Rev. Zach

Acts 2:1-21 Today is Pentecost! While it is one of my favorite days in the seasons of the church calendar, it is also one of those weird words that we never use outside of the church. This means that, outside of the church, it probably has little to no meaning to most people. In fact, even those raised in the church may be hard-pressed to tell you what it means and where it comes from. Some of us just know it as “the day to wear red,” which also loses its meaning when you live in a college town that has red as a school color. Yet Pentecost is so much more than a day! Pentecost is the recognition of the gift of the Holy Spirit that formed the church. It connects us to our Jewish roots in that it comes 50 days after Easter, just as the Festival of Shavuot – the celebration of the gift of the law – happens 50 days after the Festival of the Passover. Why is that? Make no mistake in thinking that God intended to wipe one tradition out with another. No, what God intended was to make it cle...

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...

Ezekiel 37:1-14      Acts 2:1-21     John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15 By now most of you know that I am of the genus and species known as the “Extravertus Maximus.” As was once noted by a member of my kind – who happen to be my General Presbyter when I began seminary – we think by speaking. For us, a conversation is much like working out a math problem on a black board with a group of people helping.  It is for this reason that there are few words that terrify me more than hearing someone say, “It’s like that time when you said…” because the good Lord may be the only one who knows what I truly said. Likewise, one of the most affirming experiences I’ve had in ministry was from a friend in Virginia who would occasionally respond to something I said in a discussion with, “Tell the truth!” Given that sometimes it is only God that knows  our hearts, and sometimes we only know that we have spoken truth when someone tells us that we did, I think we can all take...

Acts 2:1-21 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 John 7:37-39 Pentecost – what a great and wonderful day! I have always loved the day that my sister grew up referring to as “red dress Sunday.” Of course, the American Heart Association has stolen that one from us by claiming a day in February as the day for everyone – across race, creed, and religion – to wear red for a great cause; heart health for women. And here in Lafayette we wear red every Friday – especially during football season. In the face of cultural religions and national campaigns for health and salvation, the red of Pentecost almost seems an idle tale. In fact, when I was thinking of the way in which we have romanticized the story of the birth of the church, I am reminded of Monty Python and the Holy Grail . Indeed, Arthur and his gallant knights come in sight of the castle and each say the name wistfully, “Camelot. Camelot. Camelot.” Then the rude squire acknowledges the obvious concession of filmmaking, “It’s only a ...

Acts 1:6-14 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 Established – this is one of the most dangerous words we can encounter as a church. 1 Peter claims that God will “restore, support, strengthen, and establish” us. Generally speaking, these are good things. Yet I believe that the past tense of the last part of that promise – to be established – can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing. Of course, I am taking the term “establish” completely out of context, so let me back up and fill in some holes before I go too much further. All three of these readings were most likely written close to the end of the first century. To put it in perspective, scholars believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection were around 33 AD. Rome exercised total control over Israel and Judah, and tensions were rising that eventually spilled over into outright rebellion in 66 AD, with the result of the temple of Jerusalem being overrun and destroyed in 70 AD. Around this time, or a little later...

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 ...

First Presbyterian Church – Lafayette, Louisiana Day of Pentecost, Year A June 5, 2011 Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Acts 2:1-42 (Performed as a readers theater - written by The Rev. Eric Beene and used with permission.) "You're on fire!" is a phrase that I use every now and then. It comes from a restaurant I used to work in.  Every server (which is what I did there, I was a waiter) had a station of three or four tables that he or she was primarily responsible for, but every server was also responsible for every customer they walked by.  You did not walk past a dirty dish without picking it up unless your hands were full.  You did not walk by a table that had not been greeted without taking a drink order and seeing that it got to them.  If two or more were gathered at the dish pit, one of them would take the responsibility of scraping dishes so that the other could wash their hands and take clean dishes to the cooks before checking to see if there was food to go...