Rev. George Miller
Jan 18, 2026
John 2:13-25
As you may recall, I believe that every
time we hear Jesus say or do anything, we should think “Bam, another strike of
the hammer!”
Today is an example. Jesus makes a whip, pours out coins, chases
away cattle. How you view this event
depends on what you know, and how this could affect you.
But first: chicken hearts.
My dad was a New York City cop. I grew up going to the station, attending holiday
gatherings.
Dad was part of a carpool. One of
my favorite memories is when JD and Johny came over for lunch and Mom made fried
chicken hearts. I don’t remember the
conversations, but I recall the camaraderie that took place around the table.
There is something about cop energy that I’m
so comfortable with. How cool that my Dad
was a policeman. I’d go into the city
anytime, knowing that if I needed help, I just had to stop an officer and tell
them who my Dad is.
Sadly, Mom stopped making those chicken
hearts. When I asked why she said, “They’re
poor people’s food.”
I recall the time a woman was shot, the
city was in an uproar, how it affected my Dad.
He explained that she came charging at the officers and would not stop.
Upon getting my driver’s license, Dad and
I had the “talk”- when an officer pulls me over, I am to stay calm, be polite,
keep my hands on the wheel. I can’t tell
you how often his advice got me out of a ticket.
In 1994 I moved to Minneapolis. One day I was standing on the corner. It was a red light, no cars at all. I started to walk across the street when an officer
said, “Go ahead and I’ll arrest you.” It
was the 1st time I had a reason to be wary of a policeman.
In Florida, there was a Chief who used his
Facebook page to target me and the church I served, posting “dog whistles,” in
which his followers would write things like “It would be a shame if the church
happened to burn down.”
But then…there was Sheriff Paul Blackman,
one of the greatest people I know. Conservative
in every way, a staunch Christian who valued the Constitution.
He and I had differing views, but we were
ONE when it came to caring about the community.
Sherif Blackman and I worked side by side on
various Boards. He invited me to be part
of a Task Force. When our church had events addressing George Floyd and Pride,
he made sure police were present.
Sheriff Blackman was there for the
blessing of our Community Garden; wore silly socks to bring awareness to those
living with developmental disability.
One Christmas, he and I walked children safely
across the Circle to meet Santa Claus, this big guy with a badge and gun
tenderly holding the hands of Black and Hispanic kids.
A supporter of the Freedom of Speech, Sherrif
Blackman created a physical space for people to hold protests in a way that
they were safe. When we had PRIDE, and
the Proud Boys showed up, he kept us protected.
I have lived a life that’s allowed me to hear,
empathize, and seek to understand all sides and views.
Last week we witnessed an event in
Minneapolis in which a woman named Renee Good died when an ICE agent shot into
her vehicle during an encounter on an icy street.
This moment of time has been captured on
video, from all angles, all different lemgths, featuring different people and
dialogue.
Depending on what you see, where you see
it, how much you see, who presents it, who comments on it, people have a variety
of responses.
Today, we are not going to tell you what
to feel, how to act or respond, but we cannot ignore this.
No matter where we stand or what we
believe we saw, there are at least two things to say- a woman was shot by an
ICE officer 3 times, and afterwards we hear someone, somewhere say “F.B.”
None of us here today know how we would have
acted, how we would’ve responded, nor what that energy was like for all involved.
But something has happened, and that
something is continuing to happen in the Minneapolis schools, streets, Target stores,
and cars.
Folk are scared. Worried that this has become our Night of
Broken Glass or like the days when people were sent to capture runaway slaves.
I am not going to tell you where I stand, but
I can tell you that many people I care about are worried every day. For them, this moment in American history is
not a detached ethical, philosophical discussion, but a hard-core reality.
Nor can I tell you what to think.
But something is happening
in our country.
We
are each going to have to decide how we are going to act if ICE comes to our home
door, steps into our favorite restaurant, or comes into our sanctuary.
Who we voted for, or the color of our skin
is not going to affect how you may be treated.
…Chicken hearts. I miss them.
The time of life and innocence they represent.
The lively conversation and energy around
that table of my Dad and other police officers on their way into the Big City
to face whatever was going to come their way.
I miss that.
There is a lot we miss. Recent election cycles have really brought out
the worst in people. COVID separated us
and made us live solitary lives for a long while.
Folk feeling misunderstood. People seeing
the same thing but coming to different conclusions.
This is very much what it was like for those
who experienced Jesus.
His ministry took place during Roman
occupation, when coins claimed Ceasar was god, armed soldiers patrolled the
streets, crosses stood to scare people into submission, and religious leaders participated
in government corruption.
Here is Jesus, going from small town to
small town, wedding party to Temple steps, telling people there’s another way,
reminding folk of the ways of the Lord, saying that the true kingdom belongs to
God and not the governor.
Based on one’s life, where one was in the
social status stratosphere, what you had to gain and what you had to lose, different
people experienced Jesus different ways.
Some saw Jesus in the Temple fashioning up
that whip and they thought “Right on!”
While others were angry about their coins and cattle being cast away.
Jesus upends a capitalistic enterprise,
and you can imagine “Bam! Another strike
of the hammer!”
I am a big believer that when we come to
church, we should be uplifted, spiritually nourished, empowered to face the
world.
But sometimes, sometimes things become so
upended that to not discuss them would be unfaithful.
Jesus did not shy away from the difficult,
nor he did he make everyone at ease at all times.
What we witness, what we can be reminded
of, is that what Jesus did, what Jesus taught and what Jesus was zealous about were-
-the ways of God’s kingdom
-God’s desire for all to thrive, live, and
grow into abundant living,
-and how there is a better way.
Though we may feel uncomfortable, may we
find ways to come together to bring comfort to others and strive to better understand what
justice, kindness and humility really looks like.
Amen.
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