REV. Zachery Sarrault, Associate PASTOR
Pastor’s Corner for December 15-21, 2024
Slow Down
(Philippians 4:4-7)
Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. These are the themes for the four candles on an Advent wreath. Every Sunday of Advent we light a new candle, and you may do the same at your own home. While each candle has a name and purpose, what is the goal of these candles? What are they trying to accomplish in our faith life?
When we hear those four words, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, they may sound like goals to accomplish during the Christmas season. Depending on the day or store you’re in, they might sound like a mockery of the anxiety, loneliness, speed, and busyness of the Christmas season. But we must remember, this is not the Christmas season, this is the Advent season, and there is a difference.
As baptized children of our Father God, we live in a time of expectation. Expecting the celebration of Christ’s first Advent and looking forward to His second Advent. In-between here and there, what are we to do? How do we wait? Somedays, it feels like we are always running around in a Christmas season. Other days we may feel lost and lonely. We try and accomplish the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that we see light the Advent wreath, but those are not things we accomplish. They are all things that God has accomplished for you.
Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love are God’s gifts that echo all throughout His Bible Story from start to finish, and in this short passage in Paul’s Philippian letter, we can find all four.
“Rejoice in the Lord” not in ourselves, see the Joy of all that God has done for you! “The Lord is at hand” as Immanuel, God with us, giving us the Hope that He is with us at this very moment, preparing us for that awesome second Advent! “The Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. God’s Peace is with you. It’s not a feeling, it’s a fact, a guarantee that we are not required to understand, but simply to live in God’s Peace that you have right now. “Think about these things” of God’s Love for you. The Love of God that brought Christ on that first Advent and the Love of God that will bring Christ back on that glorious second Advent.
The Advent season is meant to slow us down. I know, that seems impossible as I have my own to-do list staring at me on my desk, but remember, it’s the Advent season not the Christmas season. In all the things that we work to get done during Christmas, let us remember all the work that Christ has already done for us during Advent.
Your slow brother in Christ,
Pastor Zach Sarrault
Ordination and Installation of Pastor Zachery Sarrault (July 18, 2021):
Sunday was a great day at RLC! We celebrated the Ordination and Installation of our new Associate Pastor Zachery Sarrault. It was a beautiful service with a heartfelt sermon by his father, Pastor Joel Sarrault. Congratulations and welcome, Pastor Zach! Thank you to all who participated in this special day.
Pastor Sarrault Ordination and Installation
Pastor Zachery Sarrault Ordination and Installation Bulletin
From Pastor Zach (July 16, 2021):
Hey Resurrection Family!
Kelsey and I are finally here! We have finished up at St. Louis, seen family in Michigan, and moved into our new home. After all of that traveling and living out of suitcases, we couldn’t be happier to finally be back to something comfortable. Comfort is always something nice to hold on to. All of us have something that makes us comfortable, whether it be a family member or friend, a good book or fishing pole, a quilting machine or a wood shed, we all have our go-to comfort places. This is part of being human! We love comfort!
The thing with comfort is that sometimes we get too comfortable. We can settle in and tell ourselves that we never wish to see any change. “Life would be perfect if I could just stay in my recliner with Tom Sawyer all day.” Or whatever your comfort may be. Sadly, we know that this isn’t how life works. No matter how much we enjoy our comforts, ‘real life’ happens and it disrupts those little joys. But, is it ‘real life’ or is it God, calling us into His mission to do more than just the comfortable?
Jesus never led a life of comfort. From the manger to the cross and even the empty tomb, Jesus’ life was one of challenge and the uncomfortable. When one of the scribes declared that he would follow Jesus, all Jesus had to say was, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matt. 8:20). Kind of an odd response, one that rightly scared away the scribe. Probably would have scared me too!
So, what does this mean for us? Are we supposed to throw away all of our earthly comforts and live lives of asceticism? Not at all! But we are called to know where these comforts come from and who our ultimate comfort is. In all things, comfort or challenge, our Lord and Savior stands before us, behind us, and beside us. As Jesus prepared His disciples for life after His death and resurrection, Jesus told His followers, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
There is our ultimate comfort! Not in our little hide-a-ways or indulgences, but in the One who has overcome all sin and who has promised us peace. Our comfort is in the faith that we have through Christ’s death and resurrection. Our comfort is in the kingdom of God that has already been given to us! That is a comfort that is never changing and never ending. No matter what God has in store the Sarraults in North Carolina, we know that the comfort of our Lord will always prevail!
In the comfortable and the uncomfortable, but always in Christ,
Pastor Zach Sarrault
From Pastor Jonathan (July 15, 2021):
There's a new face at Resurrection! Seminarian Zach Sarrault and wife Kelsey made it down to Cary last Monday, and soon-to-be "Pastor Zach" is already taking part in leadership team activities here at RLC. He will serve as Associate Pastor at Resurrection... meaning he will be working full-time in all aspects of ministry: preaching and teaching, visiting the homebound, discipling others, showing up at youth events, leading school and preschool chapel services, making friends in his neighborhood, evangelizing... and doing it all as one who is privileged to be an Under-Shepherd of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. We are very blessed to have him and Kelsey in our midst!
Though the Sarraults hail from Michigan they know a little bit about our area already since Zach served as Vicar at Hope Lutheran Church in Wake Forest from 2019 to 2020. At church you can find Pastor Zach in the Associate Pastor's office, next door to the main office on the left side. I look forward to working with Pastor Zach and seeing him welcomed as warmly by all of you as Juli and I were not so long ago! May God bless and further your ministry among us, Pastor!