Rev. Zach

Genesis 28:10-19a   Romans 8:12-25    Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The three paintings that I have chosen to share with you today represent something of a spiritual journey for me. Each was painted during a different time in my life, and I want to say up front that I do not expect that everyone will like these. Art can be somewhat subjective, and I get that. What I want you to do this morning is to listen to the story they tell and consider how they might connect with the scriptures today through the Spirit of God moving in and through our conversation about them. I’d like to start with this one. It’s a stain painting, which means that I used watered down paint to stain a perfectly good canvas. I painted this one in college, and the image kind of evolved out of a desire to do something with primary colors that was bold and simple. My first attempt was just a wash of color that looked neither bold nor simple. So, I let that dry and I tried again. I laid it on the ...

    Acts 17:22-31         1 Peter 3:13-22          John 14:15-21 Hola! I bring you greetings from the I glesia Presbiteriana R eformada en Cuba at Union de Reyes y Sabanilla. As I mentioned this morning I told both of these congregations that I was not there as a missionary. I was there for missionary training. I say this, in part, because our Presbytery has the longest standing relationship of any presbytery in the PC(USA) with the Presbytery of Matanzas (over 30 years), and it would be foolish to think of our relationship as anything less than mutual partners proclaiming Christ together. I must admit that even though I had that in mind from the beginning, I had no idea what I would actually experience once I got there. I have grown up during the time of the embargo. I do not know what it was like to live under the very real nuclear threat of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Likewise I do not kn...

Romans 7:15-25           Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 I want to begin today by sharing a painting with you that I painted several years ago. Most of you have probably seen it before, but it’s been laying in the corner of my office for a while. It’s not the most cheerful thing, and it’s kind of abstract. Some of you may even remember what this painting represents for me, as I have shared it before relating to today’s reading from Romans. For those who haven’t seen it before, you may note that there are three panels that make up the image, and there is a figure hanging cruciform in the middle. There are chains above each arm, but the shackles are off to the side. What you may not know is that it didn’t start out as a reflection on Romans 7. Instead, it was the passage that helped me understand the image. It happened something like this, some time ago I was looking over some old sketches, and I found an image that repeated itself. It wa...

Center – The Rev. Zachary S. Sasser Genesis 22:1-14         Romans 6:12-23        Matthew 10:40-42 As many of you know, my family has recently engaged in that great American tradition known as the family road trip. While it is a very different experience today than it was when I was a child, it still has its moments of trial and bonding. I will admit that we enjoy the modern convenience of movies in the car. In fact, for our family, a key component of a road trip is watching the movie, Rise of the Guardians . 1 For those who are unfamiliar, this is the story of all the childhood holiday heroes (Santa, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy) joining forces against the Boogey Man. Along the way they come to find that Jack Frost has also been selected as a Guardian, and North (Santa) tries to help him find his true center. There’s a great scene where he’s opening Russian Matryoshka Dolls, and at the very cent...

This is the sermon that I preached through an interpreter on May 14, 2017 at Eglasia Presbyteriana Union de Reyes and also Eglaisia Presbyteriana Sabanilla in Matanzas Presbytery, Cuba. It is based on  Matthew 7:21-27 Hello! I bring you greetings from the United States of America, the Presbytery of South Louisiana, and First Presbyterian Church in Lafayette, Louisiana. While it is my privilege to represent the church that I serve, it is an even greater honor to come before you as a brother and a servant of Jesus. It is in his name that I come before you, and because of your faith in him my belief in God is strengthened and encouraged. In fact, many of my friends were confused when I told them why I was going to Cuba. They said, “Oh, you are going on a mission trip!” I said, “No. I am going for missionary training. The mission trip will begin when I come home from Cuba!” So, my brothers and sisters, I am well aware that your faith is strong. I am not deceived into thinking that my c...

Acts 2:42-47      1Peter 1:17-23      Luke 24:13-35 Today’s passages are filled with buzz words that trigger many thoughts and feelings to modern ears, just as they have for centuries. In Acts we hear that the first converts were devoted to the disciple’s teaching and to fellowship. They shared all things in common. There were signs and wonders done in their midst, and many were added to their numbers every day. Sometimes this story is used by people who are fed up with the hypocrisy of the church. “We are nothing like the first century church,” they say, and they are right. We do not know what signs and wonders were performed in those days, but I do wonder how long they were able to share things in common. It also makes me think of a carnival atmosphere or a renaissance festival. It sounds like a party, and maybe it was. Unfortunately, we’ll never know. What we do know is that they were gathered with an expectation. Initially that expe...

Acts 2:14a, 36-41 1 Peter 1:17-23 John 10:1-10 In our gospel reading Jesus repeatedly tells the Pharisees that he is "the gate". For some reason I cannot shake the image of Jesus saying "I am the gate," and sounding to them as though he might be Groot, from The Guardians of the Galaxy . Hear me out on this.  All Groot really says in the film is his name, “I am Groot.” Strangely enough, the only one who understands him is a genetically altered raccoon with a terrible disposition (arguably the least empathetic of the bunch). In the end [spoiler alert], Groot saves the lives of his friends at the cost of his own life. The good news is that he is basically a walking tree, and he is able to be re-grown in another form. Hearing it that way (and from the pulpit) Groot may sound a little Jesus-like than previously imagined. You could certainly view the character as a Christ like figure if that was all you knew about him. The real reason I am making the comparison bet...