PRIDE As Refuge; Numbers 35:1-13

 

Rev. George Miller

June 7, 2026

Numbers 35:1-13

 

This week, our Administrative Assistant Extraordinaire sent a video of her grandbaby walking.

 

There she is, a happy confident infant in red who takes 14 wibbly wobbly steps before “plop” she falls.  Without a tear or ounce of fear, she gets right back up again to joyfully, innocently take many, many more steps.

 

Oh the places she will go!  Today the safety of the kitchen with its baby gates and Grandma’s love as boundaries.

 

Maybe next week the outer banks  of the living room and outside with bug spray to keep the bites away.

 

The beauty of boundaries that allow our loved ones to be safe, to learn how to walk, to take chances, fall and get back up, to be bare foot and dressed in bright red.

 

Creating a system of secure spaces so that folk are welcome, able to walk, fall, get back up is beautiful, nuanced, and complicated.

 

Our graduates today know what that is like- to start the school year not knowing what you don’t know, learning, failing, succeeding, completing, and degreeing.

 

Today’s Scripture is designed for people who are embarking in something new, uncertain, scary.

 

So God, being God, conversates with them, sharing wisdom and a vision for how they are to start the next phase of their religious life.

 

Numbers takes place after the Israelites received their freedom.  God is taking them to the Promised Land.  They are in an in-between time, and like newborns, they are walking on unsteady feet.

 

 

God prepares them with wisdom and instruction, ways to live and prepare for controversies.

 

In Ch. 34, God refers to Canaan as their inheritance, defined by its boundaries.  The south is a wilderness, the east slopes to the Dead Sea, the west connects with the coast of the Great Sea, and the north runs along Mount Horr. 

 

The Levites, who are the spiritual spine of Isreal, are to be given land to tend livestock and grow their own food.  This land is to come from the other tribes, according to their own abundance, so that the land is given in proportion.

 

From this land, the Levites are to create 48 places of refuge; places of fertile pastureland for people in need of sanctuary. God designates these 42 towns and 6 cities as a place to go if you innocently, accidently, kill someone.

 

This idea of asylum existed all over the ancient world.  It’s spoken about in Joshua 20-21, yet there is no way to know if these places operated as God intended.

 

This scripture may be one of those moments in which we can say “Theologically, this is what God intended, and God’s Kingdom is supposed to look like, but did it really happen?”

 

 Did the tribes actually divvy up their land so the plentiful gave more and the limited gave little?

 

Did 42 towns of refuge and 6 cities of sanctuary exist?  We don’t know, but we do know there was the intent to create a system based on spaces for integrity, due process, and fair play.

 

Today’s scripture ties so well into another scripture that we explored August 24, Psalm 18:2, which  reads “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

 

The Lord is my rock.  In Hebrew, there is more than one word for rock.  There is “tsur” which means the rock you stand upon. 

 

There is “sela” which is the rock you run to for refuge.  Imagine a rocky shelter you can go to during a storm or time of danger.

 

Imagine this rock, this “tsur,” this “sela” being the place you can stand upon  and walk across even if you have wibbly wobbly feet.

 

Imagine this rock, this “tsur” being the place you can build upon, like a degree you take into the world.

 

Imagine this rock being a place you can step inside of, be a part of when the world feels unsteady, when you need refuge from hard-to-navigate moments.

 

That’s what some come to church for, what they yearn for in their relationship with Christ, what they hope for when they enter the limestone structure of St. Lucas.

 

This sense of having steady ground to exist, a secure space to be.

 

This sense of steady, secure ground to exist can also be what PRIDE Month is about for our sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, parents, cousins, and grandbabies who are members of the LGBTQ community.

 

The notion of  PRIDE began in 1970 after people had endured enough of not being able to gather, dance, fall in love, and just be themselves without threat of arrest.

 

PRIDE has become a time to be seen, to have stories heard, to celebrate.  It is a time for those who have felt weary, uncertain, unable to exhale to experience joy and a sanctuary of acceptance.

 

Isn’t that what we all want?  To be seen.  To be heard.  To be part of a family.  To have friends who get us.  To dance with the one we love.  To have a place to sip a beer, share a pretzel, talk about our day.

 

PRIDE is a time for the LGBTQ community to come together, mindful of the foundation built by those who’ve come before, seeking what every human heart yearns for: safety and a sense of welcome.

 

And when it comes to how one celebrates PRIDE, it can depend on where one is in life.  Those who are new can be a bit uncertain.  Those who’ve found their legs may go all out in bright colors.  Those who’ve been at it for awhile may be a bit subdued because every day is PRIDE for them.

 

The same can apply to individual churches, like those in the UCC, and the St. Louis Association. 

 

Some houses of worship are awash in colors of the rainbow, from their websites to their outside signs, with month-long sermon series.

 

Some may make a passing mention; some no words at all. 

 

I see PRIDE the same as I see Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Grandparents Day- a time to lift up and acknowledge people as people, who they are, what’s been done, what it means. 

 

Not lifting one above another but saying that in Christ we all deserve to be seen, be acknowledged, have our story known.

 

Today’s reading is about creating spaces of refuge for people in need of fair play and steady ground.

 

Its original intention was designed for one specific group of folk, but perhaps in Christ can we extend it-

 

-To those who are just beginning their lives, wibbly wobbly, navigating their legs to the floor.

 

-Those who are learning and growing, graduating, and moving up in the world.

 

-      Those who are discerning who they are, how they identify.

 

What is the space God wants us to be, as individuals and as a  church, for those who seek that rock, a refuge, a place to stand and a place to build?

 

How wide are we willing to envision?  What does being a place of refuge look like?  What boundaries are to be put in place? 

 

In Christ’s teachings and mercy may we continue to discern these questions together.

 

Amen and amen.

Diversity Is Beautiful; Relationships Are Difficult; Philippians 4:4-7

 

Rev. George Miller

May 24, 2026

Philippians 4:4-7

 

Diversity is beautiful.

     Relationships are difficult.

 

Saying everyone is welcome is one thing.

 

Creating a system of safe spaces and boundaries for that inclusion is nuanced and complicated.

 

Tribalism is a one way to ensure certain death.

 

Widely opening the doors means being rightfully aware of who comes in.

 

Keeping a closed table means the meals may eventually become bland and flavorless.

 

Inviting everyone to the table means  you better be prepared for different ingredients, spices, concepts of time and family.

 

Diversity is beautiful.

     Relationships are difficult.

 

Today we celebrate Pentecost.  We wear our Red and recall the day when people from all over were gathered in the Holy City and the Spirit fell upon them.

 

Like tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit danced among all those present, giving them the ability to hear and understand one another’s mother language. 

 

Parthians could understand the Medes.  The Elamites could understand the Asians.  The Egyptians could hear the Arabs.

 

It was a groundbreaking moment.  God did something so new, so invigorating that it gave birth to the church, allowing the Good News of Christ to cross continents, time zones, and cultures.

 

But of course, this would mean something else- the faith of Sarah and Abraham, the stories of Miriam and Moses were now open to and available to people who previously had no faith at all, or worshipped snakes or thought Ceaser was God on high.

 

The inbreaking of the Holy Spirit in which people could be heard and share the Good News would mean that there was now adjustments to be made, new boundaries to discover, and different traditions to become aware of.

 

Pentecost is a day when God poured out God’s spirit upon all flesh, so heirs could prophecy, young can have visions, elders can dream, and all who call upon the Lord will experience a strong foundation.

 

But did you ever wonder what that actually meant, and what it would look like for the early churches when Jew and Gentile, Arab and Asian, all came together to sit at table, tell stories, sing songs, testify about Jesus and then break bread and drink wine?

 

It is not such an easy thing to do in an inclusive, wordly setting because everyone has their own culture, context, and expectations.

 

For example time.  Time as a concept fascinates me.

 

In New York, distance is measured by time.  The mall is 30 minutes away; the church is 45. 

 

But in Minnesota, distance is measured by miles.  The mall is 5 miles away.

 

Time really becomes tricky when it comes to a gathering.

 

Tell someone on Long Island that the party begins at 7 pm- that means “don’t show up until 7:15” because the host is counting on that extra 15 minutes. 

 

BUT in Grand Rapids, Michigan (which is very Dutch), the host better be ready by 6:39 because their first guest will be there at 6:40 with a casserole.

 

Now, if you are invited by a Jamaican to a 7 pm party, what that means is at 7 pm start thinking about getting ready, by 7:45 get in the shower, and by 8:30 the grill will be fired up.

 

BUT, if a Colombian family invites you, be prepared to show up around 9:30 pm, dressed in a well put-together outfit.  Know that you will see many kids (who will eventually fall asleep on chairs), your ears will hear much chisme, your belly will be full of rice and coffee.  You won’t get home until after 2, and it will take an hour to say goodbye.

 

All of this is wonderful and comforting if that’s what you’re used to and the culture you exist.

 

But what if you are one of those very 1^st  churches meeting in the home of Miss Louanna and people are showing up 20 minutes early or three hours late?  What if some brought casseroles with ingredients you don’t eat or a group of kids who will run around for hours?

 

It can be pure chaos, requiring patience, give and take, creating new customs and redrawing agreeable boundaries.

 

All these things that took place in the mother churches that laid the way for us, and all the delightful dilemmas that Pentecost brought when the Holy Spirit barged in and gave us the rhythm to dance and worship and praise the Lord.

 

Paul dealt with these realities all the time.  Paul had to do this as the first one with no dance instructor or Rosetta Stone.

 

As we read Paul’s 7 authentic letters, we’re invited to always keep in mind that Paul is constantly finding a way to welcome diversity while also finding ways to keep relationships healthy.

 

Sometimes Paul seems to succeed, sometimes he fails greatly.  But decade after decade, island after island, house church after house church, Paul keeps keeping on.

 

So in chapter 4, Paul writes to a congregation caught up in turmoil, he finds a way to create that welcome and sense of safe space.

 

He focuses them on celebration.  “Rejoice,” he writes.  “Rejoice in the Lord.” 

 

He encourages them to be gentle; to let that be known as one of their trademarks.-

 

“Hey, do you know those folk in Philippi?”

“Yes, they are so kind and sweet with one another.”

 

Paul reminds them to be in dialogue with God; to pray; to be thankful; to be humble. 

 

Paul encourages them to be aware of what they seek and ask for; to turn to the Lord with words that reflect vulnerability and petition.

 

As if giving a recipe of faith, Paul states that when the Philippians do this, they will experience a sense of peace that is more than calm waters or clear weather,

 

but a spiritual sense of presence, wholeness, assurance…breathe.

 

Paul is not writing these words from a place of innocence or misunderstanding. 

 

He has been there, done that, and he understands that a church created by Pentecost is also a church that will have complexity and diversity while finding their identity and new path of direction.

 

Paul is not afraid for them; Paul is certain that they will be fine, and he wants them to know it.

 

So in verses 8-9, he writes “Finally, sisters and brothers, primas and primos, opas and omas,

 

whatever is true and truly felt, whatever is pure and well intentioned, whatever is the best that you can bring, think about these things.

 

If you do them, embody them.  Give them hands and feet.  Then the peace of God will be with you and you and you.”

 

Today we celebrate the inbreaking of the Holy Spirit, not just then, but every time we gather, every time we welcome someone new,

 

every time we try something else, every time we choose peace over paralysis,

 

every time we are able to hear what another is saying.

 

So today let us rejoice; let us seek what is pleasing; let us move in a way that others can say-

 

“Look at how the God of peace is with them; St. Lucas UCC.”

 

Amen and amen.

The 2026 Psalm- A Tribute to Our Confirmands; Philippians 2:1-11

 

Rev. George Miller

May 17, 2026

Philippians 2:1-11

 

What we heard are words of pure poetry; a love song from Paul about the cosmic Christ who dwells in all people.

 

If we go deeper into Paul’s letter, we hear “Do all these things…children of God…in which you shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life.”

 

The Word of Life; so appropriate for today.  Genesis tells us God created with words.  John tells us Jesus is the Word.  The Holy Spirit is like the words of Wisdom dancing about.

 

In Scripture the importance of words is central to everything.  So, Beloved in Christ- hear now the words of our Confirmands as they start their own Statement of Faith:

 

Noah-“Lord you have always been by me.  You have helped me out in the hardest times and through the hardest decisions.”

 

Will- “O God, living and eternal, You guide us in times of need and in our everyday life.”

 

Fletcher- “God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth. You have always brought us hope and love.”

 

Sophia-  “You are the Creator, who forgives all and trusts us to do our best. Who guides us in rough times and loves us and takes care of us.”

 

Claire- “I believe in you God, our God, and the savior of all. Who created me, created you, and is still creating. I believe He watches over me and keeps me safe in His arms every day.”

 

Elin- “God is the  Holy Spirit, Creator of earth and all living beings. The Shepherd who is watching over me and everyone. The light in the darkness.”

 

Elizabeth- “I believe in You, God, who created everything I know and don’t know. I believe that if I hold you in my heart and talk to You, You will always protect me and I will always be okay.”

 

We can knit these words from our youth into a tapestry that reads like this:   “Lord, you have always been by me, living and eternal, the creator of Heaven and Earth, who guides us in rough times, and loves us, who created me, created you, and is still creating; the Shepherd who is watching me and everyone. If I hold you in my heart and talk to You, You will always protect me and I will always be okay.”

 

This sounds like a 23^rd Psalm for a new generation, direct from our 2026 Confirmands, who are our legacy, our present, and our future. 

 

This Noah, this Will, this Fletcher, this Sophia, this Claire, this Elin, this Elizabeth.  Children of God who shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life.

 

Paul would most certainly call  our Confirmands stars.

 

Here he have this letter from Paul, who has traveled all over the world seeing this and doing that, who has now come to a place of age and wisdom. 

 

Paul is in prison, but his spirit is free.  He uses this time to reflect and share the good news of Christ. 

 

Or as Noah would say “You have helped me out in the hardest times and through the hardest decisions.”

 

Paul’s faith in Christ gives him comfort; joy, generously sharing that joy with the Philippian people to pass on some of what he knows to be true.

 

Like Will, Paul knows that God “brings us together, in happiness, sadness, peace, and reconciliation.”

 

Paul encourages the people to be of one mind in Christ.  His theology of Christ is a lot like Fletcher who states “You have sent to us a man named Jesus. He nourished our lives and gave His world for ours.” 

 

His theology of Christ is a lot like Claire as she testifies “He sent him to help and heal others.”

 

As Sophia states “Jesus, the Savior, who died for us because He was spreading the word.”

 

Paul shared his view in hopes that we can live as Christ did.  In verse 15, he writes  that when we are blameless, we shine like stars in the world.  How very much this is reflected in Elin who wrote about the Good Shepherd being “The light in the darkness.”

 

And Paul, in his concluding words, easily mirrors the words of Elizabeth who states “As God’s presence is with me now, I believe it will be with me forever.”

 

Today is a celebration, a celebration that has been a long time coming.

 

Today is not just about the confirmands, but how Christ dwells within each confirmand.

 

Today is not just about the church universal, but how Christ dwells within the universal church.

 

Today is just not about the history and legacy of St. Lucas UCC but how Christ dwells within St. Lucas’ legacy.

 

And because it is all about Christ, and has always been about Christ, we all can shine bright like stars in the world, holding the forth the word of light. 

 

May our 2026 Confirmands continue to do so as they continue their journeys of faith. 

 

Amen and amen.

 

The 2026 Psalm

 

“Lord, you have always been by me, living and eternal, the creator of Heaven and Earth, who guides us in rough times, and loves us, who created me, created you, and is still creating; the Shepherd who is watching me and everyone. If I hold you in my heart and talk to You, You will always protect me and I will always be okay.”

 

 

By Noah, Will, Fletcher,

Sophia, Claire, Elin, and Elizabeth

May 17, 2026

In The Worst of Times, The Christians Stayed; Philippians 1:1-11

 

Rev. George Miller

May 10, 2026

Philippians 1:1-11

 

Last week we were with Paul, all alone, in Athens.  Now it’s about 10 years later.  Paul has done a lot, seen a lot.  His actions and beliefs have landed him in Rome, under arrest.

 

He is a person with a lot of time to reflect, think things over and see clearly from a lens wide enough to observe his past, present, and future. 

 

With sage wisdom he writes to a group of believers in Philippi who have had his back, sent him a sweet-smelling gift, and embodied what it means to be the hands, feet, heart, and mind of Christ.

 

Paul gives thanks to God for their legacy and prayers, offering blessings of joy and good tiding, asking that the Lord allows their love to overflow with insight and intelligence.

 

Though Paul has had his freedom taken away by the Romans, he celebrates how the Philippians are growing in what is right and what is good, what really matters and what is truly true.

 

While others could be bitter, or ruled by regret, Paul is living his days focused on all things made possible through Jesus Christ for the glory of God and God’s kingdom.

 

Paul is aware of his own mortality, but the joy of  Resurrection fills his being- Christ is alive!   

 

Paul is part of something exciting and new.  A movement of people going out into the world doing what they believed Jesus to do. 

 

This is a mixed group of long- time disciples and fresh faces who exist during a time of unrest.  They’re doing something that hasn’t been done before in the city of Phillippi- being CHURCH.

 

At a time when others worship the Roman Emperor as a god, pray to Zeus, or seek python spirits, Paul is part of a people united in Christ.

 

These women and men are gathering in small groups and private homes.  They’re having potlucks, reading Paul’s letters, saying prayers, recalling the work of Christ-

 

The one who told them to care for the least of these.  The one who said “When you welcome a stranger, feed the hungry, or visit the sick, you are doing it for me.”

 

This group of folk, who before knowing Christ were just doing their own thing.  Peter, a fisherman. Nathaniel, sitting under a tree.  Lydia by the water.

 

What it must have been like to be alive between the middle 30’s and 50’s,  when others are worshipping Zeus or think that snakes are a path to righteousness.

 

Along comes these working-class women and men, some of them with their hands dyed the color purple, others smelling like fishing boats,  inviting you to come to their home to have a meal in which you can learn about some guy named Jesus who was born illegitimately, never got married, was seen with street urchins, spent a lot of his time around the sick with no face mask, touching folk with skin lesions, and  rubbing mud in their eyes.

 

These first followers of Christ, told how Jesus was arrested, executed, and rose from the grave- how in the world did they believe such a tale?  How did something like “The Church” take off?

 

And yet, thanks to people like Paul and Lydia, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the tenacity of God, that is exactly what happened.

 

This group of eclectic, hard-working, faithful men and women become the ones in their cities who were known for offering food and supplying fresh water.

 

The early Christians, with no guidebooks,  Zoom calls, or bylaws, found a way to do the ministry of Christ.   

 

At a time in which Rome’s emperor kept saying “Me, Me, Me” these early Christians said “Sister” and “Brother.”

 

At a time in which citizens were always under the threat of attack, the followers of Christ offered comfort in the Kingdom of God.

 

Today we celebrate Mother’s Day and the women in our lives who have made a difference.  It is also Nurses Week, and on the 12^th it’s International Nurses Day.  Mindful of this special time to honor Moms and nurses, role models and care givers, hear this story: 

 

In the year 249, a pandemic hit the Roman Empire, taking millions of lives.  There was fever, vomiting, folk dying in the street.  Known as the Plague of Cyprian, 5,000 people a day died.  It was so intense, so nasty, that the “who’s who” of the city fled. 

 

The priests of Zeus and the worshippers of snakes were too afraid to stay.  All those who claimed their Emperor was divine or had a shrine to Serapis  took the next Uber and Amtrack out of town.

 

It was the earliest followers of Christ who stayed behind.  It was the Christians who bravely remained in the cities, cared for those in the alleys, and went into homes of the unwell. 

 

During the 13 years the Plague lasted, these followers of Christ did not care if you were of the same faith, skin tone, or caste-system, they nursed people back to health, or, like a compassionate mother, stayed with them even if it seemed hopeless.

 

The Christians were there, and they were the ones to bury the dead, even when families refused to be around their own son or daughter.

 

Being a Christian truly meant to be the hands and feet of Christ, in which gifts of nursing, offering food, water, and presence saved folks lives. 

 

People took notice. 

“Hey- the priests who followed Zeus and Serapis all left us behind.”

“Those who claimed the Emperor was All-Powerful fled as if on fire, but the followers of Christ stayed, held my hand, and knew my name.”

 

Those who survived associated the care they received with what it means to be a Christian.  Instead of fear and abandonment, the Christians demonstrated faith and presence. 

 

Their witness was not doctrine or dogma, who was in and who was out, but presence, care, comfort, which all became a compelling reason why a life in Christ mattered.

 

Today we live in uncertain times.  It has seemed like a decade of delirious days in which we don’t know what’s next- more masks, return to monarchy, the third world war.

 

And yet here we are, as a church, as the Body Of Christ, honoring our legacies and always discerning where we are next being called to be. 

 

I don’t know about you, but I find this to be exciting and affirming.  Paul would say that he is confident that our good works will continue, that we are partners in grace and witness.

 

Mother and Fathers, Nurses and Doctors, Sisters and Brothers in Christ- we are so blessed to be recipients of Paul’s faith, with our sights set on Christ.

 

Just as the earliest Christians were able to figure it out, so will we.  Just as those in Rome were able to minister even during difficult times, so will we.

 

For we are children of the Living God, the one who knowns us by name and does not let anyone go astray. 

Amen and amen.