their story. Well...

Worship with us: YouTube (Please subscribe!) Scripture Readings: Mark 11:1-11 Mark 14:3-9 Have you ever noticed how some words become more common and comfortable for different groups of people? For example, if I’m in a conversation with a couple of accountants, my eyes begin to do this droopy thing and I start to lose focus. Then, even normal words seem like they aren’t fitting together like they used to do. The same thing can be true of different social groups and affiliations. Ask a Star Wars fan under the age of 40 what they think about dilithium crystals, and they will most likely have no idea what you are talking about unless they have a parent or grandparent that grew up watching Star Trek. My point is that we tend to swim in circles of comfort, even in the church. There’s a very churchy word that shows up in our readings today that illustrates this point, or rather I should say that our use of and reaction to this word can be as divisive as it can be unifying. The word is, ...