REV. Zachery Sarrault, Associate PASTOR
Pastor’s Corner for January 19-25, 2025
The Bride of Christ
(Isaiah 62:1-5)
There may be no worse feeling than feeling alone. That sense of emptiness growing within us when no one is there to support, care for, listen to, or love us. Maybe we know that love is there, somewhere out there, but the other actions that love comes through are missing. Loving people are near, but belonging, being cared for and cherished can be distant.
It’s an awful feeling to be alone, and it almost always comes at the worst times, when we need someone the most. It can come when sickness has fallen upon you. A new start in a new place, when you are literally alone with no family or friends near. A state of exhaustion, when you have been run ragged with the busyness of life. Aloneness can come when you are physically without another by your side or in the middle of a crowd, even a crowd of family and friends. It’s the lack of love, lack of attention, the great void of emotional distance that causes us to feel alone.
That feeling of aloneness, as real as it is, is a lie the devil whispers in your ear. He tells us that, not only have people in our lives abandoned us, but God has abandoned us. The devil tells us we are not worthy of love, or we need to earn love, be it God’s love or the love of others. The devil wants nothing more than for us to be alone and abandoned, without belonging. Jesus came to undo that lie, to abolish loneliness, to marry us.
Christ is the handsome bridegroom, and we are the beautiful bride of Christ! We are married to the Son of God! Just like a bride is given the last name of her new husband in marriage, we are given the name of God in baptism, brought into His eternal marriage. Isaiah 62:4 reveals our new name,
“You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married.”
Notice the name change that has happened in your identity. You were once forsaken and desolate, but now you are the Delight of God, Married to Him! You were once alone, but not you Belong! This is what Christ, your Bridegroom, did for you on the cross. Hanging on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) and the Father’s answer was your name on His lips. On the cross, with your sins placed upon His shoulders, Jesus was called Forsaken and Desolate, so that you can now be called My Delight Is in Her and Married.
You are never alone; God has claimed you as His own in His eternal covenant of marriage. He has made you beautiful with His righteousness. “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5).
Your Married 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!