Rev. Zach

Need Dat Gumbo Isaiah 62:1-5 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 “Personal faith is never private. It only exists in a public body for the common good.” That’s a statement from the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota Environmental Stewardship Committee , and I’ve been wrestling with it. All week I’ve been thinking about what to say about Paul’s words about gifts of the Spirit and the idea of personal faith. I was pretty sure that God’s word was coming from Minnesota, until I met a Cajun at the grocery store last night. He greeted me in the parking lot with a sincere, “How you?” I said, “Good, but cold.” He said, “Aw yeah. Need dat gumbo.” It didn’t hit me until later, but when it did I realized that it fit pretty nicely with what Paul had to say. First, let me go back to Minnesota real quick and maybe just add some seasoning. “Personal faith is not simply private. It’s a gift that we share for everyone to enjoy.” I think that gets closer to the core meaning of what Paul...

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...