Rev. Zach

 Isaiah 43:16-21      Philippians 3:4b-14       John 12:1-8 Earlier I spoke with the children about the walking stick I picked up in Ghana. The carved bird cranes her neck backward to balance the egg on her tail-feathers, and it symbolizes the proverb of securing the future by looking to the past. I told them to learn from the past but prepare to become something different. In the words of Søren Kierkegaard, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Taking a quick look back before we move forward is why we’re all here, right? So far, during this season of Lent, we began with an announcement of Jubilee in Mary’s song. That’s the idea of a cosmic reset of the balance of power by God with the expectation that it will have a very real and lasting and systemic impact on our economy and our way of relating to one another, to God, and to all of creation. Jesus preached that in his first sermon. They di...

Isaiah 43:16-21      Philippians 3:4b-14      John 12:1-8 Today is an exciting day in the life of our congregation, as we give thanks to God for the life of Al Pheiffur (and his twin brother Elmer). Al has become what a friend of mine once told me that he aspired to become – a centenarian ! Thinking about all that Al has lived through is a little overwhelming, and I imagine there are some parts that he may wish to forget just as there are many memories to cherish and hold dear. One thing that Al can certainly teach us is that life is full of changing priorities. What matters to a boy of 10 is not the same as that of a man of 22. Likewise the things matter to a woman of 22 are not the same as a woman of 65. All of us, in turn, are motivated by different passions and priorities. Sometimes we have so many tugging at us that we may not even know what it is that matters most other than hitting the snooze alarm – one more time. Certainly we all have goa...