Let the 99 plus 1 Shout "Hosanna!"; March 29, 2026 Sermon

 

Rev. George Miller

March 29, 2026

John 12: 1-19

 

Throughout Lent we have focused on Isaiah 53- “All we like sheep that have gone astray”.

 

This verse highlights our humanness; to make mistakes, to sin, to hurt and be hurt, to wander from God and turn to self-seeking pastures.

 

In our day-to-day lives it is so easy to make unwise decisions, become easily distracted, lose our focus on the Kingdom Of God and what it means to be a Citizen of Heaven.

 

But this morning, we discover that though all we like sheep have gone astray, today we come together.

 

Today we unite as the 99 plus 1 to sing and shout “Hosanna!”  Today we become the 100 sheep who smile, cheer, celebrate and welcome-

 

The Great Shepherd, Water Into Wine Maker,  Jacob’s Well Talker,

Pick-Up-Your-Mat, Sight Giver-

Jesus Christ; Heavenly Servant, KING.

 

After 3 years of water-based ministry,

3 years of mountaintop feeding,

3 years of restoring relationships,

 

Jesus, Emmanuel, The Living I AM,

has made his way into Jerusalem to face the powers that be, experience injustice, and to rise from the grave,

 

Proving once and for all that:

-The Word cannot be silenced or censored; The Word cannot be scared off or destroyed.

 

While people thinks power can only come from mighty steeds and weapons of mass destruction, Jesus shows what God can do with tree branches, a humble donkey, songs of praise, and a people who believe.

 

In a world that says power comes

from more more more, Jesus embodies the Kingdom of God that thrives on compassion and humility.

 

In a world that says in order to be successful you must be eating steak and lobster, Jesus says that a loaf of bread and a few fish that’s shared is enough.

 

The actions of Jesus today shows that humility is strength and joy is a balm to the weary soul.

 

That songs of Hosanna can drown out the doubt of naysayers.

 

Jesus, on a borrowed donkey,

Welcomed with palms plucked  from the side of the road, Jesus is more King than Ceasar on a mighty horse, or Pilate with his massive army.

 

Today is the day in which we join with the great crowd of witnesses: all those who came before, all those who are here now, and all those who will come after, to shout and sing in song and action “Hosanna!”   

 

Today is the day we say- “Do not be afraid, no matter what happens next, do not be discouraged; do not lose heart. Because the Dawning of the New Age is just about to begin.”

 

While entering the city, Jesus doesn’t say a single Word; he doesn’t have to

because for 3 years his words, his actions, has said it all.

 

So let us take a cue from Jesus.  As Psalm 118 says- “Let us give thanks to the Lord, for God is so good.”

 

Let us give thanks to the Lord, for God’s steadfast love endures forever.

 

In our distress, we have called upon the Lord, and God has answered.

 

With the Lord on our side,

What can mortals do to us?

 

With the Lord on our side,

We can look around in triumph.

 

Blessed is the one who comes

In the name of The Lord,

 

The Lod is God,

And God has given us light.

 

In other words,

Today we are not afraid to feel good.  Today we do not apologize

for being happy.

 

And for that, we can say

“Hosanna,” “Hosanna,”

“Amen.”

Lent Reflection for March 25, 2026; Isaiah 53:6

 

Rev. George Miller

March 25, 2026

Isaiah 53:6

 

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

 

Isaiah gives us such an honest line of scripture.  Not one of the most triumphant or prettiest, but honest.  “All we like sheep have gone astray.”  Not some of us. Not the bad folk.  Not those who vote or believe differently.

All of us; every last wandering, distracted, complicated human.

 

We’ve heard Michele talk about sheep; here’s something else to say- sheep are not rebellious in the dramatic way we may imagine.

 

They don’t wake up, hit  Snooze and say,  "You know what? Today I think I’ll intentionally create chaos and destroy The Shepherd’s Plan." 

 

No.  Sheep wander.  They get lost in thought; lost in hunger.  They see a patch of grass, then another patch.  Then suddenly they look up and realize “Hey!  Where’s the flock?”

 

That’s usually how we go astray.

Not through some dramatic moment of intentional evil. But through small turns.

 

One distraction or worry. One resentment we didn’t deal with or moment we forgot who we are.

 

Before we know it, we look up and say: “How did I end up all the way out here?” 

 

And here’s what Isaiah knows-Being lost isn’t just about bad behavior.  Sometimes it’s about being tired.

 

Sometimes it’s about being hurt or carrying grief so long you stop noticing where you're walking.

 

Sometimes it’s about trying to carry the world on your shoulders.

 

Isaiah looks at humanity and says:

“Every single one of us has had that moment.” 

 

And the heart of this passage is not the wandering; the heart of the passage is what God does with it.

Isaiah says: “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

 

The word iniquity can sound heavy.  But it really means the weight of human brokenness.

The mistakes and harm. The pain we cause and inherit. The pain we carry.

 

Isaiah says that somehow, someway, God does something astonishing:  God does not leave us alone with it.

 

We see this in the life of Jesus.  Jesus steps into the human story, born in that manger, not to shame us or to say, “You sheep should have tried harder.” But to say-

 

"I will walk into the wilderness with you. I will carry what you cannot carry. I will stand where the lost stand."

 

This is why Lent is so personal.  Lent is not about beating ourselves up.  It is about telling the truth about our wandering.

 

The truth about our distractions.

The truth about our hurts and the hows that we have lost our way.

 

But also the truth that God keeps walking toward us.  Every time.

 

People don’t usually wander or get lost because they’re evil; they wander because they’re human.

 

Because they’re searching; they’re hurting.  Because sometimes life knocks the wind out of you and you lose the map.

 

But the gospel says something extraordinary:  Even when we wander, we are not abandoned.

Even when we lose the path, the shepherd is moving toward us.

 

Perhaps tonight that’s the word someone needs to hear.  You might feel like you’re a long way from where you’re supposed to be, emotionally, spiritually.

 

But the good news of Isaiah and of Lent is that God is not waiting at the finish line shaking God’s  head.

 

God is already walking the hills looking for you.  Because in God’s Kingdom of God, the story of the sheep is never just about being lost.

 

It’s about being found.  For that, let us all say “Amen.”

March 18 2026 Lenten Reflection Jeremiah 50:6-7

 

Rev. George Miller

March 18, 2026

Jeremiah 50:6-7

 

Tonight you are witnessing a message recorded the day before my surgery.  This message was created in anticipation, filmed in preparation, and now it is being viewed, while I am feeling like a healing sheep that is far from the flock, dealing with my own unique wounds and experience.

 

Tonight, we see through the lens of Jeremiah, who was known as the “Weeping Prophet.”  His sense of empathy for the people led him to have deep emotional expression.

 

Jeremiah’s emotionality caused him to speak up and to speak out, to address issues that everyone saw; to create insight into the path the people were heading.

 

Because of this, Jeremiah was not always liked, or listened to.  There were those who wanted to silence him.  In chapter 18 he feels as if a pit has been dug for him, how they laid snares at his feet, hoping to kill him and his words.

 

Jeremiah isn’t so much the sheep that has gone astray or been lost, he is more like the black sheep of the family, the one that everyone feels uncomfortable around, the one everyone would rather not discuss.

 

But this does not stop his prophetic word, nor his care for the children, the youth and men who could die in war, or the wives who could become widows.

 

So he speaks and he cries, he reveals and he encourages, all with an unshakeable trust in the future; that eventually there will be restoration and rebirth.

 

In tonight’s reading he refers to the people as lost sheep; but not just lost- they are sheep who have been led astray by their shepherds. 

 

They are sheep who have been led away from the mountains of nourishment and faithful living, into a place where the shepherds have made them forget who they are, the flock they are a part of.

 

This has made the flock vulnerable, easy targets for their enemies and outsiders to come and devour them, to hurt them.

 

This evening, let us take a moment to think of how we may feel as if we are being led astray by shepherds meant to protect us.

 

Tonight, let us pause and reflect on how there are shepherds who have tried to separate the flock and pull us away from one another.

 

Tonight, let us think of the ways in which we can become vulnerable as a people, nation, faith because of such shepherds.

 

Tonight, let us take a moment to symbolically weep just as Jeremiah would.  To weep, and to wonder- “as a people, all we like sheep that have been led astray?”

 

How do we erase the guilt of our collected sins?  How can we reclaim the true pasture of the Lord, and the hope of our ancestors?  Easter can not come too soon.                           Amen.

Jesus- Timely and Political; John 18:28-38

 

Rev. George Miller

March 15, 2026

John 18:28-38

 

Preachers often receive the comment “I don’t want to hear anything political.  Religion should have nothing to do with politics.”

 

25 years ago, I would’ve agreed.  Back then, when starting at Eden Seminary, my calling was strictly spiritual; a faith about miracles, courage, and total trust in God.

 

But since serving one church during a recession and another church in a community steeped in wounds of prejudice and homophobia, I started to realize- many miracles would be unnecessary in a world that is just and kind.  Courage and trust are needed when facing obstacles to our health, wealth, and well-being.

 

The Bible is political- hence books like Kings, and stories like the Exodus.  The writers were political.  Prophets addressed issues of unfair rent, unfair wages, mistreatment of immigrants.

 

The ministry of Jesus was political.  At Jacob’s Well he talked to a Samarian Woman, he fed the hungry, offered wellness to the lame, making it so they could reenter society and earn an honest wage.

 

How much is our own political climate devoted to health care, poverty,  people’s rights, and those who are from another land?

 

Maybe, to make things a bit easier to hear, we can that the ministry of Jesus was political, because it was timely.  He ministered according to the events, people, and places of his time.

 

The ministry of Jesus spoke to the time he lived, one in which his nation of Judah and been invaded and occupied by Rome.

 

Jesus spoke to the ways of the Temple, addressing money changers with overcharged fees, and clergy demanding gifts of fatty lambs to dine upon, offering a purer connection to God that was unlike the policies of the priests.

 

The ministry of Jesus was timely, balancing issues that were spiritual and political, holistic and economic.

 

See today’s reading- authorities take him to government headquarters.  He’s questioned by the Roman military governor. 

 

In just 4 verses, the words Nation is used 1x.  King, Kingdom, and World are each 3x. 

 

King, Nation, Kingdom, World, are all political terms.  Why does it matter?

 

Because Pilate, a military governor, is asking Jesus if he is the King of the Jews.   Pilate is not asking if Jesus is the spiritual leader of the Jews.

 

Imagine this story taking place in the Ukraine; Pilate is Putin saying to Jesus is “Are you the one who is going to stir the pot and lead your people into waging a revolt against us, and try to kick us out of your country?”

 

That’s how powerful Jesus is; how strong his presence, words, and understanding of God and scripture is-  that a soldier with a full army at his disposal is afraid that Jesus is going to unleash a war, in which the Romans might lose.

 

Pilate is saying to Jesus “Are you going to stir up trouble and try to usurp the current administration.”

 

Pilate is so worried that Jesus is going to lead the people into a march, a protest, a boycott.

 

And Jesus, with only his words, says “My kingdom is not from this world.  If it was, my followers would’ve been rioting already.”

 

“So,” says Pilate, “Are you a King?”  Jesus says, “You say that I am…but what I came to speak to is the truth.”

 

“What is truth?,” Pilate asks.

 

Jesus does not answer.  He does not need to.  As we’ve seen all along, the Kingdom that Jesus represents is the Kingdom of God.

 

Unlike the Kingdom that Pilate represents, the Kingdom of God is one in which:

 

-there is enough for all,

-there is equality of ALL,

-there is forgiveness, and

-there is fellowship.

 

Enough, equality, forgiveness, and fellowship- all spiritual, political, and timely.

 

Jesus showed us God’s way, a way in one in which God gives us all we need, so we can learn to share, receive, and trust. 

 

We see God’s way when water is turned into abundant and delicious wine.  We see the way of God in the feeding upon the mountain, in which little is turned into much, and there’s enough to fill 12 more baskets.

 

In a culture in which women were less than, and foreign women were seen as the lowest of the low, Jesus ministers to and evangelizes beside the Woman at the Well. 

 

Mary and Martha go toe to toe with Jesus, moving the Lord Of All to tears. 

 

We see beggars treated as willing workers, blind worthy of compassion, and Jesus saying anyone who comes to him will not be tossed away.

 

In God’s Kingdom, there is forgiveness, and there is fellowship.  At a time of great exclusion, Jesus embodied a life in which he ate with, he welcomed, and he celebrated with such a diverse group of citizens and non-citizens.

 

The Kingdom of God, as seen in Jesus, is one in which God has created the world in such a way, that we are given enough so that we can give thanks for, and share what we have.

 

-Men and women, native born and foreigner are welcome, and equals.

 

-Forgiveness of mistakes and sins take place over vicious punishment.

 

-Folks can come together without fear, worry, or abusive hierarchy.

 

Hear how spiritual, political, and timely a walk with Jesus is.

 

Hear how beautiful God’s kingdom truly is; how amazing that we get to be part of it.  For all of God’s goodness and grace, let us say

 

“Amen.”

Hungry; Lent Reflection for Wednesday March 11 2026

 

Rev. George Miller

March 11, 2026

Ezekiel 34:11-16

 

“All we like sheep that have gone astray…”  One of the realities of feeling lost, or having gone astray, is the hunger one can feel.

 

For those that have been gone from home, there is the hunger of missing simple nourishment- juice, bread, meat.

 

Then there is the missing of the food that nourishes not just our body but our memories- smell of coffee in the morning, sound of bacon sizzling, the casserole Mom made that incorporated left-over elements that somehow felt lush and kingly, the Thanksgiving Turkey and Easter ham.

 

There is the missing nourishment of that which feeds our souls- the goodnight kisses, the memories of Christmas Eve services, the shared viewings of favorite movies or singing songs.

 

Each of have our own unique experience of what it means to be “home.”  Therefore, each of us have our own experience of what it means to be far from home, or scattered, or lost.

 

Each of us know a family member or friend who has been like a lost sheep.  Each of us have known what it is like for our mistakes and sins to make us feel like we may be apart from the flock.

 

How many tonight have known what it is like to feel far from home, to feel that sense of scatteredness, or to even feel lost?

 

So lost that you hunger.  You hunger for the simple things.

You hunger for the memories; that what-used-to-bes, that moment when things felt just right.

 

The people of Isreal knew that feeling all too well.  During the Exile, they experienced loss in their homes, experienced loss of their Temple, loss of their favorite food and common sights.

 

In that loss, they felt they were indeed the lost and forgotten sheep, and would often wonder- “Where are you God?” 

 

That question becomes one of the biggest hungers we can have- Where are you God?

 

Tonight we admit that we have hungered or are currently hungering.

 

Tonight, Ezekiel challenges us to feel what it is like to be unsorted, scattered in days of clouds and thick darkness, to be broken and injured, in need of rescue and tired, just so tired. 

 

And hungry, oh so hungry.  Hungry for that which feeds our body, our memory, and our spirits.

 

Are all we like sheep; sheep that have gone astray, and if so- what is to become of us?  Tonight we sit in that question; tonight we endure the discomfort.

 

This is the season we wonder and wade through the unknown, hoping, praying that the Good Shepherd has not forgotten us; that one day we too will rejoice that the lost one has been found.     Amen.