Rev. George Miller
Sept 14, 2025
Genesis 21:1-7; 22:1-18
“I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
“Even though I walk through the darkest
valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me…” Psalm 23:4
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my
deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge...” Psalm 18:2
“God calls us into the church to accept
the cost and joy of discipleship...” The UCC Statement of Faith
“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the One
Holy Universal Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of
sins....” The Apostles’ Creed.
These are the words that you and us and we
have been hearing since August 3. Scriptures
and testimonies that have shaped our faith for nearly 3,000 years.
These are not just words to hear on a
Sunday and say “Oh, isn’t that nice.”
But words to hear and hold onto when we enter dark valleys, when a
single bullet can take one life, when a Body of Christ can become divided over
a dialogue.
It does not matter if you can do all
things through Christ…until you find yourself afraid.
The need for comfort is easily taken for
granted until you feel in need of a Good Shepherd.
No one knows what it means for God to a
steady, ever-present rock until everything and every place seems unsteady and
unsafe.
What good is a Creed or Statement of Faith
if the moment enemies raise their head or evil is known, we act as if all hope
is gone?
These sacred words we read are not just fleeting
thoughts or poetry; these words were composed by survivors, folks who knew what
it is to like to live, lose, strive, fall down and get back up.
Everything we have shared here leads us to
a moment like today. A time in history
that is messy. People with conflicting
thoughts, spirits wounded, wanting the Balm of Gilead to make it all go away.
But that is not life. So we find the Sacred where we are, and in what
we are going through.
If this week’s events brought tears to
your eyes, God is in those tears.
If the events of this week made you feel
scared, God is in that fear. If they made
you feel angry, God is in that anger.
Those tears, anger, fears are sacred, because
they are yours.
They are yours to give to God, offer to
Christ, send forth to the Spirit.
This morning we heard 2 readings that deal
with things we dealt with all week- life and loss; comfort and violence.
At one moment we have the matriarch of our
faith, Sarah, finally having the child she had been promised decades before.
All that Sarah and her husband had been
through- leaving their native land, traveling far, facing war, and waiting...
Then finally (endlich), Sarah gives birth
to her first and only child. She names
him Isaac, which means “Laughter”; “He laughs.”
This brings Sarah joy; she celebrates the
laughter. After all the loss, trials and
mistakes, there is laughter in her life.
But then…in Genesis 22 God tells Abraham
to take Sarah’s one and only child and sacrifice him upon a hill. As far as we know, Abraham discussed nothing
with his wife, he expresses no concern about her.
In what can feel like extreme cruelty, he
takes her child “Laughter” and is willing to kill him for his beliefs.
This is a scripture that has shaped so
many lives, influenced so much faith, but it holds great challenges.
Do we really think God would make such a
request? Do you believe God would ask a
Dad to kill a boy named Laughter?
How could God expect Sarah to experience
the pain of childbirth and the heartbreak of death?
Why didn’t Abraham fight for his son? Why didn’t he stand up to God and say “Not my
son,” in the same way he stood up for Sodom in Genesis 18?
Abraham bargains with God for the sake of
50, 30, 10 people, yet he does not bargain for his own kin. What if God wanted to see if Abraham would do
the same for his son? What if God wanted
to see Abraham challenge God and wrestle with the uncomfortable?
These 2 scriptures remind us of the
complexity of life and of our faith.
We witness the laughter and the horror
that co-exist side by side.
We are reminded that in life there is
happiness and tribulations.
The Bible never shies away from this; the
Bible never has. Today’s text shows the
sweet and the sour; the joy and pain of life.
Good, solid faith, and good, solid churches
do not shy away either.
We come here from all of our lived
experiences. We share, we hear, we are
reminded of the Rock we stand upon, the shepherd who leads us, and how Christ strengths
us so w can do all things.
Things have been uneasy for folk since Wednesday.
This is why what we as a church does
matters. Why playing a role in
transforming lives matter.
This is why places like Camp Moval, why
programs like Confirmation, why ministries like Feed My People matter.
Because they remind us of the goodness of
God, they remind us of the heritage we stand upon, they remind us of the
importance of giving to, giving back, lifting up.
Though this has been a week of many
emotions, it is also a time of opportunities.
To discuss, to come together, to stand
upon the Lord, our Rock.
To remember that no matter the darkness of
the valley, the light of the Lord can see us through.
To remember that just as the Apostles and ancestors
who came before faced hard times and held onto their trust in Jesus, we can to.
Amen.
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