Rev. Zach

Isaiah 6:1-8       Romans 8:12-17      John 3:1-17 Well, friends, today is finally here – it’s Trinity Sunday ! Yay. Ok, maybe it’s not a day that we get all excited about. It’s not like we get to light anything on fire like on Pentecost. Truly, I am certain that most of you are not really all that excited about delving deeply into doctrinal concepts this morning. At least, I doubt that was on your mind when you got up this morning. And yet, the struggle is real for those of us charged to lead the flock in living into this core belief that we demonstrate in liturgy and language – in faith and practice. In fact, in the words of Christian author and missionary, Sarah Miles, “Everything about us expresses our belief from [the arrangement of seating] in our sanctuary, to the songs we sing, to who does what in worship, to how we spend our money, to how we decorate. It all says something about what we believe.” And to that end I...

Ezekiel 37:1-14 John 15:26-27, 16:4b-11 Join me in a moment of silent reflection on the words we have received today… Amen. As we continue reflecting on these stories together, I want you to take a slow, deep breath – in through your nose and out again slow. Now take another… just three more. What you have just experienced is the Holy Spirit moving in and through each of us together. The gift of this day is the recognition of God’s active presence in our midst, and the scriptures – particularly the Old Testament – refer to the breath of God as the creative force that shaped the heavens and made order out of chaos. Chances are good that we have just exchanged that breath in between us, or we will have by the time we leave. Think of that next time you’re on a plane or a bus! I’m not saying you shouldn’t still take a heavy dose of vitamin C first. I’m just saying that there is more between us than just air or particulate matter or even oxygen. Breathing certainly d...

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26      Psalm 1:1-6      John 17:6-19 Do you pray together? That’s a question I ask every couple at some point during pre-marital counseling. Some have said yes, but the majority have said, “No, that’s really a very personal thing.” I get that. I truly do, but I always tell them – as I will say to you – that there is nothing more intimate than praying together. I think that’s one of the reasons that some of us value the Agape Prayer lunch on Wednesdays. So often in our prayers someone will say, “Thank you for this group.” For those who have not attended, I want to tell you a few things about that group. First off, everyone is welcome. We share a meal that we take turns preparing, and we won’t expect you to cook unless you feel called to sign up to do it. The next thing is that it takes time. We usually go from about 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. We talk about our lives, and we laugh with each other. The last thing is that ...

Acts 10:44-48      1 John 5:1-6      John 15:9-17 Knock, Knock. (Who’s there?) Interrupting Cow. (Interrupting Cow…) Moo! Ok, I’ve got another one. Knock, knock. (Who’s there?) Interrupting Holy Spirit. (Interrupting Holy Sp…) I love you, but guess what? I love them, too! I know that sounds weird, but that’s what’s going on in our reading from Acts. Peter has traveled North of Jerusalem. He’s seen what the Holy Spirit can do in Samaria. He’s even called a woman back from death’s door by the power of faith in Jesus, and he’s had this vision while praying on a roof. Praying on a roof is almost as weird to you and me as receiving visions, but the roof was actually designed to be a part of the house that you might go to for solitude. Anyway, he had this vision of a sheet being lowered with all kinds of animals, and he heard God tell him to “kill and eat” for what God “has made clean, no one is to say it is unclean.” That happened...

Acts 8:26-40             1 John 4:7-21           John 15:1-8 Take a moment and think about a fear that you challenged and overcame. If you can, think about the people you were with. Think about what motivated you. Think about that moment when you almost gave up. Think about how you felt after you conquered that fear. All of us have hundreds of moments like these throughout our lives. Some are so small and regular to us as we grow that we forget how difficult they must have been in the beginning – like learning to walk or riding a bike. For me, one of those base fears came with roller coasters. As a young child I could not stand roller coasters. I’m told it may have been because of inner ear issues as a baby. Whatever it was, I just could not bring myself to enjoy them. But somewhere along the way I realized that the people that wanted me to share in that joy were not try...

Acts 4:5-12      1 John 3:16-24      John 10:11-18 I am not a stranger to the dark Hide away, they say 'Cause we don't want your broken parts I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars Run away, they say No one'll love you as you are But I won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious So, begins the song, “This Is Me” from the recent film, The Greatest Showman . The movie is a musical based on the life of P.T. Barnum, and his creation of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. It is sung by a bearded lady and chorused by people who were then called “oddities”, and I have to say that it nearly brought me to tears. That’s not because I have a soft spot for musical theater. It’s because I have a soft spot for the church. What I saw in this collection of people that others might label as misfits and freaks is what I have come to experience in the church of Jesus Christ. You may not...