Rev. Zach

Psalm 145:14-21 ; John 20:19-31 Last week we spent a lot of time talking about the resurrection of Jesus and making the claim that we are a people of the resurrection! This week we are going to spend a little time figuring out just what that means, and we’re going to find that we are not alone in our doubts and fears – nor are we alone in our deep faith in the active presence of God. Having said, “doubts,” you might assume that I am talking about Thomas, the darling disciple of everyone who ever wanted some hard evidence of the active presence of God. Well, this is certainly his time to shine. It does feel good to say that even the disciples had a tough time understanding what God was doing through Jesus – and they were there with him – but I think a closer examination will show that this story is not as much about Thomas as we might want it to be. Ultimately, this story is about Jesus. Thomas gets a bad wrap because Jesus shames him for needing to see and blesses those who do not see ...

Psalm 118:21-29 ; John 20:1-18 I said it before, but how good and wonderful is it to be together as God’s people on this Easter Sunday?! Who would have ever thought that we would be out of our sanctuary for Easter, much less the past three! It does feel like a great victory to be together again, but it is still important to remember why we were apart. More than that it is important to remember the way in which we were together, and the way in which we are still together today. It is important to remember that we were apart in order to demonstrate a collective response of care and concern and sacrificial love for those who were – and still are – the most vulnerable in the face of a disease like none we have ever known. There are those whom we lost to this disease – in this congregation and in our community – who remain in the embrace of God. There are those who became estranged over the way our communities and families and even our very nation responded to this disease, and the pain of ...

Psalm 24 ; John 12:12-27 Before the reading, I asked you to put yourself in the scene of the triumphal entry of Jesus and consider what core emotion you believe the characters in the story might have felt and I gave the example of joy, sadness, anger, fear, and amazement). So let’s hear what you felt like as a character in the story. [Prior to the reading I assigned them to groups of different characters. Here are their responses: Temple Priests and Leaders – concern and disgust; People in the crowd – amazement and wonder; Disciples – joy and amazement (Judas was mentioned as plotting against Jessus); Greeks – curiosity; Pilot or any of the Roman Cohorts – anxiety, concern for rebellion; which would be felt differently depending on their rank]. I want you to hold onto that emotional perspective as we continue to reflect on this story. It may help you understand what John had in mind when telling this story. Remember that the context of the audience also matters, because John was writin...

Psalm 146 ; John 19:1-16a Many of you will recognize today’s reading as part of the Passion of Jesus. Have you ever wondered why we use that word? Outside of the church, passion usually refers to an intense, driving, or overarching feeling or conviction. For example, some might say that art, social justice, or just being a good father and husband are passions of mine. We might talk about passion in relation to the church in terms of personal conviction or calling, but we don’t usually talk about the “other” form of passion. You know, the passion that fuels a more basic desire. If we do talk about it, it’s not usually from the pulpit and we are usually talking about lust and sins of that nature. I will say, though, that I recently heard a wedding sermon that was unpacking the four forms of love found in the New Testament (eros, phileo, storge, and agape). The pastor very deftly acknowledged the importance of all of these – including eros or erotic love – in covenant relationships and re...