The Uniting Garden of the UCC Statement of Faith; Sermon for August 10, 2025

 

Rev. George Miller

August 10, 2025

UCC Statement of Faith

 

It’s been a year since I’ve been here.  The river flooding from Fall rains, freezing toes of Winter’s snow, fresh scents of Spring’s rebirth, sweat-stains of Summer’s celebrations.

 

The year coincides with one of the most stressful times in any church’s calendar- budget.

 

Oh vey!  A Dios Mio!  Ach du meine Gute!  The anxiety, what to cut, what to keep.

 

Psalm 23 reminds us that we shall not want, Jesus turns fish into plenty, yet budget time is difficult for our data-driven minds to fully believe that God’s bounty can manifest in the goodness of folks’ generosity.

 

So what happens?  Emotions come to the surface.  E-mails get exchanged.  People speak or even argue passionately. 

 

Opinions can feel like battering rams rather than ideas meant to seed the soil.

 

So what do we do that is the most creative, compassionate way to approach budget time?

 

Conversation.  Space to speak, to be heard.  Dialogue to let multiple mindsets germinate, pollinate in a productive way.

 

It is OK to have a multiplicity of thoughts, convictions, as long as we see ourselves as part of something bigger, unified, like a well-loved and managed garden that blooms and brings forth radiant life.

 

As the Rev. Dr. Mark Wilson told me- “No one looks at a wheat field and says, ‘What a beautiful garden.’”

 

Think of the garden outside our Narthex doors.  The love Joan and Joan have shown creating a welcoming oasis- two well-tended Pancile Hydrangeas with fragrant white flowers, Coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susans in full bloom, a tall Plumbago with blue flowers.

 

Ferns enjoying their favorite habitat.  The added color of Wave Petunias planted randomly, yet intentionally.

 

The result is a treat for the eyes and nose, with bees about, sipping nectar.

 

The abundance this garden of rich diversity demonstrates; each plant existing as it’s own self, yet unified as One.

 

Unification is the roots of The Apostles’ Creed we discussed last week.  Today, inspired again by the inquisitiveness of Sarah, we explore another piece of our UCC history- The Statement of Faith.

 

Overseen by Eden professor Elmer J.F. Arndt and Harvard’s dean Doug Horton, the UCC Statement of Faith was prepared by 6 women and 22 men, ratified at the Second General Synod in 1959.

 

Marty’s Dad played a role in the creation, as President of Eden’s Board of Directors.

 

Remember how The Apostles’ Creed was crafted to unite Christians all over the globe?

 

The UCC Statement of Faith was crafted to unite the Christian, Congregational, Evangelical, Reformed bodies who came together as one United Church in 1957.

 

Not a Creed that must be believed, it is a grace-filled testimony of belief, designed to be heard across denominational lines, embodying the UCC’s heart.

 

With a focus on a powerful God who is also personal, a life that is holy yet meant to exist with others, the Statement is not meant to make us single-minded chatbots, but to be our own unique selves with an ability to reflect and connect.

 

The Statement of Faith was designed like a garden- to dynamically grow, to gather and welcome, providing sweet nectar to enhance the world.

 

Let’s look at 3 flowers we can gather from this garden.

 

1)          God as creating, 2) Jesus as the embodiment of God’s love, 3) our call to bravery.

 

We hear “God bestows upon us God’s Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ.” 

 

This idea of God creating isn’t just about the opening words of Genesis, or creation as something ancient and over.

 

It's about God still speaking, active in our lives, sowing seeds, raining upon and breathing life into us.

 

This is God as eternal Creator who sees St. Lucas not just as a monument, but a movement.

 

Our Statement of Faith sees God as setting paths, seeking us out, sharing guidance.

 

Second, Jesus as the embodiment of God’s love.

 

Here, we witness Jesus as the center of our religion’s heart.  “He has come to us and shared our common lot.” 

 

This means Jesus is not distant; Jesus was never so fragile or completely other that he was untouchable. 

 

He was the complete opposite.  The embodiment of love that God shows through Jesus is one who came to live in the full beauty and mess of our life; to enjoy the scent of the flowers but also get in the dirt.

 

Through Jesus, God’s grace and mercy didn’t arrive via an emperor or castle, but into our own neighborhood, in a way that said “Hey neighbor!” to all, no matter background, finances,  or tragic mistakes.

 

3^rd- the UCC Statement of Faith call us to bravery.

 

Notice we are not called to just believe in something- it inspires us to act in faith.

 

The Statement calls to be brave.  By mentioning God as one who liberates and heals, it tuns to us invitingly and says-

 

“Now that you said these words, go and live all that you know is true and truly felt.”

 

This means being Christ’s disciples who find ways to bravely stand up when it is easier to sit down.

 

It means choosing not to be cruel, tell lies, or spend time ruining another’s reputation, but doing what is right- assist those you can when you can.

 

To make choices that bring forth the ways of life, such as filling up Yellow Bags for Feed My people, to see the very humanity of each person.

 

We witnessed that bravery when our Youth shared their Mission trip.  We get to embody it during the Blood Drive on the 18^th.  It becomes sweat-in-action at September’s Habitat for Humanity.

 

When it comes to Budget, that call to bravery means choosing to act in dignity, being brave enough to speak, and braver to hear without harm.

 

In closing, we once again thank Sarah for asking a question that created a wonderful challenge.

 

We are thankful for the chance to remember a piece of our UCC History and the thought that went into it.

 

We honor this as part of our heritage, knowing it is meant to unify us as one with all UCC believers,

 

a way for us to remember the God who creates, the Christ who reconciles, and the Holy Spirit who binds us together as One, as United.

 

Amen.

 

(Flower descriptions came from Joan Dalgaard, one of the women who tend to St. Lucas’s garden.)

The Apostles' Creed; Aug 3 2025

 

Rev. George Miller

August 3, 2025

The Apostles’ Creed

 

On May 25, the St. Louis Post Dispatch ran an article about attendance rising in the city’s Greek Orthodox churches.

 

They are attracting younger people who are drawn to the beauty, mystery, and wonder found in traditional worship.  This pattern is seen in Muslim,  Catholic, and Jewish places.

 

Those born on/around 1995 are going to spaces with timeless practices, craving a sense of authenticity, ancient sacredness, and belonging.

 

In an uncertain world that is so plugged in, instant, and inauthentic, there are those who want something that feels unrushed and real:

 

Liturgy with emotional depth, and a sense of timeless continuity, such as singing songs their grandparents sang.

 

Think of last week.  Our Youth returned from Back Bay with worship featuring liturgy of

-the United Church of Canada Statement of Faith

-Conference of Catholic Bishops
-“Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus” from Family of God.

 

Today’s reading stems from a conversation with Sarah Margenau one Monday, after Bible Study.  She inquisitively asked why St. Lucas no longer says The Apostles’ Creed and Statement of Faith.

 

As someone of Congregational roots, I didn’t know these existed until attending Eden.

 

My heart listened to all Sarah said about the wonder and majesty of these words; what it meant to learn, know, say.

 

The Apostles’ Creed has been part of Sarah’s tradition and St. Lucas.  When, why did it stop?  That’s a question for another time.  Today we look at this piece of church history.

 

Picture it- Rome, 325- faith in Christ is flourishing all over the place.  But it’s not unified. 

 

People believing, teaching different things about Jesus, arguing over who he is, what his relationship to God is.

 

Into this chaos, the emperor Constantine sets a goal - lets unify the nation under one faith with a Creed that unites Christians, but also keeps them in line, so they are faithful citizens to Rome.

 

This becomes known as the Nicene Creed.  Over the next 300 years this morphs into the Apostles’ Creed, less “imperial” but more intimate.

 

It's a unifying statement to connect all Christians, create a seamless sense of identity and belonging, while setting boundaries around what being a Christian means.

 

Saying the Apostles’ Creed doesn’t just connect you to the person in the pew next to you, but to your ancestors who said these words centuries ago.

 

Today we’ll focus on three statements from the Creed. 

 

1)Jesus was born of the virgin Mary.  2) He suffered under Pontius Pilate.  3) He descended into hell. 

 

What may these 3 statements mean to our modern ears?

 

1^st- Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary.  Scholarship has called this statement into question, though its roots have profound meaning.

 

Looking back to 325 to 650, we think of the limited role women had in society and in organized religion.

 

But here, a woman is named; one who was poor, a traveler, who was denied room in the inn. 

 

It is as if across time, the sacred Holy Spirit is smiling and whispering to us- “Guess what- even in the oldest, most honored of traditions, a woman’s story is central.”

 

Though the Apostles’ Creed was credited to men, influenced by an emperor seeking control, a poor immigrant woman gets the spotlight and says “I’m here.”

 

To say Jesus was born is paradigm- shifting.  Crafted when some saw the body as evil/bad, this Creed says Jesus didn’t fall from the sky- he was born, like us.

 

Jesus was embodied; he had a Mama; a bellybutton.  He was born into a family with history, culture, traditions.  He cried, thirsted, enjoyed the aroma of sweet-smelling perfume.

 

2^nd- Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate.  How this crept into the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed is a testimony to the subversive nature of God.

 

It is a political statement, ripe with significance, bringing our attention to Jesus’s death as an execution, taking place under the hands of politicians.

 

To say he suffered under Pilate is to expose the injustice, to name the indignity that Jesus endured by the government’s doing.

 

It's the Holy Spirit sweeping in to say “That baby boy with the bellybutton who was born to Mary- those in power tried their best to silence the work of God- but they could not.” 

 

3^rd- the statement that Jesus descended into hell.  This, for some, is a troublesome part of the Creed. 

 

No scripture explicitly states this.  The United Methodist church deletes this line.  Not everyone believes hell exists.

 

Yet- there is weight to what this line states.  To say Jesus descended into hell means there is no place where Jesus is not; that all the lonely, scary places we have been, or currently are in- Jesus is there.

 

The sadness we carry, Jesus sits with us.  Our private hells- Jesus descends with us.  Those long starry nights, the difficult choices we must make, those who hurt us, the people we’ve had to say goodbye to.  Jesus is there.

 

In closing, folks have said this Creed for over 1,300 years.  It’s been updated, translated, remembered, forgotten, questioned, loved.

 

There are those who’d be ecstatic if we reinstated the Apostles’ Creed, feeling like a lost piece of tradition returned.

 

There are others who would say “Not my words, not my beliefs, not my background.”

 

Some would wrap themselves in the Creed like a warm blanket; others would see it as something to wrestle with.

 

The Apostles’ Creed is a piece of our church history.  It has created wonder and awe, a sense of sacred belonging, and timeless continuity.

 

We thank inquisitive Sarah who inspired today’s message.

 

As love continues to grow here at St. Lucas UCC, may we find ways to collectively discern the future ahead, knowing that our roots from the past are part of our flourishing in the future.

 

Amen.

To See, Hear, and Make Heaven Here on Earth; 2 Peter 1:1-4

 

Rev. George Miller

June 20, 2025

2 Peter 1:1-4

 

“You want to be seen?  You want to be heard?  What difference will that make?”

 

That is a question posed at General Synod when the STAR Resolution, meant to lift up and celebrate the ministry of small town and rural UCC churches, was approved.

 

Out of 671 voting delegates, 55 chose to abstain, 244 voted no, 372 said yes.

 

Though the Resolution was approved, it’s bittersweet.

 

244 peers think that UCC churches in small town and rural communities are not worthy of being seen or heard, and we’re up to something nefarious.

 

This is partly due to the lingering stereotype some people have about small towns and rural communities.

 

Not everyone  understands the nuances of tight-knit community living.  It’s also a result of the taut emotional, political times we’ve been living in in which deep down everyone is scared, and worried, and not trusting.

 

Though the STAR Steering Committee is composed of 4 people identifying as LGBTQ, 2 members who are Hispanic, some are afraid that STAR has a racist, anti-LGBTQ agenda out to whitewash the National UCC Website.

 

After the vote, a woman came to me and said “You want to be seen?  You want to be heard?  What difference will that make?  What power, what authority is that going to give you?”   When trying to respond, she cut me off and walked away.

 

This is all so sad because of the love, joy, purity put into creating the Resolution.

 

None of that could be  understood by people who were harboring deep pain, worried fears.

 

The good news is now that the STAR Resolution has passed, the people, pastors, and all the ministries that make up the UCC can come together each month and learn how we can all transform the world.

 

Regardless if we serve a big city, a busy suburb or a small town trying to put together a PRIDE or 4^th of July parade.

 

Having a voice.  Having a presence. Being heard.  Being seen.  They all matter.

 

Regardless if you are a child on the chancel with Michelle, or an adult in the choir loft being directed by Linda.

 

Regardless  if you are part of Women with a Mission or one of the men playing Dart Ball.

 

Doesn’t matter if you identify as gay or straight, if you need a cane to come in the door or you can walk just fine, if you are worshipping with us online, or right here right now-

 

We all, everyone one of us, want to be seen, want to be heard, want to know that what we do matters, is appreciated.

 

This is one key to ministry- that every person here and online has their own struggle, their own worries,

 

their own unique situation is dictated by age, ability, finances, where you live, your history, your hopes, your regrets, those who surround you, and those you miss.

 

When someone says “They want to be seen, they want to be heard,” it means they feel as if no one is.

 

Instead of berating them or diminishing their experiences, we can say “Tell me. I am willing to see; able to hear."

 

After all, that is part of today’s reading, a letter to the church.

 

The author makes it clear- the people being addressed are very special, very dear.

 

They have been given a gift so valuable- a relationship with God and one another, filled with grace, calm, knowledge.

 

Not just a little, but an abundance.  More than enough for everybody.

 

The author says to them “Hey- I see you, I know you.  You are a people aligned with God’s deep goodness.”

 

“You are people who live heaven here on earth.  You bravely offer love. Your choices come from compassion.”

 

The author says “Hey- the age we live in is complex.  There are systems in place that can lead us towards being too greedy, too ego-trapped, too willing to exploit another.”

 

Noting this self-destructive behavior, the author states “Remember who you are.”

 

“You are full of the Divine.  You are beyond precious.  YOU are the promise that God made to Abraham on that lonely, starry night.”

 

How awesome is that.

 

We have been given great promises and love, from God.

 

We belong to a family built around Christ in which it is about living with joy, living with purpose, living in light.

 

Not because you currently live in a Big City or lived in the country, or you came from another Country.  Not because you are white collar, blue collar, in the fields, or retired.

 

But because you are YOU and within you dwells all that grace, all that peace, all that knowledge, and all those promises that the God has been making since Creation.

 

And all that Jesus embodied from the manger to the mountain, from the table to the cross, from the Resurrection to the Upper Room? 

 

Thanks to the Holy Spirit that all dwells within you too.

 

What an amazing gift we give when we learn to see and hear ourselves as God already does. 

 

Because when we do, we can also see and hear those around us, making heaven here on earth. 

 

Amen.

Becoming and Not Yet Being; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13

 

Rev. George Miller

July 6, 2025

2 Thessalonians 2:13

 

Once upon a time, across the shiny sea, people hungered for the gift of freedom.  Such hunger came with consequences- punishment, persecution, prison.

 

They went to a land of Tulips.  Though free to worship as they yearned, being financially stable was almost impossible.

 

With a blessing from their pastor, Rev. John Robinson they went across the ocean, to a place near Cape Cod.

 

They planted the seeds of democracy and social order, forming a church that would one day be united with others.

 

This new way of living was not easy; freedom mixed with economics rarely is.

 

Years later, 40 miles from that spot, a group met at the Old South Meeting House, upset about the imposition of taxes. 

 

Within the walls of this congregational church they decided to destroy the symbol of injustice, tossing tea into the same sea their ancestors had sailed across.

 

A Revolution took place.

 

Ordinary farmers fought against minions of the monarchy.  Congregational ministers shared support, preaching natural rights and calls to resist tyranny.

 

Like the Mother of Moses, Zion Reformed Church hid the Liberty Bell from the British, under the floor where they worshipped each Sunday.

 

In 1776 this new land won its freedom, adopting a Declaration of Independence, casting aside political bands.

 

Holding truths to be self-evident- that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights- life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.

 

Decades later, others across the shiny sea were identifying with a more confessional expression of faith.  Since they would not bend to the will of Prussia’s King, they too endured persecution.

 

Desiring to be free, they set sail across the ocean, up the mighty Mississippi, escaping hardship, embracing economic opportunities in a place called Missouri.

 

They established churches, educational systems, hospitals, and places of elder care.

 

It is inspiring what the thirst for freedom can do; what the hunger for autonomy looks like; how folks, families would rather brave rough waters and unknown land to be free, rather than be forced to live a lie or bow to a king.

 

What a privilege it is to not only be an American, but to also be a member of the UCC which has played a role in the formation of our country.

 

Be it setting sail from Holland, holding the original Tea Pary, hiding the Liberty Bell, to the community care in Missouri,

the seeds, roots, and flowers of the UCC have been right there.

 

As we celebrate the 4^th of July, it is good to celebrate all we have achieved and what being an American means.  It is good for us to look at what we have done wrong, what we can do better, and when we failed our Founding Father’s vision.

 

When has our quest for freedom led us to the top of the mountain and when have we been deep in the valley?

 

Our country is still very young.  Compared to other nations, America is just starting kindergarten.

 

Meanwhile Greece is like a 75-year-old uncle enjoying the Villages in Florida; Egypt is a 90-year-old grandma with a condo in Phoenix, enjoying hummingbirds and no humidity.

 

America is still new; so much to learn and accomplish.  In 1776, we held these truths to be self-evident- that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights- life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.

 

Did we achieve these goals immediately?

 

Well, it wasn’t until 1865 that the selling and owning of people officially ended.

 

In 1967, if a white man in St. Louis wanted to marry a woman of Asian descent, they had to go across the Mississippi to Illinois.

 

Women couldn’t get a credit card without their father’s or husband’s signature until 1974.

 

I couldn’t marry the one I loved until 10 years ago.

 

Wednesday, at Whole Foods, I met a man of Peruvian descent whose parents were naturalized ages ago.  He’s scared to leave home, staying inside with his Mom who came here to be free.

 

Today we are a nation divided.  Some think this is the best time ever; others are worried.

 

Some are loving all the songs we are singing today; some may wonder how we can raise our voices up when other voices are being silenced.

 

For me, it’s because I believe in the dream, I hold onto the claim, the reason my Great-Grandpa Nicoli came here from Romania.

 

America has yet to fully become who we said we are.  We’ve had huge successes, taken strides, had setbacks.

 

This is normal for any nation, any group of people that dare to do something new.

 

The challenge, the bravery, is that we keep keeping on. 

 

Gifts like our freedom of speech; our right to worship, our ability to rise from nothing to something are gifts we give thanks for and do not forget.

 

Otherwise, how could I be here today giving this message?  How could we gather here together?

 

America is a nation, is one that is constantly becoming, evolving, figuring it out.

 

In some ways, this is what today’s reading is about.

 

It is a scripture so short, so rich, said to be written during a time of persecution, much like what our ancestors faced.

 

The author wants everyone to be strong although injustice and lawlessness abounds.

 

He demonstrates strength two ways.  The first is a spirit of gratitude, giving thanks for one another; for what God has done.

 

The second way is discussing sanctification by the Spirit.

 

Sanctification is such a long word, and a confusing topic.  What does it mean? 

 

For some, being sanctified means you no longer do what you used to do- you are now saved, holy, separate.  You know the word, live the word, are an example for all to admire and follow.

 

Some make sanctification into a measuring stick; like ex-smokers who use to light up 3 packs a day but judge you the moment you take out a lighter.

 

There is another way to see sanctification- that it’s about the “already” and the “not yet.”

 

It’s about the desire to be braver, live more in the moment, to exist on earth as if heaven is already here.

 

Sanctification isn’t about arriving and saying “I’m here,” but being on the journey and saying “I’m on my way.”

 

This way of seeing sanctification provides a place for grace, allows space for trial and error, honest mistakes, and unexpected experiences.

 

Sanctification is like a holy “letting go,” of not having to know it all, do it all, be all, but to be open to the possibilities and ways the Spirit leads.

 

In some ways, a person saying they want to be sanctified is a sign that they already are.

 

Sanctification is not always about what we do, but what God does through us, and the fruits that grow out of it.

 

It can be said that being sanctified is like being an American- we are, but we have so much more to do, learn, own up to, and let go.

 

Today’s letter wants the first Christians to know that things were not perfect, but they are worthy of thanks and bearers of fruit.

 

So are we.  As Christians, as Americans, we also follow the Spirit, rooted in Christ.

 

Like the faith of our Fathers and the faith of our Mothers, we discern when to act; and when to wait.

 

When to speak; when to listen.

 

When to gather thoughts; when to unapologetically share them.

 

When to be still; when to move.  When to protect what’s yours; when to be willing to risk it all.

 

When to say “Enough!”; when to whisper “What can I do?”  

 

Once upon a time, across the shiny sea, a group of people hungered for the gift of freedom.

 

We are the descendants of those people.  As such we hold onto what they hungered for.

 

We celebrate what we have achieved; we sanctify that which is yet to come.

 

May our eyes recognize the glory of God.  May our hearts hear the call of Jesus.

 

May our minds follow the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”