Rev. Zach

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38 It has been said that Mark Twain once said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” Today is just such a day. It is a day that I stand feeling woefully unworthy of the gospel message. It is a day that I feel torn between a culture that returns violence for violence in an ever escalating and self-perpetuating cycle of death and a message of hope through love and forgiveness that brings life in abundance. So often we seem to be held captive between the choice of honoring life or defending the innocent, as though we cannot do both at the same time. Perhaps that is the cross that stands before us today. Perhaps that tenuous balance between fear and hope is the nexus of faith and action that is staring right at us. Yet this cross – the intersection of human pathos and divine logos ­– is not silent. It shouts at us in the anger of a father whose daughter...

Genesis 9:8-17      1 Peter 3:18-22      Mark 1:9-15 If you had a time machine, where would you go? Who would you hope to meet? What event would you want to see for yourself? My answer changes depending on when and where I am asked – which is probably true for most of us – but I think today I might like to hear Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech first hand. I might like to see what it was like to have so many people in our nation mobilized under the idea that our human dignity is at stake. I say that because I think that we often forget that the only reason we have a “Black History” month is because we have had years and years of white history. Sure, people of color have been included in our history, but their significance and role has never been acknowledged to its full extent. Likewise, we also forget that the Civil Rights movement was not just for people of color to have rights, but for all of us to recognize our basic humanity in...

Isaiah 40:21-31      1 Corinthians 9:16-23      Mark 1:29-39 As we begin exploring these passages together, I hope you’ll take a minute to look at the image on your bulletin. It is a pen and ink drawing of the healing of Simon Peter’s Mother-in-law by the Dutch painter, Rembrandt. Several of his paintings were illustra tions of Biblical events. At least one book has been written about the value of reflecting on his work, and while his children were baptized in the Dutch Reformed tradition, he never claimed status in the church. I say all of this because he was a man that has influenced countless others, yet – like many famous artists – he lived a difficult life and died penniless. This was the man behind the paintbrush that gave us this image, and the image reminds me that there is yet healing in the midst of sufferin g. This is the second healing narrative that we’ ve had in a row, if you count exorcism as healing . I have to say th...

            Who is the author? Where is the poet? Who will sing for us, when our voices grow soft? For life is extraordinary and fleeting . That we are living is a miracle alone. That we are dying is also a myth and a legend. So, the Prophet has said, And for this the Proph et ble d; That the unclean might be silenced, That truth will out the lies, That every promise ever made by the Lord of all our days May be fulfilled in the eyes of our sons and our daughters. Isn’t this what we hope for? That our loves will live and die P ursuing something greater than you and me ? What then do we pursue, and what have we been given? What do we pursue like jaguars , Like hungry cats; Like the patient sloth , Like the prisoner without pardon? No. No, no! We are free! There ar e no false Gods, save those in our leisure , Save those that set themselves up as centers of value , Save the powers to which we acqui...

Jonah 3:1-5, 10      1 Corinthians 7:29-31      Mark 1:14-20 How many chances do you think you deserve? How many chances do you get to make things right? The answer is, of course, that it depends on the topic. If you are playing a video game, you can usually restart from wherever you died – of course that’s after you’ve already expended numerous lives. If you are standing before a judge, it may depend on your prior record, or the judge’s temperament, or how severely you broke the law. In some cases, there are clear racial biases in sentencing . Still, I have to believe that most judges are fair. In fact, one of my most memorable experiences actually happened in a courtroom. This particular judge dispensed wisdom and compassion along with appropriate sentencing. In one case, he told an enlisted man that – while he respected the man’s desire to serve – driving his sport bike 120mph on the shoulder of the highway to avoid traffic was not a...