Rev. Zach

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...

Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66:8-20 1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21   The three most common claims that I hear about God these days are that God wants to have a personal relationship with you as an individual, God is uninterested in us, or God doesn’t exist. I don’t intend to argue for or against any of these claims, because I think they are unarguable. I am willing to accept that any or all of them might be true, because my faith and my understanding of God is not changed, stretched, or challenged by any of them. Instead, I would like to suggest that the answer to the question of God’s existence and our understanding of God’s will is not based on who or what God is, or who we are, or what we do. It is based on the fact that we are limited creatures with the ability to do something that no other creature – as far as we know – can do. We can hope. We can live with struggle and pain and suffering, and we can still expect that something better is on the way. Not only that, we even have the ab...

Acts 2:42-47      1 Peter 2:19-25       John 10:1-10 We live in a culture of excess and extreme. We have invented entirely new forms of competition that encourage people to risk life and limb for the glory of a trophy, endorsements, and bragging rights. We have game shows that place people in situations they would not wish on an enemy. We hold contests that elevate talented individuals to the level of gods and encourage those who are desperate for attention to do things on stage that make you wonder if they just don’t have a momma to embarrass. In some ways it seems like the coliseum of Rome is alive and well, except that people enter it all too willingly – and when they can’t get in they can still create their own version on the internet! Yes, we are a culture of extremes – and we are bought and sold into slavery by the idea that we are always and forever in a position of need. We need the latest technology or else we simply cannot communicate or even...

Acts 2:14a, 36-41 1 Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35 One of my favorite, so called “reality TV,” shows is the one with the beefy Englishman who comes in and reconstructs a restaurant from the ground up. Maybe you’ve seen it? He takes a failing restaurant and lifts up the barriers to their success. It’s usually the same: uncleanliness (they get used to their own mess), overburdened menus (trying to be everything to everyone and losing a unique character), complacent staff (loss of vision equals loss of passion), and worst of all – bad food. Some customers are brought in; sometimes neighborhood residents are even interviewed, to demonstrate the way in which people from the outside perceive the restaurant and its food and service. Usually the perception of those from outside of the restaurant (customers and neighbors) is quite different from those inside the restaurant (owners and staff). I have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with the show, because the part where the ...

Jeremiah 31:1-6 Colossians 3:1-4 Matthew 28:1-10 Those who know me well know that if I were to ever raise live stock I would hope to own a small herd of myotonic goats . These are goats that have been bread especially to highlight a certain genetic trait that otherwise would have been naturally eliminated. That trait is an enzyme which naturally constricts their muscles when they are startled, causing them to fall over. Yes, these are the so-called “fainting goats” who have the unfortunate flight or fight response of falling over. Now, before you get carried away with the idea that I am simply a dark humored person who delights in the misery of a helpless creature, let me say that I am enamored by these creatures because I see myself in them. Fear of conflict is more apt to paralyze me than to motivate me. Fear of the unknown can make me want to hunker down and hope it will all go away. Those things that are beyond my control often make me want to exert more control over the t...

Isaiah 9:1-4     Psalm 27:1, 4-9     1 Corinthians 1:10-18     Matthew 4:12-23 Have you ever been on a trust walk? You either have a line of blindfolded people being led by one person who can see really well, or you have people in pairs taking turns as blindfolded or leading. This is an activity that is most suited for a camp. For the young, the idea of a trust walk is scary because you do not know what could happen. For the old, the idea of a trust walk is scary because you know exactly what could happen, and it usually involves a trip to the emergency room! Although it is usually designed to be a safe experience – affirming one’s ability to trust – mistakes can happen, even at a camp with trained facilitators. Like the year I saw a leader (no it wasn’t me) lead a line of blindfolded kids under a sign that had a bee’s nest inside the post. We got lucky on that one. No one was allergic and the stings were minimal. What we learned was that it i...

Isaiah 49:1-7     Psalm 40:1-11     1 Corinthians 1:1-9     John 1:29-42 “Can I help you find anything?” That’s the phrase we hear in just about any retail market from grocery stores to car lots. Most of us want to hear that in some way, even though we hate answering the question. Usually I say, “No, thanks. Just looking.” Of course there are some stores that you feel you need a flare gun in order to get some kind of service. I’ll never forget being in a certain large store with a friend looking for fabric dye. After about 20 minutes of fruitless searching in the obvious places he walked to the center of several aisles and shouted, “FABRIC DYE! WHERE IS IT?” My wife and I instinctively walked in opposite directions away from him and later rejoined. Sometimes it seems that our world is full of loud voices competing for their own interests. Sometimes the church becomes caught in the crossfire between joining the shouting match and feeling like we’v...

Jeremiah 23:1-6      Colossians 1:11-20      Luke 1:68-79 Well, the holidays are upon us. As proof, I recently saw a commercial with children acting ridiculously happy over toothbrushes. It reminded me of stories from mission coworkers about children receiving washcloths and toothbrushes in hygiene kits that were prized like gold because they had not seen one in a while. It occurred to me that even a toothbrush can hold the tender mercies of God. The tender mercies of God are mediated by relief workers sorting clothes, by a hospice chaplain visiting the still living, and by you and me in our everyday interactions. In the case of Zechariah, the tender mercies of God can even be found in our limitations and the opportunities they hold within. Think of it this way. If your mouth had been sealed and your tongue shut for nine months, what would be the first thing that you might say? Maybe it would be related to a need that you had not been able to communicate....

Isaiah 2:1-5       Romans 13:11-14     Matthew 24:36-44 “Do you have the time To listen to me whine About nothing and everything All at once” So begins the song, Basket Case , released by the band Green Day in 1994. They were one of many voices in pre-September 11 America that lamented the loss of value and meaning in our culture. One might even call them somewhat prophetic if you consider the function of a prophet as speaking the uncomfortable truth that we do not want to see or hear. I must admit that sometimes I feel like the task of preaching to a disinterested world and the discussions of becoming a church that is sensitive to every need, leave me feeling like we might be whining about everything and nothing, all at once. Either that or maybe we are like Bugs Bunny in that old cartoon when he comes up in a forest full of creatures, fleeing from the Tasmanian Devil trying to get someone to stop and tell him what is going on! We surfa...