Rev. Zach

Exodus 1:8-2:10 ; Romans 12:1-8 ; Matthew 16:13-20 Before I get going here, I want you to know that you rock! I’ll explain that a little more later, but if no one has told you all week how amazing you are I want you to know it right now. You are an amazing and wonderful child of God! The next thing I want to say before getting down to the preachin’ is that these texts are so wonderful and rich and I hope you’ll spend some more time with them later. I’ll be focusing on the reading from Matthew today, but there is so much more to discover about God and God’s desire for your life in the other texts as well. As for today, I’d like to start with the question Jesus asks in our text. “Who do you say that I am?” That’s the question that Jesus asked Peter in Caesarea Philippi, a place of commerce and pagan worship (even worship of the state of Rome itself). Some also say it was a place that was full of decadence and immorality. It may seem silly to ask us the same question, “Who do we say that ...

Genesis 45:1-15 ; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 ; Matthew 15:10-28 I’d like to begin with a little word association to get our brains charged up a bit because there is a lot going on in our readings today. Most of you have done this with me before, but just so we are clear, I’m going to throw out a word and I want you to shout out the first thing that comes to mind. Just remember that this is a family show. Those who are online are also welcome to type your response in the comments. Here’s your first word: friend. (Pause for answers) Great! The next word is “welcome.” (Pause for answers) Great! Here’s your last one: need. (Pause for answers) Great! Ok, here’s one I just want you to think about. Don’t say it out loud, just think about it. In fact, think of it as a prayer. It’s also more of a fill-in-the-blank. Are you ready? Alright. “What the world needs right now is _______.” If this were a game show we would have some fun synth music in the back and everyone would be writing furiously on a l...

Psalm 23 ; Romans 8:12-17 I am sure you have noticed by the emphasis on v.6 in our reading of the 23rd Psalm, today is the last Sunday in our series on the 23rd Psalm. While I had hoped that you might respond like my kids did long ago with favorite childhood stories, I’m not surprised that none of you said, “No! Let’s read it again!” I say that knowing that we could probably read the 23rd Psalm every Sunday, and it would only encourage you all the more. That is one of the reasons that we read it in the style of Lectio Divina this week, and I hope that you were able to open yourself up to some new or deeper revelation through it. If not, I encourage you to try again some other time and see what new things the Spirit may yet reveal to you through these faithfully inspired words about the providence of God. Last time we used this technique I asked you to share what struck you anew and how you felt God was moving through this text. Today I’ll let that be between you and God unless you want...

Psalm 23 ; Matthew 5:43-45 Over the last few weeks, we have been exploring the 23rd Psalm together, so I want to begin with a summary of where we’ve been so far. We began with v1, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” and we acknowledged God as our shepherd – our caretaker – and we considered the abundance of God’s grace and mercy and the providence of God that flows through this entire Psalm. With v2, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” we discussed the idea of the sabbath keeping from the perspective of Jesus in Matthew 12, which is based less on following a rule and more on compassion for yourself and for all whom God loves. Jesus demonstrated this in Matthew 12 by healing on the Sabbath and reminding us that the Sabbath was created for our limitations, not for God’s. I turned the wheel over to John and Kris Newman the last two Sundays, as they are great friends of the church who actively proclaim the gospel through care for und...

Psalm 23 ; Mark 2:23-3:6 As we continue our journey through the 23rd Psalm I want to check in with you to see what the Spirit of God may have given you during our reading. [The 23rd Psalm was read in the style of Lectio Divina.] As a reminder, you were asked to consider what aspect of the Psalm resonated for you today, how the second verse, “God maketh me to lie down in green pastures and sit beside still waters” informed the rest of the passage, and what greater meaning this psalm might have for your life and for ours together as God’s people. All of that together may be too much to unpack, but I’d like to hear from a few of you if you are willing. We’ll need to pass the microphone around so that those worshiping online can hear, but let’s start with the first question. Was there a word or phrase that connected with you today from the Psalm? You don’t need to say why. Just let us know what it was. [Pause for answers.] Wonderful! Thank you! What about the next question? How does v2, “G...

Psalm 23 ; Luke15:1-7 Today begins a series on the 23rd Psalm, which we read from the King James Version. Out of curiosity, let’s have a quick show of hands. How many of you (unlike me) had to memorize this as a child? How many of you have memorized it just from hearing it in church? Interesting. Thank you! Memorization in general seems to me to be a more common teaching technique for previous generations. I don’t want to get into why or what’s best, but I do want to acknowledge the importance of repetition and ritual in a life of faith. Repetition and ritual can certainly be taken too far and then become entirely meaningless, but there are also times and places where it can offer meaning and hope when all else is lost. In my faith journey, I have found that to be particularly true with the 23rd Psalm. Admittedly, this Psalm is most often shared at funerals, and there’s a reason for that. This Psalm acknowledges the providence of God, promises restoration, and offers hope when all hope...

Genesis 1:1-2:4a ; Matthew 28:16-20 Let’s get nerdy; Biblically, historically, liturgically nerdy. Walter Brueggemann, is a celebrated author and theologian who is still going strong at the age of 90. His commentary on Genesis is found in the Interpretation series, and this is what he has to say about Genesis Chapter 1. “This text is a poetic narrative that likely was formed for liturgical usage [meaning that it was written to use in worship]. It is commonly assigned to the Priestly tradition [one of the three traditions that most scholars agree contributed to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament], which means that it is addressed to a community of [Babylonian] exiles. Its large scope moves in dramatic fashion from God’s basic confrontation with chaos (1:2) to the serene and joyous rule of God over a universe able to be at rest (2:1–4a).” I’m going to give you a minute to take all that in, in case it gave you any spiritual whiplash. Most of us have never really t...