Rev. Zach

Perception Is Not Reality The Rev. Zachary S. Sasser Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church February 22, 2009 Transfiguration Sunday Sometime in January Zoe cornered me about the fact that I would be missing her birthday this year. I knew it was coming, and I was prepared. “Zoe” I said, “Did you know that there is a rule that if a Daddy misses his daughter’s 5th birthday he has to take her to the circus?” This information was well received, and it got even better when I asked her if she wanted to “get fancy” for the event. When we parked the car and got out I was wearing a tux jacket and shirt complete with bow tie and top hat atop my blue jeans and sneakers. She was dressed to the nines with a princess dress, complete with sunglasses, a feather boa, and a satin and feather birthday hat. A little girl ahead of us did a double take, tugged her mother’s sleeve, and said, “Mom, I think they are IN the circus!” And for that very moment, we were. People see what they are prepared to see...

Tonight on the Colbert Report it was noted that presently, as in previous times of recession, their is a jump in church attendance, particularly in evangelical churches.  In his oft irreverent fashion he put on a prayer cap and giant foam prayer hands, and asked for things that like cars and money.  It was slightly reminiscent of the " Baby Jesus Prayer " in Taledaga nights, which is always good for a laugh if your spiritual skin is thick enough for it.  I'm willing to bet that God's is if yours is not.  Colbert also placed a baguette and a fish on a plate expecting them to multiply copulatively, a new take on the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 (plus women and children) to be sure.  He did at least lower the plate behind the desk at that point to give them privacy.  At the end of the show it was revealed that they had turned into a plate piled high of breaded fish sticks.  "Fish sticks for everyone!" He cried as he flung them to the studio audience. Al...

With all the political hubub that is going on I have been thinking about the way in which religion (particularly Christian and Islam) are being bandied about in a nation with religious freedom undergirding its central tenants. Now, to be clear, the First Amendment does not say there is to be no religion in the political theater. It simply states that there will be no state imposed religion. That being said, the idea of this amendment acting as a firewall between church and state is not new and was introduced by Thomas Jefferson in 1802. Did Jefferson and the constitutional framers envision the level of religious pluralism we are swimming in today? Of course not, but that's another thought for another day. Here is what's on my mind for today. It seems to me that many of those who decry the Theocracies of the Middle East and want to replace them with a secularized Democracy are the very ones who are condemning the leadership of our country when they are not in lock step w...

“Throw Open the Doors” is a sermon that was delivered in worship at Euharlee Presbyterian on July 27, 2008. Scripture: Luke 10:1-9 Sermon: If your family is at all like mine, I bet you have some family stories. Some of us have close friends that we share funny stories with as well. Most of those stories are best if you were there or if you know the people involved. But some stories are just good no matter what. Like one of the many times my mother, Lord bless her, a single working parent with three children (an eleven year old son, a fourteen year old daughter, and a seventeen year old son) tried to instill manners and maintain decorum at the dinner table. On this particular occasion my brother, heathen that he was, salted his food before tasting it. My mother, who always sat up straight, stiffened her lip, lifted her nose ever so slightly and said in an austere southern voice, “Jeffrey Scott Sasser, only barbarians salt their food before tasting.” The stillness was palpable as ...

A friend sent me this link from Brian Jones , and I think it makes some valid points. Primarily he is arguing that the term "Christian" is only used in the Bible by non-believers who are describing people as Christ Followers. Not a bad term, but he is arguing the point that its not all that scriptural in the first place, and that it says nothing of function. Disciple, however, is used routinely in the New Testament and, he says, has a more active connotation and root meaning. My question is this... Is anyone outside the circles of Christianity (non-believers, un-churched, what have you) going to care? Is there truly a connotation of activity with one word over another? And what activity is conjured in the mind of those not already in the community of faith? Not that we tailor to the needs of those outside the community, but the question (at least for me) is whether we are practicing a theology of inclusivity or exclusivity. I think this speaks to the quagmire of fa...

Joan Grey , present Moderator of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) is winding down her term and fulfilling her role as Ambassador to the church. She spoke at a recent meeting of the Cherokee Presbytery and opened the floor to questions. My notes are incomplete and may not be direct quotes, but I tried to record the sense of things as I understood it. What is "Missional", and how is it happening in the PC(USA)? I'll give you an example. My husband and I showed up at 4th Presbyterian in Boston . It's located in the kind of place that you aren't sure if you want your car parked on the street or not, really a bad part of town. We walked into a Bible study and found a man who looked homeless, very grungy and unkempt. Next to him sat a man in a business suit, and next to him a woman in batik. When we went to worship we saw that this was what the whole congregation was like. They were a true mix of the social strata, and everyone was accepted. I think that...

Joan Grey , present Moderator of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) is winding down her term and fulfilling her role as Ambassador to the church. She spoke at a recent meeting of the Cherokee Presbytery and opened the floor to questions. My notes are incomplete and may not be direct quotes, but I tried to record the sense of things as I understood it. What surprisingly positive experiences have you had while visiting congregations in the last two years? The most surprising thing to me was to experience the vitality of some of our smaller congregations. These are congregations in communities where the population has shifted, and there is no hope of being the larger congregations they once were. What I found is a real honest attitude that said, "We know we can not be what we used to be. God, what can we do now?" I think these congregations are taking a very faithful approach to living and being the church. Another gratifying experience was the chance to meet and talk to...