REV. Zachery Sarrault, Associate PASTOR
Pastor’s Corner for April 19-25, 2026
Jesus Walking with You
(Luke 24:13-35)
It is amazing how many places Jesus shows up in a single 24-hour period. If we squish Luke and John’s resurrection stories together, Jesus appears in the garden with Mary Magdalene, the road to Emmaus with two of His followers, and in a locked room with His disciples. Jumping back and forth to all these places to proclaim one thing, that He has resurrected from the dead! The one place that He can’t be found? The tomb, where everyone expected Him to be! It’s absolutely incredible that a single 24-hour period on this created earth can hold so many eternal events. Let’s look at how the road to Emmaus connects to our life today.
First, we are told that these two Jesus-followers “were talking with each other about all these things that had happened” (Luke 24:14). Who do you talk with in your daily walk? What do you talk about? These are interactions that we generally don’t think much about, but, as we will see in the story, they are places that Jesus can show up. In these daily interactions, who do you talk about Jesus with? Where do you speak about Jesus-things? Where do you wrestle with the works of Jesus that happened 2,000 years ago and that happen today? These are conversations to enjoy and celebrate.
Second, Jesus walks with you, even if you don’t realize it. “While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him” (vv. 15-16). Often, we want to see Jesus and the effect of His love in our daily life, but we don’t. We may think that our faith isn’t strong enough or Jesus isn’t loving enough because we don’t see Him and His work, but that doesn’t mean that He isn’t there. Our feelings and emotions don’t determine the presence of Jesus. As a baptized child of God, Jesus is with you whether you realize it or not. That is His promise to you. Why are they kept from recognizing Him? There might be some deep theological reason for this, but I think it’s probably a simple reason. If they recognized Jesus right away, they wouldn’t have actually taken the time to listen to what He had to say. Sometimes Jesus stays hidden so we can keep talking and living with the people He has given us.
Third and last (for today), they recognize Jesus while eating a meal. After Jesus prayed (significant!) “He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. and their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him” (vv. 30-31). There are loads of implications here for the joyful gift of Communion that cannot be ignored, but I want to look at something simpler. They recognized Jesus in the ordinary place of a dinner table. That’s where Jesus shows up. He is at your table, your office, your car, your sidewalk, your garage. Wherever you may be walking, talking, eating, and living Jesus is there!
Your living 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!