Saturday Night Sermon at St. Lucas UCC; Aug 31, 2024- Matthew 20:1-16

 

Rev. George Miller

August 31, 2024

Matthew 20:1-16

 

Tonight, you’re going to hear the 2 scariest words in the English language: 

 

Junior High.

 

Now, just 3 weeks ago we celebrated our children going back to school.

 

We blessed Backpacks.  Watched  a video made by our Children’s Ministries.

 

Joked about where we went to school and proudly wore our school colors.

 

But let’s take a moment to be honest. 

 

Is it fair to say, that for some of us…many of us…

 

…the most treacherous, confusing era in our entire lives was Junior High?

 

The lunchroom where the cool kids sit here; nerds sit there.

 

English class when introverts are forced to stand up and read their book report infront of everyone.

 

The group project in which 1 person does alllll the work while 1 person does nothing.

 

Science when the teacher says, “Choose your Lab partner, you’ll be working together all semester.”

 

Picking teams during gym class and that sense of “please don’t let me be picked last.”

 

Could this be another way to hear today’s reading? 

 

What if the Landowner was an athletic coach who lets everyone play on the team?

 

Imagine this:  Those picked first are the athletically astute, the tall, the agile, the quick, the strong.

 

That would be a winning team, BUT the coach goes to the theatre department, gathers the drama geeks and the tech nerds.

 

Now we have a team that will not only win but put on a great show while doing it!

 

The coach sees there are others who’d like to play. 

 

So, he goes to the outcast table in the lunchroom and says “C’mon, I want you to be part of the team.”

 

Though they may have acne, glasses, or funny sounding accents, they get to play alongside the jocks and the theatre kids.

 

Not only are they now a winning team that puts on a good show, but they are a team that has become wonderfully diverse.

 

But that’s not enough. 

 

The coach goes out behind the school building, under the bleachers, and finds

 

the ones who are smoking, skipping class, and being oh so goth.

 

“C’mon, I want you to be part of the team.”

 

At 5 pm the coach goes to the room delegated as “special education,” reaches out to the students listed as “special needs.”

 

The coach asks “Why aren’t you playing on the team.”

 

And someone, perhaps in a wheelchair, says “Because no one will pick us.”

 

With great love in his heart, the coach says ““C’mon, I want you to be part of the team.”

 

Here’s a field full of jocks and beauty queens, muscles and mathematicians, computer techs and trombonists.

 

There are students of German, Bosnian, Irish, Mexican, French, Caribbean, Scottish, Afghanie descent.

 

At the end of the event, the coach says “Congratulations, you have all won the game!”

 

“Congratulations- you all get 1^st prize!”

 

Would that upset you?

 

Perhaps if you were the jock selected at 7 am.

 

But for the students selected at noon or 5 pm, it would be a joy!

 

...but what if we look at today’s reading another way.

 

What if the vineyard is not a place. 

 

What if the vineyard is a person…and the person is you?

 

What if the hours represent eras in your life?

 

What if the people are you at those different eras?

 

Think of this for a moment.

 

If you were born before 1960 there is a good chance you were raised going to church.

 

Perhaps you were that sweet innocent child who got to sing “Jesus Loves Me” and attend Confirmation.

 

But then as you became a teen, go off to college, get your first job, and date,

 

church was no longer a priority or a regular thing.

 

Then, maybe around the noon hour of your life you have a kid, raise a family, so you decide it’s time to go back to church.

 

But then the kids grow up, and they leave, as children do…

 

…And with no more need of Christmas pageants and bake sales, your participation at church begins to wane.

 

Then comes that moment-

 

death and disaster break in at the 3 pm hour, and when it does, you may find the desire to come back to church; come back to God….

 

…or some may pull themselves further away.

 

Then there is the 5 pm hour in our lives. 

 

The long day has begun to come to a close. 

 

We’ve done it all, seen it all, know it all or discover we don’t know a thing.

 

We find ourselves asking “Was any of it worth it?”

 

As the night begins to fall, there can be the thought:

 

“Does God still care about me?  Does God still want me to be part of the team?” 

 

“Am I still a beloved child of Heaven?”

 

To which the owner of the vineyard comes along, extends a hand and says...

 

“Yes.  Yes YOU are!”

 

Maybe today’s parable isn’t about us judging others on what time they “arrive.” 

 

Maybe it’s a story saying -

 

“No matter what hour of life you are in, God is seeking you, God is extending an invitation to you, God wants YOU.”

 

Maybe the beauty of today’s story is that the Kingdom of God is a place in which

 

-there is space for all,

-a time for all,

-a way for all to be part of the team.

 

No matter what age we are.

 

No matter where we went to school.

 

No matter what hour we are living our spiritual life.

 

It is good that God is there, God is with us,

 

and God loves having us as part of the team.

 

For that, we can say “Amen.”

Sermon for August 25, 2024; Ephesians 6:10-20

 

Rev. George Miller

August 25, 2024

Ephesians 6:10-20

 

Everyone has a gift.  At least 1 gift.  A gift that they can do better, brighter, more beautiful than anyone else.

 

Some are ballerinas, dancing so elegant, so demure.

 

Some are computer programmers, their brains seeing patterns, understanding codes.

 

Some are great at oral history, knowing how to share the chisme that lets the new Pastor know who is related to who and how and when this was built and why.

 

Some are great at maintenace, knowing how to hang photos in the office, fixing locks, making sure the water leak in the bathroom stops leaking water.

 

Arts, science, storytelling, infrastructure are all great, important skills…but not everyone is meant to have them all at all times.

 

You can’t be upset if your best computer programmer puts on a stinky SWAN LAKE.

 

Or mad if your prima donna is a prima-don’t when it comes to spreadsheets and Google Docs.

 

Don’t put a monkey wrench in the hands of a person who’s easily distracted by watching people walk by.

 

Don’t expect the one who knows how build the porch to be sitting on the porch sharing gossip.

 

And yes- we have ballerinas who are excellent on the keyboards, and historians who know how to fix things.

 

But the thing is- it is OK if each of us have 1 gift, and that gift we have we do really, really well.

 

The world needs dancers and project managers, storytellers, and architects…we just don’t need everyone to be everything.

 

This is something that I feel is missing from today’s Scripture.

 

In today’s reading the author poetically states ways a Christian can be attired.

 

It sounds like Etsy and Amazon Prime have come together with a list of items one can wear.

 

A belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness.

 

Shoes so you can go proclaim the Gospel.  A shield to protect yourself from evil and injustice.

 

A helmet for mindfulness.  God’s Word as a tool of protection.

 

The Whole Armor of God that we are encouraged to take up so that we can live in this world with faith and conviction.

 

I don’t know about you…but all of that sounds like a lot.

 

Belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, sword…I’d be falling over, uncoordinated, and unsure what to do with half those items.

 

Shoes to proclaim the gospel- I get that.  Can do that.  Love to talk; and talking about God- yes!

 

Breastplate of righteousness? Got a loonnnggg way to go with that one, especially depending on who and how one describes that word, and if I’ve had my nap.

 

The shield to fight off all the injustice in the world…that is exhausting.

 

If being an active, faithful Christian in today’s world means wearing all that Armor all the time and wearing it well…is there anyone who can do that?

 

BUT, but as a unified Body Of Christ, as a church that has been transforming lives since 1880-

 

Well, then it is safe to say that we do have within our midst all kinds of folk who wear at least one of those articles of armor.

 

No doubt at St. Lucas we got folk who wear a belt of wisdom.  We see this on our Tuesday ZOOM and Sunday Bible Study.

 

No doubt we got folk here who by their very nature live as righteous as they can.

 

Think of our elders who have given what they can and done what they could so we can gather here today.

 

The choir last week, without a doubt, sung with shoes that shared the Gospel.

 

We have Ministry Teams like Mission, Social Justice, ONA that are holding shields addressing issues of justice, be it in the form of poverty, hunger, or discrimination.

 

The items collected by Women With a Mission are a shield, empowering refugee and immigrant women to thrive amidst the threat of scarcity.

 

We see that helmet of salvation being shaped around the heads of our youth as they stand before us to read scripture and plan their next mission trip.

 

And there is no doubt that our kids are being empowered to study the Word of God so they know how to be Caring Christians in our community.

 

It is fascinating to note that as of now, we have at least 18 Ministry Teams here at St. Lucas.

 

AND, we have at least 15 Missions we fund in addition to our Backpack Program and our covenanted ministries with Missouri and St. Louis.

 

Holy Schmoly!  That’s a lot of ministries, and that’s a lot of armor.

 

But it’s not armor that we are all wearing individually, but-

 

armor that we share, support, cheer on, provide for, dream about and nurture.

 

Today’s reading encourages us to put on the full Armor of God.

 

And God bless anyone who can.

 

But perhaps the true victory, the true wonder, the healthiest way of being is if each of us put on what we can.

 

And what we do for the Lord, we do very very well.

 

Perhaps the true victory, the true wonder, the healthiest way of being is that we each

 

encourage, cheer on, and support those who do what they do, and do really well.

 

That way, together, as St. Lucas UCC, we know that someone, somewhere is wearing what we ourselves may lack.

 

In doing so, we can continue to be the church that is transforming lives as the hands and feet of Christ since 1880.

 

For that, we can say “Amen.”

Sermon for August 18, 2024; John 6:51-58

 

Rev. George Miller

August 18, 2024

John 6:51-58

 

Today is our third officially- official Sunday together. 

 

It’s our last Sunday in John’s Gospel.

 

It’s our First Sunday Funday in which our amazing Michele is going to share the art of architecture and how to create something out of anything.

 

Kind of reminds us of Genesis 1-

 

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,

 

while a wind of God swept over the face of the waters.

 

Then God said, ‘Let there be light,”: and there was light.”

 

Creation. Imagination. Play.

 

What a wonderful activity to share with our youth, families and anyone else, young, old, or middle aged who wish to attend.

 

To come together, to fellowship, to imagine, to explore.  But here is the thing about architecture-

 

things that can be physically built, can be physically destroyed.

 

Things we build with stone and brick, Legos and pipe-cleaners can always be dismantled and destroyed, knocked down by winds or washed away by water.

 

BUT, but the things we build, the things we create with our hearts, with our minds, our spirits- they are eternal.

 

And no distance, no space, no time, no natural disaster can wipe them away.

 

Architects build that which can be destroyed;

 

God creates that which lives on as long as we have breath, and we believe.

 

Genesis teaches us how God creates; Jesus shows us how to exist in the eternal, and we are all so fortunate about that…

 

Today is the final part of Jesus’ conversations with the crowd after he has fed them with 5 loaves and 2 fish.

 

The people sailed across the lake to see him.  They’ve been reminded of their ancestors.

 

They’ve shown their disbelief because they knew just where Jesus went to school.

 

Today Jesus shares more about the Bread of Heaven, and he goes a step further, discussing eternal life.

 

The people and the disciples don’t get it.  “This teaching is just too difficult” they say.

 

And that’s understandable, because there is a good chance that everyone is thinking way more with their logical brain than engaging with their interactive heart.

 

There is a very good chance that Jesus is actually talking in the abstract, in the creative and emotional realm that allows true Genesis to take place.

 

People hear the word “eternal” and they often think about time.

 

But the original meaning of “eternal” has nothing to do with time, it has to do with quality.

 

When people hear “eternal,” they think it means “forever and ever with no end.”

 

But the original meaning of eternal is about value, beauty, joy.

 

For example, think about that time in American history that people refer to as our “Camelot.” 

 

It was an era seen as filled with hope, progress, possibilities, a time of being that still shapes our thoughts and wishes today.

 

But the fact is that America’s “Camelot” was just a three-year period in the early 60’s.

 

3 years is not a long time at all, but yet, that era has stayed with us, informed movies, styles, discussions about how we can be the best citizens we can be.

 

That period of time in America’s history is in many ways “eternal.”  It did not last forever, but it has forever left an impact.

 

When Jesus discusses the Bread of Heaven and receiving the gifts of Eternal Life, he is most likely talking about how we can live a life of hope, progress, possibility.

 

A more recent illustration of “eternal” is the life of Glenn Scott, husband of Margit, who sadly died at age 58.

 

Though his life was way too short, Glenn built homes, raised an amazing family, went on world-wide excursions,

 

He ate delicious foods and made a difference in his community through ecological advocacy.

 

Glenn lived a Christian life through the works of his hands and feet, and in doing so, he lived an eternal life.

 

“Eternal” is such a beautiful word and such a stunning concept, because it means-

 

we are not limited by how long we live, or where we dwell or who we know.

 

This Eternal Life being offered by Jesus Christ is a life that offers ways of personal peace,

 

-means to make a difference amongst family, friends, our neighbors;

 

-wisdom in where we put our energies, what we do with our days;

 

-sanctuary for when we find ourselves scared, sad, unsure;

 

-relationships with people who are present, pleasing, and playful.

 

When Jesus discusses Eternal Life, he is referring to places like St. Lucas where for 144 years we have found ways to-

 

share the Word, educate, offer spaces for people to grow vegetables, play sports, eat Walkable Waffles,

 

even a place to lovingly bury and honor our dead.

 

People came to Jesus expecting miracles to baffle their eyes; instead he says words that illuminate their hearts and bring them closer to God.

 

Jesus offers us eternal life.

 

Life that goes beyond a garden, life that goes beyond the wilderness,

 

life that even goes on beyond a Friday Cross and a Saturday tomb.

 

Jesus is the Bread of Heaven,

 

here to feed us, nourish us, and remind us that he is a Savior who cares about quality,

 

who wants to see us be architects who co-create lives that are filled with hope, filled with progress, and filled with possibilities.

 

The eternal gifts of Heaven are already here for us to build with;

 

Jesus Christ is the Genesis, the beginning, of how we do so.

 

For that, let us say Amen.