Rev. Zach

For our Scripture reading today, we have decided to let the children tell the story of the birth of Jesus. Scriptures from Luke and Matthew’s Gospels have been woven together and read and performed by the children of the church and their parents in a nativity like no other, happening in time like no other. I have to say that it has been a joy to be a part of these children’s lives as they grow in faith and this video demonstrates that there is nothing that can keep us truly apart when we are joined by God’s love in Christ! Now, get ready, because, People of God, this is the Word of the Lord—and thanks be to God for that! https://www.facebook.com/fpclafayette/videos/745154199426065 What a joy it was to hear and see our children and their parents telling the story of the birth of Jesus together in our Annual Christmas pageant! To be led toward the manger by them reminds me of the promise of Isaiah that “The wolf shall live with the lamb,     the leopard shall lie down with th...

Isaiah 9:2-7 I’m so glad you are here! Through whatever difficulties it took to get here tonight, you made it! Through whatever trials you’ve been through this year, you’ve made it to this night. We have come together. We have made it through another year to come together and celebrate the journey of two peasants who traveled across territories and borders in order to protect the most valuable gift ever given – the child who would grow to become the one we call Jesus. This was God in God’s most vulnerable state. It seems funny to say that they protected God in God’s most vulnerable state, but in a way that is exactly what they did. It seems odd to think that we might be given that same opportunity – right here, right now – but in a way we are. That may not be what you came for – the opportunity to care for God in God’s most vulnerable state – but it is the reason you are here. The gift of Christmas – the reason for the season – is that we are confronted with the fact that God loves u...

Isaiah 7:10-16     Romans 1:1-7     Matthew 1:18-25 What the world needs now is love, sweet love It's the only thing that there's just too little of What the world needs now is love, sweet love, No not just for some but for everyone. Every Sunday morning I am awakened by the incomparable Dionne Warwick singing those words. It is one of the ways that I remind myself about the tasks ahead. You might ask why I don’t have that reminder set for every day. That’s because, on most other days, I am awakened by Dave Matthews, screaming, “Pick me up, love, every day!” You might find it odd that I feel the need to be reminded so blatantly and so often that I am bolstered, carried, and even dragged out of bed by love, but it is very true. You may find it hard to believe that I have to remind myself every Sunday that the heart of what I am called to do is to answer the greatest need in the world by proclaiming that we are, in fact, loved, but it is very true. Wh...

Ezekiel 37:1-14 John 15:26-27, 16:4b-11 Join me in a moment of silent reflection on the words we have received today… Amen. As we continue reflecting on these stories together, I want you to take a slow, deep breath – in through your nose and out again slow. Now take another… just three more. What you have just experienced is the Holy Spirit moving in and through each of us together. The gift of this day is the recognition of God’s active presence in our midst, and the scriptures – particularly the Old Testament – refer to the breath of God as the creative force that shaped the heavens and made order out of chaos. Chances are good that we have just exchanged that breath in between us, or we will have by the time we leave. Think of that next time you’re on a plane or a bus! I’m not saying you shouldn’t still take a heavy dose of vitamin C first. I’m just saying that there is more between us than just air or particulate matter or even oxygen. Breathing certainly d...

Psalm 148:1-14       1 Corinthians 13:8-13        Revelation 13:1-10, 14:1-5 Well, that just got weird. Hearing these bizarre and fantastic visions it is hard to imagine them as real, and yet it seems equally as hard for some of us to try to understand them in any other way. Repeatedly throughout Western history these visions have influenced literature and art as we have attempted to wrestle with these powerful images. Yet we truly do not know if these writings were coded messages, or an actual dream, or even the result of some medicinal herb, mushroom or flower! And even though Martin Luther only agreed to include John’s Revelation in the Bible as a tool to critique the Roman Catholic Church – and John Calvin didn’t even include it in his commentaries – the church has kept these writings in the canon of scripture for centuries. So, I maintain the position that the Revelation of John at Patmos was an expression of faith in Jesus as God’s self-r...

Romans 10:8b-13      Luke 4:1-13 Today is Valentine’s Day, formerly known as the feast of St. Valentine. The internets have been flooded with Valentine memes over the last few days – those silly pictures with a witty phrase. People more clever than I have turned everything from dictators to sci-fi characters into kitschy fake Valentine cards. One of my favorites is the picture of the aforementioned saint with the caption, “Rose are red, Violets are blue. I was beaten with clubs and buried in darkness [there’s actually more to the legend than that] and you commemorate my martyrdom by sending each other chocolates.” Now, as for me and my beloved, we have never really celebrated this holiday – by mutual agreement. Primarily that’s because flowers that will soon die and trinkets that will never be worn are not the way we express our appreciation for one another. Expressions of love that are mass marketed, conveniently packaged, and socially expected just aren’t our thi...

Jeremiah 1:4-10       1 Corinthians 13:1-13       Luke 4:21-30 “Have you ever noticed that when someone says, ‘no offense’ it means that they want to say something offensive.” I was reminded of that last Sunday by one of our youth. Not because she said, “No offense.” but because she made the observation about that phrase. Her comment reminded me of some other disclaimers, such as, “I’m not trying to be mean,” or “I’m just saying.” All of these are phrases that can sneak in to our vocabulary and mask the true nature of our feelings, our beliefs, and our fears. Fear is a very real thing that we all have to manage and live with. It has been described as a monster in the closet or under the bed, and when we do not recognize how fear motivates us then we can become its prisoner. We become the monster. We lose the ability to become motivated by love. I think that’s why scripture tells us, and characters like Jeremiah, over and over again not to fear. Of course,...

Micah 5:2-5 Psalm 80:1-7 Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-55 Sermon audio is available  here  for up to one month. One of the very interesting things about the human creature is our never ending desire to boil complex things into simple and practical words and phrases. Parents are especially guilty of this – given the constant need to translate the complexities of life into concrete terms. Children, on the other hand, have a great knack for stating the essential truths about their observations – no matter how uncomfortable these observations may be. In fact, children state the obvious because they are uncomfortable with it. Adults do exactly the opposite for the same reason. I was reminded of this the other day when listening to an old Bill Cosby routine about cleaning up your room. He said, “Never in my life did I ever say to my mother, ‘Mother! I'm going up to my filthy room, and sit in it in the name of God!’ Yet my mother would come up to my room, and say, ‘Ho...

“Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”  Psalm 136:26 Just the other day my daughter called me outside to ask me to help her with some sidewalk chalk. She wanted to write the phrase “Let LOVE Overtake You!” in big letters, and thought it might take her too long unassisted. How could I resist? Not only that, how could I agree with the value of her impassioned plea without joining in? Suddenly, I am reminded of the Vision Statement for the church. First Presbyterian is “A Place to Experience, Express, and Explore the Love of God.” In Psalm 136, each of the 26 verses end with, “His love endures forever.” Love is of God. The Psalmist speaks of the way the love of God has been experienced by the Israelites over and over again in the good creation we all enjoy, in God’s sustaining presence in the wilderness, and through victory over those who would enslave them. In all of these things, God’s love is the active force. And so it is for us as a community of...