Rev. George Miller
Sept 21, 2025
Genesis 28:10-17
Finally! Finalmente! Endlich!
A scripture that hearkens back to the fond memories of Sunday School.
After the pain of last week and a month of
Creeds, Psalms, and Troublesome Fathers, we have a story that embodies the
wonder, mystery, and awe of Scripture.
Like Jesus feeding folk with 5 loaves and
2 fish, we have a story many of us heard as a child, with a song we enjoy singing.
Jacob falling asleep on a stone and dreaming
of a ladder that connects to heaven; angels to and from.
God, the Rock of Rocks, says to Jacob “I
am the Lord, the God of your Dad and his Dad.
This land will be yours and belong to your kids’ kids.”
On this heavenly ramp, God says “Your
family will take root and bloom in every part of the world, and they will bless
all the families of the earth.”
In this deserted desert place, Jacob, who
has run away, hears God say “Know that I Am with you. I will watch over you. I will carefully tend to you.”
Don’t you love how much God sounds like a
Big Poppa or Big Mamma who wants nothing but the best for their child?
Jacob wakes up. No more ladder. No more ramp.
No more angels. Just emptiness,
and the rock he fell asleep on.
Yet he feels full; empowered; part of
something bigger than himself.
He says “I didn’t know it then, but I do
now- The Lord is in this place. How amazing that right here the everyday and
the holy meet.”
He takes his rock-pillow and calls the
place “the House of God.” No doubt a
sweet, sweet spirit.
How rich with truth this story is.
-God is found everywhere, in every
situation
-Any space can be holy
-Even when all seems lost, God IS.
This ties back to previous sermons: the belief
of God as our Rock- the place of refuge we come to, and the foundation we stand
on.
How perfect that theology and imagery is for
us.
Recently someone shared an article from Sunset Hills Horizon recounting the
history of quarries like the one in Powder Valley.
Eons ago, deposits of limestone created
the Merimac Basin, an abundant fossil bed.
In 1905 St. Lucas needed to replace the
old frame church, so they decided to build one of stone.
George Helfert, owner of a quarry at the
bottom of the Old Gravois Road hill, donated the stones.
Two teams pulled wagons loaded with
quarried-stone up that hill, unhitched at the top, then went back down for the
next load. A ramp was built and a
horse-drawn pulley used to raise each stone.
St. Lucas is considered “the most
significant stone building in the Sunset Hill area.” Our 25th Anniversary booklet says starting
a new building “requires courage, determination, faith and love of God.”
The ancestors of St. Lucas had to be
brave. Thank God they were, because here
we are, 120 years later worshipping the God of Jacob in these generously donated
rocks made of the limestone that came from soil down the hill.
Think of that amazing heritage. The metaphorical “rock” we come to for refuge
and worship was constructed from rock in the soil.
Within this refuge made of local
limestone, we give thanks and praise to the Eternal Rock we stand upon and find
rest.
There is poetry in this. Our spiritual heritage is literally built on
the heritage of this soil.
What other rocks do we are rest upon and form
our foundation?
Each week we say we’re transforming lives
and love grows here.
There are 2 other Rocks we see every
Sunday- our Mission Statement and our Promise found on the front of the
bulletin.
Our Mission states “St. Lucas UCC unites
Christians in the worship of God and affirms life-long Christian education,
faithful discipleship, and caring service in God’s name.”
Wow.
Our Mission, the Heartbeat, the Foundation of St. Lucas proclaims to be
one of
-Unity
-Life-long learning
-Practices rooted in Christ
-Merciful acts rooted in God.
How are we climbing up that hill of hope? How are we, as a church, when it comes to
unity, worship, education, actions, and integrity?
Our Promise states “St. Lucas UCC members,
united in Christ and led by the Holy Spirit, strive to live faithfully, grow
spiritually, and serve lovingly all of God’s creations.”
A second wow. Our Promise, the pledge St. Lucas proclaims
is
-united members who
-follow God’s wisdom
-try our best to live as if every place,
every situation has holiness
-continue to bloom, blossom
-care tenderly for what is God’s.
How are we climbing this hill of
assurance? How are we when it comes to being
united, allowing things to unfold at their own time, acting in faith,
continuing to evolve and to do “diakonia”?
As we prepare for our Council
Conversation, it is good to keep our Mission and Promise in mind, as they
empower us to reflect on who we are as a church and as Christians.
It is good to keep the Mission and Promise
in mind as we create and vote on our 2026 Budget. Budgets are statements of faith.
What we plan to spend and what we trust to
receive are Theological Statements about what we believe about God, what dreams
the Holy Spirit has for us, and where we trust Jesus to lead.
Today we got to experience a story that
speaks to so many of us. What it means
to be where you are; what it means to discover that God is there.
To be reminded of the words of presence
and the assurance that God, our Big Daddy, our Grand Mama, is there, regardless
if it is in the Garden or in the desert.
Since we are all descendants of Jacob, we
have a faith founded on the assurances of God.
The God who stands besides us, the God who
speaks to us, the God who says “I Am with you, and I will root for you no
matter where you are.”
We don’t have to dream of heaven to know
that heaven is right here, right now, especially when Christ is our foundation.
As our 25th Anniversary Booklet
stated “courage, determination, faith and love of God.”
For that, let us say “Amen.”
