Rev. Zach

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 ; Philippians 3:4b-14 ; Matthew 21:33-46 Last week we talked about our partners in Cuba and the witness we share with them. We talked about Paul’s encouragement to have the same mind as Christ and to be willing to give ourselves over in sacrificial love for one another, and we talked about the way that Jesus called out – and calls out – religious leaders who do not practice what they preach. I know I said it before, but I want to remind you once more that Jesus is saying all these things during what we think of as Holy Week. Just the day before, he entered Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosannah!” and cleared the money changers from the temple. He’s done some teaching and healing, and he came back the next day. He started his day by cursing a fig tree for denying him breakfast – which seemed weird – but that precedes two parables about bearing fruit and some say that Matthew was making a point beyond assessing the hangriness of Jesus. We talked about the first par...

Leviticus 23:39-43;    Matthew 21:33-46  When I was a boy, I remember the expression “a month of Sundays” to describe an unreasonably long time. I really never expected anything to take that long, yet here we are. This is the first in-person service that we have held since March 15, 2020. That was 28 Sundays ago. It’s actually true that I have not seen some of you in a month of Sundays, and some of you I still haven’t seen – at least not in person! I never thought I would see such a day, and I certainly never thought that I would say that it is good and right for things to be this way. Clearly, none of this has been what any of us want. Clearly, everything we have done as a church has been a faithful attempt to demonstrate our dependence on God’s grace. So here we are, under tents, in camp chairs, and looking more like a tailgating party than a worship service. Of course, we can argue about the good theology of a tailgate party done well, but that may be another story for...

The following sermon was delivered by Emily Ruppel on October 8. In our congregation we call this day Laity Sunday, because the Laity (non-clergy) are responsible for constructing, leading, and engaging one another in worship. It is a beautiful expression of who we are as a people of God. Emily's sermon was a beautiful engagement of vulnerable reflection on God's word, and I pray you find it valuable. Take it away, Emily... Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20       Philippians 3:4b-14        Matthew 21:33-46 One Sunday on vacation many years ago, Mom and Dad took my brothers and me to this outlandishly large contemporary church for one of their services. I remember feeling less like I was going to church and more like I was going to a concert. We were sat in auditorium-style seats listening to a modern-era praise band and a preacher who’d used a video in his sermon. I don’t remember much about that morning, not even which city we’d been in or how old I’d be...