Rev. Zach

Isaiah 50:4-9     Romans 12:1-8      Mark 12:28-34 Today is “Dedication Sunday,” and there are things that I love and things that I don’t love about this day. One thing that I love is that I get to to tell my bacon and eggs joke. Do you know how bacon and eggs demonstrate the difference between involvement and commitment? Because the chicken is involved in getting your breakfast to you, but the pig is committed to it! Of course we are assuming the egg is unfertilized. I’m not sure that the pig was all that excited about the idea, either, and I would guess that if given the chance the pig would decline the invitation. Christian faith is, however, an “all in” kind of thing – or at least that is the description we get in scripture. Our passage from Isaiah was written to a conquered people to demonstrate the hope that remained in their identity as the people of God. The “Suffering Servant” demonstrates perseverance and faith as a testimony to the people, b...

First Presbyterian Church - Lafayette, Louisiana October 30, 2011 - Ordinary (31A) Commitment Sunday Joshua 3:7-17 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 Matthew 23:1-12 Today is commitment Sunday, and my job is to make you feel that your commitment to the church is somehow more valuable than any of the thousand other commitments in your life. At least that is what it feels like from my side of the pulpit. Truth be told, that is what I often feel like when I forget my place. God has a way of putting me back in my place, and usually scripture is a part of that action. Today’s texts are a reminder that it is God alone who makes us low or raises up. Our various commitments may be a part of that experience, but they do not determine our value. So, for that reason, it is kind of silly to think that one commitment or another is more valuable in the eyes of God. Yet all of our actions and decisions affect our ability to experience and express the active presence of God - who is in our midst. Mayb...