Tears Of Christ; Tears of Community- John 11:1-3, 17-35

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 22, 2026

John 11:1-3; 17-35

 

In a little bit we will hear a word from Andrew as he shares about the Ukraine people and community he cares so much about.

 

Andrew cares so much that it moved him months ago to do a presentation.  Because of YOUR feedback, he’s been inspired to create a fundraising opportunity that we can all engage in.

 

Community.  What a special and important word.  A word and concept that moves Jesus to tears.

 

Today we have a familiar tale of death and restored life.  Lazarus, a beloved friend of Jesus dies, and it does not just affect Jesus, or the Martha and Mary sisters, it affects all those around and knew him.

 

It is four days after Lazarus died.  Though Jesus is aware that he could be captured and killed at any moment, he travels from the Jordan (where he was baptized), to Bethany, 3 miles from where he will be crucified.

 

Martha greets him with grief “Lord, if you had been here…”

 

Mary immediately gets up and quickly goes to him, kneels, and weeps.  Jesus looks around and sees those around her are weeping.

 

These are not just silent tears or polite boohoos; these are full drops of sadness complete with moaning and groaning.

 

These tears of Mary and the community are expressions of external sorrow with wailing, chants, calling of the Lost’s name, rocking of bodies, beating of chests.  Emotional, embodied, real.

 

Think of how much we’ve discussed about water in the Gospel of Luke.  The Wedding.  The Well.  The pool. The spit.

 

Now we add the tears; waters from the eyes that embody hurt.

 

What does Jesus do?  What does Emmanuel, “God With Us,” the Lord Incarnate do when surrounded by Mary and all the people sobbing and weeping?

 

He weeps too.  Jesus also weeps.

 

Mary and her community weep in their brokenness, and in response to their brokenness, Jesus weeps.

 

The tears of Jesus are a sign of compassion, empathy, and mourning with us.

 

Jesus, who we met as a babe in the manger, embodies who God is, and what we witness right here is the holy water of heavenly tears that let us know that our God is a God who cares, and feels, and is moved by human emotion.

 

How powerful this is.  That Jesus shows to us a God who is not distant or aloof, uncaring, or unmoved.

 

So today, as we acknowledge the 4 years of war between the Ukraine and Russia, as we hear about those in Kieve who are dealing with harsh cold, we hear of children separated from families, let us imagine the tears of Jesus.

 

Let us know that without a doubt the Lord is crying for the loss of life and property, family and community that takes place anywhere there is war.

 

All we like sheep may sit in our despair and the despair of others, but may be find that the tears of our Incarnate God give us comfort among the mountains of Zion, the rivers of Jordan, and any place where community grieves together.

 

As we prepare to listen to Andrew, may we know that the Lord is listening too.

 

Amen.

Ash Wed. 2026 Reflection

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 18, 2026-Ash Wed

John 10:1-21

 

Tonight we gather mindful of our mortality.  Right here, we wonder if we matter.

 

Right now we ask if all we do is for naught if, at the end of it all, we die, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

 

Will we be remembered?  Will our legacy live on?  Will our memories fade away forever?

 

Like sheep caught in a storm or in a valley with little grass, we may be afraid, unsure, worried.

 

This is where we are invited to take in a breath; believe it to be the same breath of God that moved over the waters of creation.

 

To realize that right here, right now, Christ is present, God loves us and has always loved us, and that the Holy Spirit has created a shelter right here, in these rocks and stone and stained glass and wooden pews and scripture and song.

 

For those online the Holy Spirit has created a shelter wherever you are, whenever you are, of technology, internet and the talents of those making this possible.

 

In our collective shelters of time and space, we breathe, we relax, we are present.

 

No matter what others may say, no matter the circumstance we are in, we are not permanently lost, for in Christ we are found, and we are beloved.

 

As today’s reading reminds us, Jesus, who came to us as God Incarnate on Christmas Day, knows our name and calls out to us.

 

Because Jesus faced the mortality of life, he too understand what it is like to live, to be aware of death, and to even wonder “My God, my Gd, why have you forsaken me?”

 

Today, we are reminded that the vulnerable child we met in the manger is with us right now, to be our Good Shepherd, to stand with us in the face of thieves and rainy days, wolves and unending storms.

 

Tonight, we may not understand the mysteries of life or reasons why we die, but we know that we are sisters and brothers in Christ, part of heaven’s flock. 

 

United, not divided. 

 

Called to live each day with grace and courage, a desire to learn and a willingness to accept our mistakes and the errors of others.

 

To trust that in Christ, a life well lived is one that will end its journey hearing the words “You are a good and faithful servant.”

 

Tonight, we are aware that we will all die, but we celebrate that in Christ we get to live, live, live.

 

Amen.

Seeing the Boy Sleeping On the 3 Chairs; John 9:1-12

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 15, 2026

John 9:1-12

 

Last Sunday we witnessed a visually spectacular celebration of the Americas, identity, and love for family in the Superbowl Half Time Show featuring Bad Bunny.

 

An act of artistic resistance and joy, the concert began in cane fields, reminding us all of the legacy of slavery.  From that image of oppression came the endearing sight of uncles playing dominos, small business entrepreneurs selling sweet drinks to a wedding.

 

For me, the image that stuck out is the child sleeping on the 3 chairs.

 

It is an image that anyone who was raised in a South American family or has been welcomed into their lives knows all too well.

 

From Cherokee Street in St. Louis to route 17 in Florida, the image of a child sleeping on chairs while the family gathers late into the night is iconic. 

 

I remember the first time seeing this.  A Friday night at La Creola Restaurant. Fully packed place.  Rows of tables pushed together. 2 separate families celebrating birthdays.  People in their teens, twenties, forties, eighties.  Eating, drinking, laughing, gossiping. 

 

An extremely loud live band followed by an even louder DJ.  So loud that I had to step outside twice just to calm my ears.

 

But there were kids there, fully asleep, zonked out on the chairs.  A baby safe and sound in their abuela’s arms, not stirring.

 

I grew up in a family in which we were always left with the babysitter, never taken to adult gatherings like weddings.

 

But not in Latin families.  In a culture where you save grocery bags and wash and reuse all plastic containers, no one is going to waste money on a babysitter.

 

So, in Puerto Rican, Mexican and Peruvian families, wherever there is a family gathered in celebration, there will be kids fast asleep, laid out on 2 or 3 chairs put together.

 

So to “see” this image of the child sleeping at the Bad Bunny show was an immediate joy- a sense of “I get it!  I see it!  I understand it.”

 

All over the internet people have responded to this very image.  One person said “It was the most Latin thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

Others commented “I come from an Italian family and we do the same thing.”  Someone from the Mid-east said that was also a common sight.  So then the dialogue came around to “Maybe we’re not as different as we think.”

 

…There is a beauty to see, and to be seen.  There is a grace and grounding of new beginnings when we can see other people for who they are and as they is. 

 

It is perhaps one of the most just, compassionate and humble things we can do when we welcome space where others can be seen completely as who they are and what their legacy and traditions be.

 

To see and to be seen.  To witness and watch.  To observe and be moved to action.

 

Today we have yet another water story in the Gospel of John.  Spit used to make mud; a pool to wash in.  Water that leads to healing.  Water that leads to reconciliation.  Water that leads to sight.

 

Just as in all the other water stories, from the wedding to Jacob’s Well, is Jesus, fully present, completely there, allowing people to have an intimate experience with the Incarnate God, if they so choose to.

 

Like last week, where the man had to pick up his mat and walk, we meet another individual who had to go and wash.

 

When he does, his ability to see, truly see, changes.  His view is amplified; his interactions with others change, and he a connection with Jesus in which he says “I believe.”

 

To see, and to be seen.

 

Today we celebrate our many, many volunteers who do what they do freely, unselfishly, as a ministry to us, the community, and to God.

 

Often, the ministry our volunteers do is unseen, performed in Choir Rooms and Fireside tables, committee meetings, late-night e-mails, vehicles full of supplies driving to places that care for the unhoused, abused, hungry.

 

Today is our chance to say “We see you, and we thank you.”

 

Knowing that you don’t volunteer your time for applause, we applause you.

 

Your work; your ministries may often go unnoticed but they allow others to see Christ and to see the Kingdom. 

 

There is another component- for all of us, the more we are in the presence of Christ, the more we allow God’s amazing grace to open our eyes, and the more we get to see of the “other.” 

 

The more that God’s amazing grace opens our eyes, the more we are able to compassionately see and appreciate the other for who they are, as they are, not through our lens of what is normal or acceptable, but through their lens of culture, family, faith, history.

 

In Christ, our eyes are opened.  We may not fully understand what another is saying or agree with what they hold dear, but we can recognize, appreciate, welcome and want to learn more.

 

It is a very, very scary time in the United States for anyone who does not look like me or speak perfect English. 

 

In Christ, may we find ways to become that Rock of Refuge, that Limestone of Love that lets everyone know they are seen, they are loved, and they can fall safely asleep like a child at a Latino wedding party.

 

Amen and amen.

What If John IS the Parable; John 5:1-9

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 8, 2026

John 5:1-9

 

Our Confirmation Class has been studying the parables of Jesus, stories deceivingly complex, designed to make one think, even if we never fully understand.  

 

Jesus used Parables to be subversive in a time when soldiers patrolled the streets and officials expected blind obedience.

 

Mark 4:26 has the seed that grows beyond human control.  Matthew 20 has a landowner who pays each person the same regardless of what the timeclock says.  Luke 15 has a son who gets angry that his Dad hosted party for his brother.

 

But the Gospel of John features not a nab Parable; not a single one.  Jesus does a lot of talking and teaching, but not once does he tell a story.

 

This fact is a bit of a mystery, but I began to wonder- “What if John IS the parable?”

 

What if the entire Gospel of John is a subversive, confusing parable designed to make us think and to feel discomfort, just as Jesus did with his stories of women hiding yeast, foreigners being the hero, and feasts where the homeless are invited as guests of honor?

 

What if the stories in John are not necessarily real but instead true?  What if the author is saying “Don’t pay so much attention to the facts, but to the intent and implication.”?

 

With this mindset, we can look at today’s reading, and realize something- it is another story in John that takes place around water.

 

First, we had the wedding at Cana, then Nicodemus at night being told about water and spirit, then the Woman from Samaria at Jacob’s Well, having an extended dialogue with Jesus in broad daylight.

 

Today we have an individual who’s experienced a lifetime of illness, waiting for someone, anyone to place him in the pool.

 

All these stories appear in John and John only.  No parables in John, but lots of water.

 

Then, we realize- it’s only in John that Jesus washes the disciple’s feet.  It’s only in John where Jesus’ side is pierced and water pours out.  It’s only in John that Christ Resurrected appears by the sea, asks for fish, and feeds the disciples breakfast.

 

Water water everywhere in the Gospel of John.  What could it mean?  Why would this be?

 

The author of John is not here today to tell us, but we can approach this as a parable knowing we’ll never get the full facts, but we might leave with some truth.

 

For me, I think of how John starts- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God...”

 

How that ties into Genesis 1- “When God began to create…the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.”

 

When John starts the Gospel stating “In the beginning was the Word,” is the author expecting us to think of Genesis, the waters of creation, and how God’s words made our world out of chaos?

 

If so, John may be playfully using this water motif to make us pay attention, look, hear, remember.

 

Maybe John  has no parables because the whole Gospel is a parable.

 

Jesus is at a wedding.  When chaos is sure to ensue because there’s no more liquor, Jesus, turns water into wine, symbolizing the presence of heaven.

 

Jesus is visited by a frightened religious figure at night.  They have a conversation about wombs and water, and the man evolves into being incredibly brave.

 

At Jacob’s Well, Jesus and a Samaritan woman discuss living water.  In the process, the legacy of the past meets the present, beginning reunification of two nations that has been torn apart.

 

Today we have a man living with great pain, who meets Jesus by the pool.  Jesus says “Do you want to be made well?  Stand up, take your mat, and walk.”

 

Do you want to be made well?  Then pick up your mat and walk.

 

There’s a thread here.

 

Water is turned into wine, but it takes many people to make that happen.

 

Nicodemus and the Woman at the Well willingly engage Jesus in honesty and integrity and their lives are changed.

 

The person by the pool has been waiting for someone to save him.  Yet it is by being willing to stand and pick up their mat, that they begin to enter a new stage of life.

 

Water, water everywhere.

 

Water of creation.  Water of heaven.  Water of rebirth; new life.  Water of healing.

 

We may never fully understand these stories; perhaps we never will.  Maybe that is the point.

 

Perhaps John is one great big Parable saying “Come, let’s gather by the water; let’s share some words; let’s discern together who Jesus is and what an encounter with Christ is all about.”

 

Heaven here on earth?  New understanding?  Reclaimed legacy?  Moving forward instead of being stuck in place?

 

Creation, creation, creation.

 

May God continue to bless our imagination and our time to discern together.  Amen.

When the Well Brings Reconciliation; John 4:5-15

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 1, 2026

John 4:5-15

 

1,800 years ago is a man named Jacob.  He’s made lots of bad choices.  Stole from his brother; deceived his father.

 

Jacob has wrestled with God as the moon transitioned into the sun.  He is given a new name, Isreal, and makes amends with his Brother.

 

He comes to a place in the north, a rich piece of earth filled with green grass, wild bees and cream-colored butterflies.  He purchases a plot of land and establishes a place to be….still.

 

Upon his deathbed, he leaves this land to his son, Joseph.  As years pass, traditions take place, legacy lives on, the well that is there becomes known as Jacob’s well.

 

Jacob’s Well evolves into a place where people can remember their ancestors, be reminded of their inheritance, go in gratitude for all that God has done.

 

Jacob’s Well is not just water to quench your thirst or water to cook lentil stew, but a place of belonging and communal memory.

 

But, 750 years ago, something horrible happens.  The Northern Kingdom is attacked, and Samaria falls into enemy hands.  Citizens are deported.  The enemy starts taking wives, introducing their beliefs; their gods. 

 

The people living by Jacob’s well begin to change.  They are Jews but not Jews.  They become the “cousins we don’t talk about.” 

 

Now, 450 years ago the people of Samaria do something seen as brash: they build their own temple with their own priests and systems.  They proclaim that they, not Judah, are home to the true Temple.

 

This upsets the people of the South even more.  The Samaritans are demonized, vilified, seen as vulgar, nonhuman.  They are called thieves, impure, demon possessed.

 

No self-respecting person from the South would be seen in Samaria. In terms of safety it has a more heightened stigma of East St. Louis or Cabrini- Green.

 

And yet…and yet in this city of Samaria, supposedly surrounded by the most dangerous, impure, stood Jacob’s Well.

 

A place where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs received sustenance, a place of memory, legacy, and a historical connection with God.

 

But it is a place where no one from Jerusalem would ever visit, or self-respecting follower of God would go.  It is as if Jacob’s Well is forever gone; dead…

 

So- here we are today.  We are at Jacob’s Well in Samaria.  It’s noon.  The sun is out; it is hot. 

 

Unlike Nicodemus’ visit in the dark of night, it is bright, bright, bright, where all can see.

 

And what do we see in the bright sunshine of Samaria at the Well of Jacob that no self-respecting Jew has chosen to visit for centuries?

 

We see Jesus, the very Jewish son of God, standing beside a woman from Samaria, and they are talking.

 

Like talking, talking. He says something, she says something.  He makes a request; she responds. 

 

It is a stunning sight to behold.  Shocking.  Scandalous.

 

He answers; she speaks back, bringing her knowledge of history and Jacob into the conversation.

 

He responds with a riddle only a professor of philosophy could understand and she doesn’t bat an eye but speaks right back.

 

Up to this point it is the longest conversation Jesus has had with anyone in John.

 

Here we are, 750 years after the fall of Samaria, and we see Jesus, a Jew who was expected to follow the purity laws who should have traveled another way, not engage a woman in theological conversation, nor think about drinking from the same cup.

 

Here we are, 450 years after the Samaritans brashly built their own temple, we see a woman who should not speak to any man of foreign background, who should avoid all things shameful.

 

And yet, here we are today, under the full afternoon sun, out in the middle of the city where all could see, judge, gossip, condemn.

 

And they are talking; interacting; discussing things like they’re at Eden Seminary.

 

What we see here it yet another example of Jesus and the people around him being subversive.

 

Here we have another example of why, “bam” the hammer was struck into the nails.

 

Here we see Jesus doing the unexpected and improper.

 

But what we also see is the past reuniting with the present to become part of a wonderful future.

 

This is a moment of healing; a moment of reconciliation.  This is the moment where 2 nations begin to revive a relationship.

 

Jacob’s Well, once almost seen as gone, dead, is wonderfully here, now.  Perhaps, we can even say this is a moment of Resurrection.

 

Imagine, that at this moment, as we see the Woman of Samaria and Jesus talking, that their ancestor Jacob is there, and so is Rachel, and so is Joseph and his wife Asenath and so on and so on. 

 

Imagine, if at this moment as Jesus and the Woman Of Samaria speak and discuss theology and God, that all of history is there, to watch, to smile, to be pleased.

 

For that which had seemed to be gone forever now is on its ways to grow and flourish and be part of the Kingdom of God here on earth.

 

Jesus stays there for 2 days, eating, fellowshipping with them.  Upon his resurrection, Christ announces that people will be witnesses to Jerusalem and Samaria (Acts 1:8). 

 

Philip goes to Samaria to preach; Peter and John join him, where they successfully minister to many, many villages.

 

At this Well, it is about more then water; it is about more than thirst or theology.

 

It is about the ability for Jesus to overcome the turmoil and disagreements, the vilification of others and the hate of someone different.

 

At this well, we see a moment in which the past is remembered, the ancestors who came before are honored, memory and legacy are seen as a gift.

 

As thus, this present moment becomes richer and more meaningful, and the future opens up to unlimited possibilities.

 

What an honor to be at Jacob’s Well today, and to see how Jesus invites the Samaritan Woman and each of us to think about what Living Water can mean. 

 

Amen.