REV. Zachery Sarrault, Associate PASTOR
Pastor’s Corner for August 30-September 5
Following Jesus
(Matthew 16:21-28)
Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
I don’t like this verse. First, it’s confusing. I always struggle with the question, “what’s my cross and how am I to take it up?” I try and narrow down what area of my life is hard enough to be my cross, but inevitably, I end up figuring that my life is pretty easy compared to persecuted Christians around the world so I must not have a cross to bear right now, and if I don’t have a cross to bear then am I really following Jesus? Second, I’m scared of this verse. I’m scared that I’m making excuses for not having a cross, that I’m shying away from real discipleship living. I’m scared that if I’m really honest with myself, there’s more to this verse than I’d really like to admit.
The ironic thing about this verse is that I’m willing to bet most Christians feel the same way I do about it, while at the same time we know what this verse is calling us to do, we just don’t want to admit it. One of my favorite Church smart guys, Frederick D. Bruner says this about my least favorite verse, “here Jesus spells out the crucial motive in discipleship: risking one’s life on the dare that Jesus is It.” Here, Jesus invites us (and it is an invitation, not a command!) to put aside our entire lives, our own desires, wants, and ideas of the good life, and actually live like Jesus is the Savior of the world. Live like nothing on earth is more important than Jesus, not our kids, our spouse, our paycheck, our sports teams, our schedules, our hobbies, our vacations, nothing. The invitation here is to actually live like Jesus really is the Lord of lords and King of kings like we confess.
I make this verse confusing because I’m terrified of how it actually calls me to live. This verse tells me that the good life of discipleship is a hard life this side of eternity. The cross that we take up is not a specific moment in our lives, it isn’t a season that we endure or a person that we deal with. This cross is the entire life that we live as disciples, as followers of Jesus.
And there’s the good news, we don’t bear the cross alone. The invitation that Jesus gives isn’t just to bear the burden of living a challenging life. If that were it, then being a disciple would just be a self-improvement plan that doesn’t lead anywhere. Instead, being a disciple is one who follows Jesus. We follow the One who bore His own cross, dying for our sins, and rising from the grave. We follow the Resurrected and the Life, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Bread of Life, the Light of the world, the Word made flesh, we follow the Savior of the world! You know, I might actually like this verse more than I thought.
Your disciple-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!