Rev. Zach

John 1:1-18   This past Wednesday a small group of us met for prayer as we often do on Wednesdays at 11:30. You can join us by zoom if you would like. We often have a few that join that way. You can call the church and we’ll send you the link if you don’t have it already. Anyway, last week Susan Cormier, who is a church member and also our Administrative Assistant, realized that lately, we have not been starting off our prayer meetings by sharing our joys! Shame on us. Joy and thanksgiving should be the root of prayer! When we begin anything with joy and gratitude, then everything becomes a response to God’s grace, whether we know it or not, and even if we reject or deny it. That’s why – in the words of my old theology professor from seminary, Doug Ottati –  we begin worship with confession of sin and the proclamation of salvation, or rather, as he said in class one day, “The good news of salvation is baked into our liturgy.” Sometimes we need a reminder that salvation is not ...

Isaiah 11:1     Mark 1:1-8 This year has seemed to last forever, and yet suddenly it seems like Thanksgiving came and went so fast it was a blur. Now Christmas is approaching like a car on a roller coaster going clack, clack, up the hill before rushing down and around and into all kinds of twists and turns that are going to happen whether you like it or not.  It’s times like these that we look to our traditions for comfort and solace. Maybe that’s why I hear so many people say that they just can’t wait to put up their Christmas lights and sing their favorite Christmas songs. Not that we’re able to sing them this year, at least not together, but I can tell you that I’ve been listening to them a little earlier than usual this year. I can’t help but to agree with Angela Lansbury's privileged plea as the high society player, Mame, who lost it all in the Great Depression,  “ For we need a little music Need a little laughter Need a little singing Ringing through the rafte...

Psalm 124:1-8     James 5:13-20     Mark 9:38-50 As some of you know, I had the unique experience of offering the opening prayer for the Stump Speech event at the Horse Farm yesterday.  I have done several of these types of public prayers over the last couple of years, and I must confess that it is always odd to me.  It’s odd because of the way in which our society has changed – such that the voice of the church has become one that blesses more than challenges.  These invitations to pray at public events – that clearly have nothing to do with the church – are odd to me, because I am clearly a minority voice in an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic culture.  The experience of public prayer is odd to me, because I keep calling for God to help us become more just to the poor, more able to confess sin for allowing conditions that contribute to poverty and suffering, and more willing to do something about it.  I keep expecting to have off...

Exodus 20:1-17      1 Corinthians 1:18-25     John 2:13-22   A little over two years ago our congregation began a process called “New Beginnings” to determine where God might be leading us in the years to come.  There was an initial assessment from a denominational representative that was very affirming and hopeful.  We were told that we have an excellent location and that we are financially stable.  Our facilities, however, were noted as aging and not meeting the expressed needs of the congregation’s ministry, because we have a lot of unused space.  In general, we were described as a congregation that was in decline due to our average age and our emphasis on maintenance and administration over and above development and community engagement. So not a bad grade overall, but we definitely felt like steps needed to be taken to move us from decline and into growth.  The next thing we did was to meet in small groups in various m...

Jeremiah 1:4-10       Psalm 71:1-6        Hebrews 12:18-29        Luke 13:10-17 Well, it’s soccer season again, or it’s about to be. I have been coaching my son’s team for three seasons, and it looks like this is the first season that we will have most of the same players as the previous season – even though the last season was our least successful. I’m hopeful for a good season, and I’m learning a lot from these boys. Mostly I am remembering things that I have forgotten. Not just technical skills, but things like the idea that a great effort is a success. These kids don’t have the technical skills figured out yet, and so a good effort means a good result. It would be nice if more of the world worked that way. I’m not saying that we should not try to achieve results, or that working harder is better than working smarter. I am saying that sometimes we put so much emphasis on results that we forget about the reasons that motiva...

Sermon Delivered May 20, 2012 – Easter (7B)  Psalm 1 1 John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19 As we begin to wrestle with these texts today - with their claims of exclusivity and condemnation - I’d like you to consider the idea of belonging. What does it mean to you to belong? Who, or what, do you belong to? Most of us have so many allegiances in our lives that we sometimes feel that we are in the midst of a competition, or perhaps we are being competed over. We live somewhere in the midst of family considerations, Doctor’s orders, financial obligations, the needs of our friends, and - heaven forbid - even the opportunity for relaxation and enjoyment. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between the people, places, and things that belong to us and the people, places, and things that we belong to. Belonging certainly implies ownership, indeed “to be the property of a person or thing” is one of the definitions of belonging prescribed by www.merriam-webster.com . There is a lot more to ...

First Presbyterian Church – Lafayette, Louisiana October 23, 2011- Ordinary (30 A) Psalm 90:1-6 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
 Matthew 22:34-46 Last Saturday I went down to New Orleans for my brother-in-law’s wedding. If I were a person who believed in a vengeful God or instant Karma I would say that my recompense for missing the Presbytery meeting was to get lost in the French Quarter. When I finally arrived I had actually missed the ceremony, but was still well received for the reception. I only knew about 5 people out of the 150 that were present – and that included the bride and groom. I was, of course, introduced to those I met as a minister. I am certainly not ashamed of that honor, but it is always interesting meeting folks in that way. One never knows the baggage or expectations that may be encountered. I met a man – whose name I have sadly forgotten – who surprised me more than any I’ve ever met. He was in his 60’s and from his reaction I could tell that he was probably ...