Rev. Zach

“Through the Waters” The Rev. Zachary S. Sasser Summerville Presbyterian Church January 13, 2008 Baptism of our Lord Isaiah 42:1-9 Matthew 3:13-17 Exegetical Thrust: Through baptism Christ shares in our sufferings and we in his divinity. This transformation is both complete and unfulfilled in the same moment. It is complete in that it is God’s action, and it is unfulfilled in that our actions are to be in response to the grace we have received. Sermon: I don’t know if any of you consider yourselves water people. You know… happier on a beach than in the woods, unless there happens to be a creek nearby. My mother is personally convinced she has sea salt in her veins. As for me, I am happier in a canoe than just about anywhere. I come by it honestly. I had a pool in the back yard as a child. My father’s parents had a house on Lake Burton. My mother’s parents lived on a creek in Western North Carolina. Oh… that cabin had a tin roof, and nothing was better than an afternoon nap w...

The other day I was encouraging my 3.5 yr old daughter, Zoe. My wife and I often take pride in ourselves for parenting in the most modern fashion, even though we have no more a clue about what we are doing and why at times than anyone else ever has throughout the whole of human history. So, the other day I was feeling especially smug when I told Zoe I was proud of her and then asked, "Are you proud of you?" She answered to the affirmative and it did my heart glad to know that I am raising someone with a sense of contentedness with herself. Of course she could be a megalomaniac in the making, but we try not to dwell on that. Truly we do what we can to instill self satisfaction as well as respect for others. But hey, she's 3 going on 15, so we'll take it one step at a time. Anyway, the rambling point of this is that about five minutes after this shining moment of parenting she totally nails me. After completing some simple task that she had given me precise inst...

As I helped my dad into my stepmom's car to leave the hospital we made fists and I said, "You fight this thing." We punched knuckles, and I turned to walk inside to the ATM for parking money. As I turned my first tears came to me. I sniffled and held back the tide as I walked through the lobby, thinking how many times I'd seen others this way and what I must look like. I made it back out to the parking lot, whimpering under my breath. I almost wanted others to hear me, but I dared not make a scene. As I got to my car a cheapy, clunky charm from a toy cought my eye. It was an angel. For a moment I considered the child who may have lost it as I selfishly snatched it up for my own comfort. As I sat in my car blowing my nose and regaining composure I heard a horn beep but did not consider it. Suddenly a large African American woman appeared outside my window asking plaintively and forcefully, "Are you going to move that car?!" I wanted to roll down the...

Dad's home now. He's been diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer originating in the bone marrow. He's already begun chemo, and will continue for 6 months. Assuming it is in remission at that point there will be a bone marrow transplant. I spent the night with him last Thursday, his last night in the hospital so far. During the early morning hours he came in and out of sleep. At times I sat watching him wishing there were words or questions to ask that might unlock the secrets of life as he knew them. I wondered about the pieces of his life I wil never know. Stories from childhood I never before cared to hear... a clear understanding of the nuances of buying and selling a house... the joys and sorrows of life choices that I have felt the reprocussions of but will never know about. Friday morning they brought in his breakfast, and he shared it with me. I offered to go get my own, but he was not hungry enough to finnish it. We had been talk...

I'm at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA with my father. He has an enlarged spleen and is awaiting a biopsy over the Labor Day weekend, which means it wont happen till Tuesday. I've been here through the night. Its Sunday now. Presently he is zoning on Demerol. Primarily I have been helping him sit up or stand or navigate his way to the can. I've also been interpreting treatment for him and keeping him from driving the nurses crazy. The pain has him somewhat disoriented, and he has a mild form of Parkinson's that makes it hard for him to access the words he needs to adequately express his thoughts when he gets stressed. In the midst of all of this we shared a prayer a little while ago. We were talking about how he was glad to have me here and to receive care from me as a son and as a minister. I expected him to expect me to pray, but he began with a "Dear God" and I awaited like a child at Christmas to see what would follow. I truly expected to hear...

The other day we were in a Pizza place with a little game room. Zoe, my 3 yr. old, wanted to see the games. She likes to sit in the car racing games even though she does not know what to do. Correction - she knows what to do. She gave me very specific instructions which buttons to push when, and when we arrived at our destination she told me we were in Africa. Anyway, she saw the games with guns and wanted to play with them. I of course said that guns were not toys, but that some people play with them. She looked at the screen and said,"Why do some people pretend to shoot other people?" I said, "I don't know, but it's not very nice. Is it?" She looked serious for a moment, then softened and said, "It's just a game, Daddy!" I agreed and changed the subject, realizing that the anticipated conflict over violence in our culture as a normative behavior had begun. Ah, the innocence of youth!

This is the sermon I would have liked to preach. The one I delivered was slightly different because I decided to come out of the pulpit and go from an outline. It was a good first attempt, though not the standard I hope to attain. I guess we "press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of" us. Also if anyone saw this recently, I have edited the typos. “The Advocate” The Rev. Zachary S. Sasser First Presbyterian, Dalton GA Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year C Mother’s Day May 13, 2007 Scripture Texts: Acts 16:9-15, John 14:23-29 Today is Mother’s Day, and I find it highly appropriate that our texts today speak of God’s active presence in our lives as an Advocate sent by Christ himself, and of a strong woman who helped found a church in one of the crucial ports of call in ancient Macedonia. Psychologists tell us that our parents, each in thier own way, help form a base impression of who God is and how God operates in our lives. And so, those of us who have ...