Author Archives: Galen Zook

January 27th 2019, Pastor Galen John 2:1-11 A Sober Situation Jesus and his disciples are attending a wedding reception, and the wine has run out. A 1st Century Palestinian wedding reception with no wine is like a crab feast with no crabs, a birthday party without a birthday cake, or a 4th of July PartyContinue reading “Empty Jars”

January 20th 2019, Pastor Galen Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Is This the One? I want to invite us to picture this scene laid out for us in the Gospel of Luke. Hundreds, if not thousands of people, gathered together around a river bank, where a lone figure calls out to them to repent, to turn awayContinue reading “Beloved”

January 6th 2019, Pastor Galen, Epiphany Sunday Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12   Today is Epiphany Sunday, the day that we celebrate the pronouncement of the Good News to the Gentiles, as represented by the story of the Magi, or Wise Men, who came to worship the baby Jesus.  The Bible doesn’t provide a lot of detailsContinue reading “Epiphany”

December 24th, 2018, Pastor Galen, Christmas Eve Service Luke 2:8-14 For those of us who didn’t grow up around sheep, we might tend to think of sheep as these warm, cuddly, soft animals that are always clean and smell great. If we could, we’d just to just hold a nice cuddly little lamb in ourContinue reading “Unto Us A Child is Born”

December 23rd, 2018, Pastor Galen, Fourth Sunday of Advent Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:39-55 Not How We Would Have Expected So often God shows up in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways. If we were to imagine what it would look like for God to come down to this earth, we probably wouldContinue reading “Expecting the Unexpected”