Rev. Zach

Acts 4:32-35     Psalm 133:1-3     1 John 1:1-2:2     John 20:19-31 Today we have some of the most romantic passages in the lectionary.  I don’t mean that they are all lovey dovey.  I mean they are the stuff of dreams.  They are the kind of passages that draw many of us to think of ideal images of the church in harmony and Jesus returning to calm fears, answer doubts, and give power to those who follow him.  These are certainly good images to hold onto, but there may be more to it than that. For me, theses readings conjure up memories of singing around a campfire.  It usually began with a two-part harmony chorus.  The boys would often start – some faking a low voice until they could make one, or at least hide their awkward squeaks in the group. Walkin’, walkin’, walkin’ in the light  Walkin’, walkin’, walkin’ in the light  Then the girls would come in a little too high before settling into somethin...

Sermon Delivered May 27, 2012 – Pentecost (Year B) John 15:26 - 27, 16:4b-15 Romans 8:22-27 Acts 2:1-21 Please join me in a moment of silent reflection on the scriptures we have read and the hope they proclaim... Amen. Have you ever hoped for something so strongly that it seemed like there were no options left if that hope remained unanswered? Have you ever wanted something so terribly that it felt like nothing else mattered? Have you ever had the experience of waiting, expecting, and longing for something that turned out so entirely different from your hopes that it changed the way you understood who you are, who God is, and what the relationship between you and your Creator is truly about?  If you have, then you have had a Pentecost moment. If you have not, then I would suggest that you either have not lived long enough, or it happened in a way that you either didn’t understand or aren’t willing to admit. I don’t say that to condemn anyone. I say that as a person whose hope ...