Sermon for Father's Day- Nehemiah 6:15

 

Rev. George Miller

June 21, 2026

Nehemiah 6:15

 

Today we continue our pet-themed season of worship, titled “God’s Pawsome Love.”  Last week Michele discussed her bulldogs, one named Guinevere.  This gave me a smile- I was raised with dogs named Melody and Guinevere.

 

A favorite childhood memory was the Fall of 1975, raking the lawn with Dad, listening to the cast album of “Camelot” while Melody and Guinevere, with her golden coat, were running free.

 

Robert Goulet came on, singing the song “Guinevere” and to my young ears, it was magnificent. 

 

It’s interesting how images and songs stay embedded in our hearts, especially when attached to someone who loves us.

 

Riding in the car with Dad hearing “Bring In The Clowns” by Judy Collins, “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart, and all things Bob Dylan. 

 

Not all memories are fuzzy and warm.  The time we chopped wood and I made it as miserable as possible.  Being absolutely bored as he tried to teach me how to change the oil. 

 

How my Dad did all he could to let me know he accepted me, but recently learning how much he struggled with my identity.

 

My father died in 1995 of brain cancer, and though I carry him with me everywhere, my brother and I will never know what it would be like if he was still here, what it would be like for the three of us to go out and share a meal.

 

I think of how Dad would be proud; how he would smile during the Memorial Day Service.

 

One of the things men learn as we age is that no one really teaches us how to be men.  Our Dads often tried their best with what they knew and what they witnessed, but no one really says things like-

 

“You can speak soft and still be heard.”  “You can refuse to act violently and still be strong.”  “Your height can be used to bring comfort to some and scare others.”

 

No one really teaches boys how to be men, and men how to be fathers.  So it is with gratefulness that I say “Thank you” to whoever submitted today’s reading.

 

Nehemiah is a rarely discussed book of the Bible, and that’s too bad, because  Nehemiah is a role model for how to be a man and be a Dad.

 

Last week we stood with Joshua and the people, in the year 1250 BCE, ready to enter the Promised Land with wibbly-wobbly feet.

 

In 587, the nation falls, the city walls destroyed; the citizens taken into captivity.  In 538 folk return to a nation that is utterly destroyed. 

 

In 516 they rebuild the Temple but the city’s walls remain down, making them vulnerable and feeling like a non-nation.

 

It is now 445 BCE, nearly a century since Jerusalem had her walls torn asunder.

 

Nehemiah, Persian by birth but a Jew by identity, is working for the king.  He hears about his kin in Judah.  He is told they’re living in shame, chaos, and brokenness.

 

This disparaging news hits him hard.  He sits and weeps, for days.  He prays to God.  He comes to work looking sooo sad that the King of Persia asks what’s wrong. 

 

Nehemiah says “Oh King, how can I be happy when the place my grandparents are buried is in ruins and its walls burned down.  Please, let me go back to my ancestral land and assist in rebuilding it.”

 

The King agrees, using his connections to ensure Nehemiah has safe travel, access to natural resources, and military assistance.

 

Nehemiah gets to Judah, and with wisdom, charisma, and clear focus, he gets everyone involved.  Within 52 days the walls are rebuilt.

 

That which lingered in a depressed state of nothingness for a century, the people are now ready to do.

 

In this story are 3 lessons that can apply to anyone, including our men and our fathers. 

 

One, it is OK to cry. 

 

Nehemiah learns his people are suffering.  Instead of becoming numb, he sits with the pain.  He weeps, and finds a way to mourn.  In doing so he turns to God with an honest conversation.

 

With tears, he says “God, I know you’re great.  You keep covenants.  Hear my voice, see my sadness. My people haven’t always walked right or honored your boundaries.”

 

“But we are still yours and you are ours.  Please hear, please find a way to shower us with your mercy and grant us success.”

 

Nehemiah learns distressing news, and within his own masculinity he finds a way to grieve, confess, and seek out assistance, from both God and King, unapologetic and true.

 

Second lesson we see in Nehemiah is delegation.  After he has his heart to heart with God, Nehemiah doesn’t do anything alone.  He reaches out to the king and keepers of the forest; he communicates with commanders and cavalry. 

 

Instead of saying “No One can do it the way I can,” or feeling like this is his domain, and his only, Nehemiah invites everyone to be a part of the rebuilding process. 

 

A perfect example to boys wanting to be men, and men wanting to be better fathers.  Nehemiah delegates tasks so everyone plays a part and can feel a sense of pride.

 

Priests rebuild the Sheep Gate.  Sons of Hassenaah rebuild the Fish Gate.  Men of Gibeon repair the Old Gate while goldsmiths and perfumers assist.  Azbuk’s son fixes the wall across from King David’s grave. Temple servants rebuild the Water Gate and tower.

 

Though not mentioned, we know there were daughters and wives present, assisting in all the ways they could.

 

Nehemiah shows us that it is OK for a man to cry; to delegate.  The third lesson is to hear and to act.

 

In chapter 5 we discover unsettling news.  While the citizens worry that there’s no gate to keep the enemies out, it seems that the worst enemies are those within.

 

There are members of Judah who are taking advantage of them.  Landlords are raising their rent.  Families are having to take out large loans just to survive. 

 

The people, including the wives and women cry out.  There is not enough food for their kids to eat. 

 

Folk are hungry.  Parents are having to choose between losing their farm or feeding their family.  Their sons are being enslaved; their daughters abused.

 

They come to Nehemiah, the same way he came to God, lifting up their voice, telling their truth.

 

And Nehemiah…listens.  He listens and he believes.  He does not play “blame the victim” or tell them to work harder.

 

Nehemiah hears them, feeling righteous anger.  He takes time to think about it, then he goes into action, calling together the big wigs and who’s who and those who are the advantage takers.

 

He stands before them and says “What you’re doing is wrong; in no way are you walking with God.  You know our nation is suffering.  Stop with all the impossibly high interest rates.  Give back to the people what you know you stole.”

 

Nehemiah does not shame them for being rich or being savvy businesspeople, he simply addresses their unfair practices. 

 

With this issue addressed, everyone goes back to working together, rebuilding the wall, step by step, week by week.

 

52 days later, all the cracks and crevices are filled in.  They have a wall, tall and strong, standing as a testimony to what can be done when fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, business and civic leaders work together.

 

Nehemiah, in his faithfulness and focus is such a great model for all people who seek insight into how one person can make a difference.

 

For our men, he teaches that it is Ok to cry.  It is OK to delegate; sharing our work with many.  It is Ok to hear the cries of others and address the cause of their hurt.

 

Today we continue to celebrate the Pawsome Love of God who creates, frees, instructs, wants the best for everyone.

 

Let us meditate on the example of Nehemiah as we continue to thrive in this sanctuary that God has trusted us with.

 

May these walls always be a holy space and a holy time of safe harbor, where people can exhale, embody their faith, and find ways to be the generous hands and feet of Christ to the world around us.

 

Amen and amen.

UCC- We Remember

 

Rev. George Miller

June 14, 2026

Joshua 1:9

 

“Remember.”  This word, and all its variations appear about 225 times in Scripture.

 

Deuteronomy 24:18- “Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.”

 

Psalm 105:5- “Remember the wonderful works (God) has done.”

 

Luke 24:8-9- “Then the women remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told this to the eleven...”

 

To remember, so we never forget, lose track of who we are, when we prevailed, and don’t want to redo.

 

That is why we remember Pearl Harbor and D-Day; why we recall Stonewall and July 4^th.

 

Why we acknowledge Juneteenth, a day in 1865 the enslaved people in Texas discovered they were free, 30 months after the Emancipation Proclamation, when General Granger arrived and announced the good news of their freedom.

 

To Remember.  So we don’t forget.  So we never repeat.  So we can give thanks, celebrate, speak up.

 

Today, Joshua combines memory into courage.  In today’s reading, Joshua is taking the assembly of believers into a new era.

 

After 40 years of dilly-dallying in the desert, the people are a bit wibbly-wobbly on their feet, and before they go into the land of milk and honey, God says-

 

“Step forward.  From the forests to the rivers I am with you.  Be brave, for I will keep the promises made to your ancestors.”

 

God says “Listen and believe- don’t be timid or shocked.  I am in each and every step you take.  Be strong; be courageous.” 

 

There is a beauty in the people moving forward because of promises made in the past to the grandparents who came before.

 

There is a beauty in remembering, because sometimes people want you to forget; they want you to forget so they can do what they want and hope that you are not brave, you are not courageous.

 

Last week, we learned that changes are being made to the list of recognized religions that US soldiers can select when entering military service.

 

As a Pastor, I feel sad that our Department of Defense has made this change. Especially since I went seminary feeling a call to Military Chaplaincy.

 

I feel sad because my family has deep roots in the service going back to the Revolutionary War. 

 

This shift of 200-plus religious categories to 31 broader one means that Unitarian Universalists have been removed.  Mormons are not in the Christian category.  The AME has been collapsed into “Christian: Other.” So has the UCC.

 

For some, this move from a specific code to a more general one may not seem like a concern, but through the lens of history, it may raise questions about what could come next.

 

1^st, transgender teens in sports become the target of a bill in Florida.  Then there are reports of immigrants showing up for legal appointments being detained.  We hear about historic individuals being removed from government websites. 

 

To learn that religious categories are being redesignated can raise questions, especially for those who recall when and where similar things have taken place before.

 

Here is where the courageous call of Joshua and the scriptural guide to “remember” comes into play.

 

No matter what anyone says, no matter what category the UCC is put into, WE remember and we know who we are.

 

We are St. Lucas UCC, transforming lives as the hands and feet of Christ since 1880.

 

No agency, no human actor, no list of 31 categories can change that.  We remember.  We know who we are.

 

We remember that one branch of the UCC came over in 1620 landing on the shores of Massachusetts.  We remember that another branch of the UCC came to America in the 1830’s making their way up the Mississippi.

 

We remember those whose came to Pennsylvania in the 1700s and those who road horseback into western town to lead revivals.

 

As members of the UCC we cannot be erased because we played a part in starting institutions like Harvard and Yale, shaping institutions like Mount Holyoke.

 

For one of our military members to check “Christian: Other” does not erase the fact that our predecessors started the Pilgrim Press, gathered in churches that helped inspire the Boston Tea Party, protected the Liberty Bell, and raised funds to defend those aboard the Amistad.

 

I am sad to know that starting in July the names of those in the back of our bulletin can no longer mark “UCC.”  However, we can be proud to know that they are part of a congregation and denomination that has had an active role in:

 

Eden Seminary, educating pastors since 1850.  The Deaconess Foundation, providing health care and compassion.

 

Every Child’s Hope, caring for the vulnerable; Isaiah 58 addressing  issues around housing. 

 

Emmaus Homes, serving people living with developmental disabilities.

 

The nation may want to place us with the category of “other” but it is because of the UCC, under the encouragement of Rev. King and other civil rights leaders, that we challenged censorship and the silencing of voices in the South.

 

How inspiring that the UCC, standing in strength and courage, spoke up so that ordinary citizens could also have access to the airwaves, allowing diverse voices to have a place on tv and radio.

 

And let us not forget Reinhold Niebhur, born in Missouri, a graduate of Eden, who wrote the Serenity Prayer.

 

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

 

Talk about strong and courageous, one step at a time.

 

As a Pastor, I feel sad that our Department of Defense has made this policy change, reducing  over 200 religious categories to 31.

 

I worry about what could happen next.  Once people no longer call you by your name, there is no telling what can happen next.

 

I want us to be prepared for the worst-case scenario just in case, but we also need to hold onto our memory-

 

who we are, who we have been, what we have done and what we are doing.

 

There is a reason the phrase “remember” appears nearly 250 times throughout the Bible.

 

The act of remembering is an act of faith; it is an act of identity.

 

Remembering reminds us of who we are.

 

Remembering makes way for the wonderfulness of the Resurrection.

 

And remembering is an act of knowing that no matter what, God is with us, each and every step, each and every day.

 

For that, we can say “Amen.”

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.