Rev. Zach

Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalm 126 Philippians 3:4b‐14 John 12:1-8 Sermon audio is available her for up to one month Just as there is an entre genre of literature devoted to self help, there is perhaps an equal amount of information available for institutions that feel a need for redevelopment. There are books to tell you how to find the Tipping Point between ideas and fads. There are books that tell you how to work smarter instead of harder. There are books that tell you why some organizations are simply good, while others are great . Our staff is reading one such book, Good to Great and the Social Sectors by Jim Collins, and one thing has become clear to us. No matter how effective we can be at doing i’s and crossing t’s – no matter how decent and orderly we do our work – nothing matters without a clear sense of mission and shared priority throughout the congregation. Nothing we do matters without a clear understanding of who we are as a community of Christian disciples. Now...

First Presbyterian Church - Lafayette, Louisiana September 18, 2011 - Ordinary (26A) Exodus 16:2-15 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 Freeloaders - now that’s a term I don’t hear very often in this age of political correctness, and for good reason, too! It’s a term that assumes a certain defective quality in a particular group of people. Come to think of it, calling a group of people “freeloaders” is a pretty polarizing term. It is “us vs. them” language that puts the user in the driver seat and assumes that “they” are to blame for the problem, because their is no “we.” Although it’s a term that has been around for a while, it has always had an interesting relationship with commerce and free trade. The term actually originates from the shipping industry. A captain would contract laborers, promising payment for when the ship was full. Then he would sail away without paying - leaving them no way to catch him. In the 1950’s and early 60’s the term “freeloader” was give...