REV. Zachery Sarrault, Associate PASTOR
Pastor’s Corner for September 13-19, 2026
Using Evil for Good
(Genesis 50:15-21)
This past Friday we remember the events of September 11, 2001. A day that will forever live in the history of our nation causes us to look back on those events and everything that has happened in the past 25 years. How much has changed? Have we moved in a positive direction as a nation and world since that day?
These are hard questions to answer, either because the answer causes fear and shame or because we just don’t know how to truly weigh the value of the past quarter century. There is still war and bloodshed, both in the Middle East and within our own borders. There is still discrimination between religion, race, culture, and so much more. There is still fear, anger, and hate from the national to the familial level. We are still a fallen people.
One of my favorite verses in all of the Bible comes from the mouth of Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, most despised sibling of his brothers, when he said (speaking to his brothers in Genesis 50:20), “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” In all the evil of 9/11, in all the evil that we experience and see daily, what good did God mean it for? To be honest, I don’t know how to answer that question, but I do know that I am to trust that God will do this work despite my inability to understand it. This is what God does. He promises to use the evil in the world for His salvation good. God is always bending history towards His eternal work of the cross.
Reading through the Bible, we see that this is exactly who God is, One who uses evil for good. This is the theme of the entire Old Testament, preparing us for the ministry of Jesus and our own faith journey. God used the evil of Joseph’s brothers to save untold number of lives throughout the known world at the time. God used the evil of Pharaoh to bring about the establishment of His nation. God used the evil of king Saul to establish an eternal King. God used the evil of Judas, Caiaphas, and Pilat to bring about the death of Jesus, using the evil of the cross to bring the victory of the resurrection.
This is who God was, is, and always will be. He will always use evil for good, even if we don’t see it or understand it, we trust it to be true. It can take a long time to see the good fruits of God’s salvation produced from evil seeds. Joseph had to wait 13 years after his brothers sold him to the day he rose to Pharaoh’s right hand. You may be waiting now too. Even in the waiting, hold tight to The Hand that holds even tighter to you. “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Your trusting 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!