Rev. Zach

For most of her life my daughter has claimed that she wants to be a dance teacher when she grows up because then I can build her a studio and she can teach me to dance. Well, today was "dress up like the profession you want" day at school. When deciding between the pink and black leotard she said, very thoughtfully, "A Ballet teacher wears black." Putting her hair in a bun was an adventure (Treva was at work, and I had not done this before.), but I think it worked. I asked her for a picture and she immediately got into 1st position with head turned to profile. She had a great day and would not take off her dance clothes until bath time. During prayers she asked God to bless her litany of best friends that live all across the Eastern Seaboard, and one I did not know. Turns out it was a little girl she met at First Christian Church last night. We went over because they were hosting a few families through Family promise (for...

First Presbyterian of Lafayette, Louisiana October 24, 2010 – Ordinary 30 C Joel 2:23-32 Psalm 65 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14 This week brought forth an abundance of stuff, the likes of which I have never seen, in the Abundance Fest Fundraiser for C.U.P.S. There were several things that I found encouraging and exciting about it. First was the Session’s willingness to support this event. It is a strong sign of leadership that our Session is able to encourage the ministry of other congregations and non-profit organizations, especially those whom we have helped to form and maintain. As we move forward, our hope is to revitalize old partnerships as well. For now, there is a strong resolve to maintain healthy relationships where we are able. Another thing that encouraged me is the support and involvement of the membership of this congregation. Members helped on every level of this event, as did members of the community, and even clients who have benefited from C.U.P.S...

First Presbyterian of Lafayette, Louisiana October 10, 2010 – Ordinary 28C Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Luke 17:11-19 I remember, as a child, going on trips to my grandparent’s cabin in North Carolina. There were barely three channels on the TV, but we did not care. God provided so much more entertainment than the human mind could fathom. The tin roof would serenade us when it rained, and we would pull out the old board games. On the inside of the lid to the scrabble box one can still find in my mother’s adolescent scrawl, “ Jailhouse Rock ”, and “ Return to Sender .” These were words written into the ether with the idea that they had intrinsic value for all eternity. And maybe they do. “Return to Sender” was a song about rejection and ambiguity ( Lyrics , Listen ). Why would his love tell the postal service to return his letter? I mean, this is Elvis Presley we’re talking about here. No such person? No such zone? This ambiguity left Elvis with the resolve to...

First Presbyterian of Lafayette, Louisiana October 3, 2010 – Ordinary 27C World Communion Sunday Presbyterian Peacemaking Lamentations 1:1-6; Lamentations 3:19-26 Psalm 137 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10 Today’s scripture readings seem anything but comforting. We move from Lament over the loss of family, nation, and land into an intimate conversation between colleagues in ministry who suffer together the burden of faith in a time of persecution. Then, when we approach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy comforter, the Prince of Peace, we are called worthless slaves. There is yet hope in the midst of the messiness and misery of this proclamation, and it is found in the context. It is found in the corporate nature of our calling to bear burdens together and become blessed by God’s activity in our midst. Together we can see that we are not alone, and that has some value in and of itself. Together we can proclaim like the writer of Lamentations, “But this I call to mind, and there...

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God...Matthew 5:9 Peacemaking and peacekeeping are two terms that can often be confused with one another. The extremes of liberalism and conservatism each use these terms to benefit their own agendas, and often the meaning of peace making and peacekeeping become co-opted. Generally speaking, peacemaking tends to describe actions that bring about the condition of peace. Those who consider themselves peacemakers often use non-violent strategies that model and begin the implementation of peaceful resolutions. Peacekeeping, on the other hand, is generally understood as the means of enforcing the conditions that allow for others to co-exist peacefully. The irony of the situation is that peacekeepers often do so through the threat of violence. Ideally this seems antithetical, but in reality there is evil in this world that must be restrained with force. Weeds must be pulled to keep a garden healthy. Terrorists att...

First Presbyterian of Lafayette, Louisiana September 26, 2010 – Ordinary 26C Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 In 1996 I stood at the top of a snowy peak in Colorado looking off into the distance of the continental divide. The grandeur of God’s creation was overwhelming, and I felt rather insignificant in the face of it all. As a group of young men in their late 20’s might, we marveled how you could spit in one direction and it would eventually make it to the Atlantic or in the other to contribute to the Pacific. Then we got into a snow ball fight that would continue through the remainder of our snow mobile tour. That’s what we do when faced with the magnitude of life in its fullest. We focus on ourselves, on that which we can control, and we find some way to distract and amuse ourselves. It is only natural. Think of it as a more generalized fight or flight response. We don’t want to know how much is beyond our control. We don’t wa...

One of the things I love about being southern is the fact that we are more than ourselves. Just before leaving Savannah, GA to move to Lafayette, LA I was at the bank finishing up some business and had some small talk with the teller about the  move.  As I left she said, "Good luck, y'all!" Clearly there was no one else there but me. There is something strangely comforting to me to be part of a society that understands and expects our reality to be couched in relationships.  Of course our language does not always reflect our reality.  The south is often a segregated society.  We are kind and hospitable, but we keep to our own. Paul told the church in Corinth, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Cor 66:19-20)"  Of course this was at the end of a section on sexual morality, but how often do we consi...