Check This Out!

Throughout the summer, 5 young adults from the different parts of Nebraska came together to look into what doing justice within our church was all about. The interns were part of a program called Micah Corps, and have done amazing work. Many of the things they've done can be seen on their blog by clicking here.

You'll see interviews with different agencies they worked with, as well as some interviews with pastors from the Nebraska Conference. (You may even find me on there! ;) )

Hope that you can venture over to their blog.

Grace & Peace,
Z

My Weekend in Hebron

Me and Loggy at the rehearsal. I was told to wear my Irish green, so I brought the class to the event!

The whole group in front of the trailer while we were switching from horses to a truck.

Loggy and Mama Susan after the wedding. Notice the mason jar full of my homemade goodness. It was my gift to the wedding party that day. I know the Logsdon family liked it!

On the road to the reception. Surprisingly there was a good breeze that day.

The groomsmen stole the bride for some excitement to the night. I don't think Tami liked that drink.

Summer so far...

I haven't been able to spend much time updating the blog so far this summer. Things should slow down after July 4th. Here are some pictures of my summer fun so far!

Right before Alison and Brandon's wedding.I was lucky enough to be their "pastor" that day!

First night in Vegas. Starting things off with a yard long drink!

Here we are walking the strip on the second day there. The heat wasn't so bad. I can handle it without the humidity we have in Nebraska.

Loggy, Dmo, and me before Dux's wedding. This was right after I recovered from the night before. We weren't too sure I was going to make it for awhile.

Couldn't resist this picture in the park in Fairbury.

Closing down the party on the dance floor. Woo hoo!

A Community

For the final presentation in my Christian Education class this last semester, I lead the class in a session that looked at sacrament in our lives. One of the recommendations during the session was to take a look at the liturgy from either baptism or communion within your own tradition and look at what the words mean. I decided that I should probably do that, as I was leading the class. I decided to look at the baptismal covenant services in the Book of Worship. I use the communion liturgy at least on a monthly basis, but rarely have the opportunity to look at the words we speak around baptism. A few responses by the congregation caught my attention, and made me think. In one of the services, the congregation pledges to do the following:

With God's help we will proclaim the good news and live according to the example of Christ. We will surround these persons with a community of love and forgiveness , that they may grow in their service to others. We will pray for them, that they may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.

I wonder how often we sit back and actually reflect on the words we speak during a worship service, better yet on the promises we make. In a lifetime, how many times does one make the promise to "surround these persons with a community of love and forgiveness"? For some, I'm sure the number is staggering. We make this promise to help guide people in Christ's way, but more importantly to be a community that loves and forgives. I know that I have failed many times to be a contributing member of that type of community, and I'm sure many of church members have done the same over time.

If we make this promise early on in a person's faith journey (either as an infant, or when baptized later in life) we are setting the bar very high, but not impossible. I think that the church should focus on love and forgiveness before all of the other things we talk about. If we can be a community that truly loves each and every member of the community, and forgives instead of resents, it truly can be an awesome experience to be a member of a church. Unfortunately it seems that our community is too much about power and prestige, about who deserves better, about personal ambitions, and not about love and forgiveness. Yes, we have to set ourselves aside a lot in order to fulfill this promise, but isn't that what Christ is all about? Aren't we called to set aside self in order to share Christ with the world? It's not an easy task, but love and forgiveness can go a long way.

Next time you are involved in a service of baptism, confirmation, or communion, take a moment to think about the words and see if the community is meeting its promises and guidelines. If we are not, let's work to change that, for the sake of being people who follow Christ fully and live up to what we promise.

Grace and Peace,
Z

Day at the State Legislature

This last Wednesday I was the Chaplain of the Day at the Nebraska State Legislature. It was a fun opportunity to get to be on the floor of the legislative chamber, and to speak from the podium. Of course, it took some thinking of what to say in the opening prayer with all the guidelines given to maintain appropriateness for an environment like that, especially a day after the senators voted to move forward a bill on implementing lethal injection for the death penalty. As much as I wanted to comment on it, I was a good boy and prayed within the parameters given to me. The prayer is below.

Grace and Peace,
Z

Gracious and loving God, we gather this day thankful to do the work to which we've been called. We pray your blessing upon us here and upon people all over the world. We seek you by different names, but recognize the commonality in our belief in you.

The duty of leading our state has been entrusted to the senators that serve in this Chamber, and we seek your divine guidance as decisions are made today and in the future. The task is great and the rewards are often unseen, but
we recognize the great need present in our society that constantly surrounds us. May each person find strength through serving, and in the journey before them.

We are a society of differences, of great diversity. Almighty Creator, we seek to fulfill your desire to work towards an inclusive society that practices peace and civility and where we help our neighbors as you have led us to do. You truly are the God of our weary years, and the God of our silent years. May your blessings fall upon this place, causing us to recognize the lives affected by the work done here. Humble us in our actions as leaders, community members, and members of the greater humanity.

I pray these things in the name I know best, Jesus Christ. Amen.

My Holy Weekend

Note: I must warn anyone who is preparing to read this. I will most likely ramble and go on tangents during this blog. These are my raw feelings following a great weekend of worship. I hope you find something of worth in these writings and that your Easter was as equally meaningful.

The churches in which I am honored to be called the Pastor had some amazing worship experiences this weekend. I am moved and humbled by God's spirit that was present during these times of community. It was a great thing, both personally and professionally to be a part of these 4 worship services (Good Friday and 3 Easter).

Good Friday was a tenebrae service where we reflected through readings and song. It was something new for both me and the church to experience. This was also the first holiday season worship that I was given complete control over as a pastor. The former associate had always taken care of Good Friday, so we didn't change that, but I did include the senior pastor in the service this year. As dark and sad as this service can become, it really opened me up spiritually as a person and leader to prepare for the Easter celebration. I was moved by the response of those in worship, as they felt somber following the service. This night reminded of why I responded to my calling, and why I continue with all the stress that is involved at this point.

Easter Sunday was amazing. I must admit, I wasn't too crazy about the 7:00am service, but felt renewed once it was over. The choir (which we only have twice a year) sang wonderfully, with new voices joining them this Easter. A choir can always get you in the Easter spirit. It seemed like everyone who came to worship today was prepared to be joyous, and it helped me lead worship. I lead everything but the children's sermon and the sermon. I was blessed with being able to preside over Holy Communion on this Sunday. I used the liturgy for the most part, but from memory, and gave the story of how that night came to be when Jesus shared with the twelve. I hate to say this, but my best sermon may have not been a sermon at all. I hadn't pre-planned very much of what I was going to say, but truly felt moved this morning to the point where I knew everything would be just fine and people would experience God's grace through the Bread and the Cup. Being able to serve the congregation in this way is one of the most meaninful things that I experience. Using the rememberance of Christ in this way to welcome all to commune together is the theological high that cannot end for me. Easter was real for me this year, very real. I don't know that I've experienced such a thing before, but hope to experience it much more.

Grace and Peace,
Z

Easter Bulletin

Every week there is an article of sorts on the back of our bulletins. Some weeks it may be from something someone read on the internet, and others something original. For Easter, I was asked to write about my feelings and experience around Easter. Here is what I came up with and will be on the bulletin Sunday.

Grace and Peace,
Z

Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

Happy Easter! Blessings to you on the joyous morning! I hope that Easter finds you in hope and wonderment of the resurrection. This is a day of much anticipation and celebration. We have journeyed together through Lent discussing our relationships with God and with one another. For some, it may have been a time of great struggle and growth. Others may have seen Lent as an affirmation of their faith, and a continuation of their relationships. However Lent was for you, we all come together to hear the news of the empty tomb this day.

As I personally reflected on Lent and now Easter, I began to think, “What does Easter mean to me?” I can’t recall ever spending too much time on this particular question, and didn’t have something right away to write down. Obviously, Easter is all about resurrection and being liberated from our sin, but what is that to me as a person? How do I recognize the empty tomb in my own spiritual journey? My answer seems simple, but so much is packed into it. My response to “What does Easter mean to me?” is love, unconditional love.

We are all grateful for the unconditional love and grace we’ve been given by God, but how often do we have the opportunity to share unconditional love towards another? When have we been able to put aside our feeling of anger, sadness, and maybe disgust to love someone else? To me, this is what Jesus’ death is all about, being able to realize love was given to us, and we in turn can share that love. I recently had the experience of my discouragement, and at times anger, being turned into love and compassion. I have no logical reason to explain it other than God working in me at this moment, but my feelings just changed and I was content to love without condition. This was my Easter experience this year.

It seems so simple, but we aren’t able to act out in this love very often it seems like. I hope that you can find unconditional love from God this Easter, and are willing to love in a similar way. God is with us always, and loves each of us the same. We are here to witness the resurrection, and to be sheltered in the unconditional love of God this day. May Easter bless you, and help you move that joy outward to the world!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Zach