Rev. Zach

Isaiah 42:1-9 , Acts 10:34-43 , Matthew 3:13-17 It seems odd that just last week we were kneeling at the manger and now we are wading in the waters of the river Jordan with John and Jesus. The author of Matthew’s Gospel has their own reasons for that, which we’ll get into in a minute, but first I want to touch back on Kris Newman’s message from last week. If you were not here, she spoke of the experience of the Magi who were redirected by their divine purpose and how attending to God’s activity in the world will do the same for us. As a prompt for how God might do this, we handed out “Star Words” last week, and there are more in the back in case you need one for yourself or a friend. Some of them may seem a little obscure, but our hope is that they will make you think and challenge you to open your heart to God’s activity. My word is “Freedom.” That may sound like a good one – and it is – but I’ll also say that we’ve been doing this for a few years now and I think this is the most ch...

Before I get too far into things I want to say thank you to the congregation and to those who stepped into leadership roles while my family and I went to spend time with our extended family in Georgia and Tennessee. It was good to getaway. It is also good to be home, take down the lights and just get back to living the best life we can. 2020 has been a bit of shock, though. I came home to an oil leak in my car and a fridge with a backed-up overflow valve, then we had a storm that took out part of a fence I share with a neighbor. Those are all manageable things though. The real shocking stuff is in the news. We have an impeached president assassinating a foreign general, a police chief that’s been asked to resign and the list goes on. I tell you, coming off of the holidays into this mess can feel, well, Mo can you help me illustrate how it feels? [Mo stands up and throws water in my face and then offers me a towel] Thank you, Mo! I know that I can always count on you. It’s ...

Readings: Acts 10:34-43 , Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 , John 20:1-18 Followers of Jesus throughout the world are gathering together on this Easter Sunday to celebrate the most basic confession of the Christian faith. He is risen! (Congregation responds: He is risen indeed!) So much has already been said in these few words. The man born as Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One of God who revealed God’s true nature for once and for all. This Jesus died and was raised by the power of God ( Acts 2:23-25 ), and because he is risen we know that there is no power, no other defining moment, no force of will or nature that can divert or dislodge or dissolve the claim of God’s love upon our lives! He is risen! (Congregation responds: He is risen indeed!) Yes! And because of that, faithful believers and curious seekers have followed the same pattern set out in scripture since day one. It is the pattern we see in our Gospel reading, and it is most likely a pattern that you experienced this ...

Isaiah 65:17-25 Acts 10:34-43 Luke 24:1-12 “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” he said. “He is not here. He is risen.” Out of all of the liturgically correct responses we hold dear in the church, I have to say that “He is risen indeed!” is one of my favorites. The resurrection of Jesus is so very basic and fundamental to our proclamation about God, and yet for many it seems to be an “idle tale.” It seems that the more we know about scientific processes and discoveries, the greater claim we want to make on our ability to understand the mysteries of the universe. The unknown is simply the “not known yet.” Scientific curiosity is certainly a good thing, but it can at times become a sticking point for those who do not believe what they cannot observe. Likewise, the more we know about the human body and disease and metabolic processes, the more impossible it seems that the resurrection of Jesus could have ever occurred. Of course, this point has been argued fro...