Women Who Made the Ministry of Jesus Happen; Luke 7:36- 8:3

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 23, 2025

Luke 7:36- 8:3

 

It’s another day.  From the fields of grain to the fish filled waters of Capernaum, from accusations of being a drunk glutton who eats with street trash, to the table of a Pharisee, we witness once again how “Bam!” another hammer is about to strike the hands and feet of Christ.

 

This time we explore another theory- Jesus had the audacity to surround himself with independent strong women, even if the Gospel writers and Church fathers tried to hide it.

 

The author of Luke goes out of their way to show just how embodied Jesus is.  He eats.  He takes his place at the table.  His feet are kissed, dried, anointed.

 

This story is sensory rich- food to taste, fragrance to smell, eyes that see, crying to hear, feet to touch, words of forgiveness to celebrate.

 

Jesus is not a disembodied being who is all miracles and show, Jesus is tangible, earthy, here.

 

Because Jesus is not disembodied, he requires the same things we do- food to nourish his journeys, drink to quench his thirst, companions to enrich the day, care to have the courage to keep on going.

 

All these things he receives.  Who does he receive it from?  The women.

 

Mary Magdlene, Joanna, Susanna, the woman with the alabaster jar and many others who provide for Jesus and the disciples out of their own resources.

 

This is such a key reading to get a better, richer, more realistic view of Jesus.  Here, we discover something rarely discussed-

 

The Disciples may get all the screen time, all the glory- but it is the women, the women who were there all the time, and it was the women who made the work of Jesus possible.

 

There is a good chance that these women were rich, they were successful, and they had the time, ability, and desire to be there.

 

One of the greatest sins of the Christian Church is how the male leaders created an unrealistic, false, narrative that either women are a perpetual virgin or a harlot.

 

Because here in Luke 7:36- 8:3 we discover that there are women who extend hospitality and care to Jesus in a way the men don’t, and there are women who are literally funding Jesus’s ministry through their own personal resources.

 

Chapter 8:3 makes it clear- matriarchs like Mary, Joanna, Susanna provided for Jesus through their own resources.

 

This does not mean they cooked or cleaned or laundered or nursed.  They could have very well done some of these things.

 

But - they provided, they gave, they shared, they donated, they offered what they had and what they could so that Jesus could go from grainfields to fish-filled waters, from cities to villages, proclaiming and talking about the Good News and Kingdom of God.

 

In other words, the Marys, the Joannas, the Susannas were the ones who made it possible for Jesus to say “Love Grows Here” and to show the world what that looks like.

 

How amazing to realize that as we read these stories and hear about the miracles, the healings, the teachings, the transformations taking place that there are women there, there are women making all this possible.

 

How different would our faith be, our culture be, if we had more of these stories, if our priests and pastors had shared this information, if each and every grandmother, mother, aunt, niece, girl was raised hearing this.

 

Maybe there would have been a Pope Francine by now.  Maybe our stairwell would have a photo of a female Senior Pastor. 

 

Maybe folk would be worshipping at a place called Saint Susanna UCC.

 

Jesus surrounded himself with smart, strong, steady, financially secure women and they were there.

 

They were there when he healed folk living with paralysis, they were there when he taught the Beatitudes, they were there when he had the 5,000 sit to be fed.

 

Women were always there to offer him their tears, their broken hearts, their thanks, even as religious leaders said “How dare he do what he does.”

 

They were there when the disciples deserted him.  They were there to prepare spices to anoint his dead body. 

 

The women were there on the first day of the week, at early dawn, to find the stone rolled away.

 

The women were the first to remember his words and say to the world that Christ has been raised.

 

So today, let us lift up and let us celebrate all the women, throughout all time, who have been there to follow Christ and to make the Good News known to all.

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”

 

Jesus Died For Who He Ate With; Luke 7:18-35

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 16, 2025

Luke 7:18-35

 

Last week we moved forward with Jesus, beyond the grainfields and into the fishing town of Capernaum. 

 

We met a powerful man and a vulnerable woman, hearing how Jesus saw them and was moved with womb-love.

 

We said that when we read a story about Jesus we can think “THAT’S another hammer into his hands.”

 

Today is another theology- that Jesus was killed for the people he ate with.

 

But first- a story:  Last Friday I met friends at San Jose and was greeted by the owner Fernando.  He asked how the week went, taking time to listen and respond with care.

 

When I sat down, he came over with a complimentary plate of ceviche with the most delicious avocado.

 

As Fernando put the plate down, he said in a compassionate, fatherly way- “Here you go my boy.”

 

He must’ve known that I needed to hear those words.  Not “my friend” or “pal,” but a term of kinship.  At that moment he was being “Dad.”

 

No matter how old we get or how our relationship with our father is or is not, many of us have those moments where we just need “Daddy.”

 

Someone to care for us, watch over us, let us know it will be alright.

 

That Friday night, bustling with sizzling fajitas and festive music, the owner of San Jose took the time to see me, hear me, and show true care.

 

Food is a way we show someone what we think of them and where they belong.

 

Back in July, the Council filled my house with groceries and gift cards.

 

Council did not have to do this.  But they did, and I am so thankful.  What a way to say “Welcome to St. Lucas” and introduce me to local foods, like gooey butter cake, toasted ravioli, Straub’s infamous chicken salad that Viktor and Louis still talk about.

 

The food we eat tells a lot about who we are, where our family is from.  Who we eat with and where we eat says a lot about our place in life.

 

Jesus understood this.  Food was a huge part of his ministry.  In Luke we see more instances of Jesus talking about food, eating food, or on his way to eat than any Gospel.

 

Jesus knew that seeing folk, hearing folk, having compassion for them was one thing.

 

BUT- to sit down and eat with them- that’s another.  It’s easy to offer healing and wellness to someone you may never see again.

 

When we take time to stop, sit down, eat beside another- that takes time, attention, vulnerability, and bravery.

 

This is what Jesus offered everyone he dined with.

 

Jesus lived in a culture in which you only ate with those who were “in,” with those who were “just like you.”

 

You only ate the proper foods with proper utensils, in the proper manner.

 

As a proper rabi, you were expected to do as the other proper rabi’s did. 

 

But Jesus was not known for being proper, nor was he like anyone else.

 

Walk through a field on a Sabbath and your Disciples are hungry- let them pluck the grain and eat it!

 

Spend the day teaching about Heaven and cleansing folk- go ahead, relax with Ted Drewes and a Budweiser.

 

Huge crowd follows you and they’re hungry?  Don’t send them away or worry if they are Jew or Gentile, citizen or refugee, LGBTQ or ally.

 

You say “Sit, eat,” and trust in God that the 5 loaves and 2 fish that you have will suffice.

 

Even when you are invited to the home of a known enemy of the state or a person who survives by sharing their body- you join them at table, break bread, have a drink, and say “See how good and pleasant it is when we eat together in harmony.”

 

To sit at the table with a peer, an outsider, a saint, or a sinner is to say “I see you, I care: we are part of the same family,” even as naysayers, conflict-mongers, and bullies watch.

 

That’s what Jesus did.  That’s who Jesus was.  THAT’S the Heavenly Kingdom of God he embodied.

 

Yes- there were a few people who did not like or approve of his eating style.  Instead of saying “See how the Lord welcomes all!”-

 

They said “Look at him.  How much he eats, how much he drinks, who he sits with.  Shameful!  Sinful!  Jesus is a slob, a drunk who welcomes trash.”

 

Jesus dined with everybody, everywhere.  This did not make society’s gate keepers happy.  So “Bam!”, another hammer into his hands and feet.

 

Thank God we do not think like that.  Thank God we are blessed.

 

This month we’re discussing how “Love Grows Here.”  One of those ways is with Michele who created today’s event “Sox, Crocs & Cocoa.”

 

Just as “Love Grows Here” has proven to be prophetic, so is Michele’s choice of fun for today.

 

The idea of wearing wild socks on a Sunday!  Would Rev. Kruse have approved?

 

Crocs- maybe in Florida! What would our founding Church Fathers think?

 

And a hot cocoa buffet?  Well, let’s be honest…who’s going to complain about that?

 

How wonderful it is that we get to gather in the Hall, to sip, enjoy, be warm, and welcome one another.

 

It may not be bread that is broken or wine that is poured, but it is certainly a form of Communion in which we get to smell and taste just how good Heaven on Earth can be.

 

As we continue through today and this week, let us be glad that not only do we worship a Lord who sees, hears, and has compassion for us-

 

We also worship a Lord who will gladly sit, eat, and drink with us.

 

No matter who we are; what we do.  If we are powerful or powerless.  Jesus is right there at table, ready to have hot cocoa with us all.

 

Let us say “Amen.”

Compassion of the Lord Who Sees; Luke 7:1-17

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 9, 2025

Luke 7:1-17

 

Here we are.

 

It’s been days since we followed Jesus and the Disciples through the grainfield, moving forward into a newer day and a newer way of being.

 

Since the moment Jesus opened the scroll in the Synagogue, reading the words from Isaiah, and had the audacity to remind folk about the widow and the man living with leprosy, his ministry has been ripe with conflict and controversy. 

 

How dare Jesus remind folk that God is free to love who God loves; and God cares for those who are different and not like us.

 

Last week we saw these controversies and ill-will cause the Pharisees to spy on him; how folk got upset that Jesus offered healing to a man.

 

I have a theory to share with you today- I believe that after each time Jesus does something, we should think “And that’s another strike of the hammer into his hands and feet.”

 

For so long, we read these stories about Jesus, and we think “How wonderful; how kind; how amazing.”

 

But when we walk deep into the grainfield with Jesus, like really walk into the fields, we discover how revolutionary, extraordinary his kind of outreach really was, and why so many folk despised and rejected him.

 

But you know what- it didn’t stop Jesus. No matter what folk said; no matter what folk tried to do, he and the disciples kept moving forward, be it in the grainfield, by the seashore, atop a mountain, even to the Cross.

 

Since we last met, Jesus has moved.  He gave the Beatitudes, telling the poor that the Kingdom of God is theirs; telling those who are homesick and heartbroken that they will laugh.

 

But…he also says to those who are rich, full, and happy that they will have challenging times.

 

Another strike of the hammer.

 

Still, Jesus moves forward.  He tells those with ears to hear that they are to love their enemies, show kindness to those who dislike them, give to those who asks for assistance, to not judge, condemn, and to be merciful.

 

All of this sounds good…unless if you prefer to divide, punish, shame. Again, another strike of the hammer.

 

Today we get to see how Jesus not only talks the talk, but has the courage to walk the walk.

 

Here we are, out of the grainfield, into the fishing town of Capernaum.

 

 

Here, by the beautiful blue waters is a Centurian, the most powerful person in town.

 

He’s not Jewish, nor a citizen of the country.  He’s more of a colonizer.

 

He’s put there by the Roman government to ensure the locals do not rebel against the Roman invaders.

 

This Centurian oversees about 100 soldiers, and although he has done good things, like help build a synagogue, his job description includes overseeing law and order and executing physical punishment.

 

So imagine what it would be like for the people of this village to see how Jesus was willing to offer this foreign Gentile the gift of household healing.

 

Imagine how the faithful people who have worshipped God for 40, 60 generations feel when they hear Jesus say that the Centurian has greater faith then them.

 

Another strike of the hammer.

 

Then, from the mightiest man in town to the most vulnerable of women, we watch as Jesus moves forward and bring new life to a widow’s only son.

 

This particular story is powerful- it gives us a glimpse into who Jesus is and the God he speaks of.

 

This story starts on the edge of town, the outskirts where the nobodies and noones linger, where death is buried.

 

Jesus meets a woman who has lost her husband, and now her son. 

 

Not just her child, but the one person who could protect her, help her pay her bills, keep her safe from the land- barons and creditors who anxiously wait to take her home away.

 

Here we witness a pivotal moment in Luke’s Gospel.

 

After offering love and mercy to a powerful enemy of the state, Jesus now offers another kind of love and mercy to a woman who has lost it all.

 

And if we ever want to know just who Jesus is; if we ever, ever want to know just who God is, we can look upon Luke chapter 7, verse 13 and hear these mighty, mighty words.

 

“When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”

 

…“When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”…

 

You want to know who the Lord is?  Luke 7:13 lets us know.  Only 17 words, but a world of theology.

 

This, right here is the first time that the author refers to Jesus as “The Lord.”  This is the moment the author wants us to know just who Jesus is.

 

The author does not refer to Jesus as Lord when he is baptized or reading Isaiah, calling the disciples, offering healing to a warrior’s household.

 

Luke refers to Jesus as “the Lord” at the moment in which Jesus sees the most vulnerable person in town and shows God’s love and mercy to a woman who has lost it all.

 

Wow- that means if Jesus can see her, the Lord sees us to.

 

Then there is the word “compassion.”

 

In Greek, that word means a visceral emotion you feel deep within your body, in your gut.

 

In Hebrew, the word compassion takes on another level- it means to feel love and mercy within your womb, just as a mother would for the kid she carries.

 

When you hear the word compassion, you should think of the expression “womb love,” maternal love for one’s life and well-being.

 

So here we are, Jesus sees a woman so vulnerable, so broken, so on the outskirts of the city, and the Lord not only sees her, but has womb-love for her, a sense of care deep in his tummy.

 

This means that if Jesus can see her and feel the love of a parent for her, that means that no matter who we are, no matter what we are going through, no matter what loss we have endured, no matter if we are at the far-off gates of the city-

 

The Lord sees us, the Lord cares for us, and the Lord does not want us to suffer without end, but to experience the possibilities of new beginnings, healing, and a way to move forward.

 

Jesus offers the widow that gift by restoring her son to wellness.  There are a multitude of ways in which Jesus can offer us those gifts.

 

Discussing the difficult, seeking self-care, making new friends, welcoming the help and mercy from others.

 

Last week we began our Stewardship Campaign titled “Love Grows Here,” a statement of fact and a prophetic opportunity to till the soil, remove the rocks, and plant seeds that produce heavenly fruit.

 

One way we do that is by hearing and remembering words like today- reminders that the Jesus we follow through the grainfield, the Lord we talk about is one who-

 

-Offers healing and mercy to all, even our enemies.

 

-Sees and feels deep love for us, even if we are the weakest of all.

 

-Invites us to move from tears to joy.

 

-Calls us to rise up and experience the gifts of restored life.

 

-Who is teaching us how to love, not just through words, but also actions.

 

So let us continue to move forward through the grainfields with Jesus and the disciples, excited about where the Lord will lead us.

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”

Moving Forward With Jesus; Luke 6:1-16

 

Rev. George Miller

Feb 2, 2025

Luke 6:1-16

 

Once at Bible Study, Donovan shared an idea - “As people discovered Jesus, he discovers himself.”

 

This made me think- “As we discover Jesus, we discover ourselves.”

 

May this message be one in which we hear how Christ encourages us to discover our best self.

 

Today’s reading involves sacred days, actions of faith, disagreements, controversy, and chances for learning, events that appear whenever two or more are gathered to explore what it means to be a person or body of faith.

 

Today’s reading can apply to the controversy and questions that arose since the announcement of my Installation being postponed.

 

Let us seek the presence of the Holy Spirit as we journey in discovering the why, how and the where to go…

 

…First, let’s discuss a little about me.  Back when the Search Committee met with me on January 19, 2024, it was nothing but love and possibility.

 

The follow-up interview, the initial visit, the trial sermon, all rich with joy and unlimitedness.

 

Then the unexpected happened-  I underestimated how difficult it would be to move from a community, Cozy Cottage, friends, and a boyfriend that I saw as my “forever person.”

 

Homesickness crept in; intense. 

 

Add to that the Election, the weather, with rains resulting in a watery basement, a unique snowstorm, lingering gray skies, long dark nights. 

 

Thank God for all those people who care and have shown their love.

 

Then, St. Lucas- the conflicts, disagreements, issues that have gone on for years, allowing space for and acceptance of behaviors that aren’t always the best way of being.

 

My first week, my first day, folks let these stories be known.

 

I then witnessed meetings in which someone raised their voice, bullied another.   E-mails in which things I said were either misrepresented, misunderstood, or filled with lies. 

 

Add to this the issues with Saturday Night worship , it felt like hosting a festive, celebratory Installation did not feel appropriate…for now.

 

“For now” is the key word, because as people of Christian Faith, rooted in the stories of our Hebrew Ancestors, we know that our God is a God who is full of surprises, possibilities, and ways of transforming the bleakest moment into an era of jubilation.

 

That’s what Resurrection and Easter are about.

 

So, now that we’ve discussed this, what do we do?

 

We take a page from today’s reading- moving forward, just as Jesus and the disciples did in the field, finding ways to rest and be nourished.

 

We honor our worship space and building just as Jesus did- caring for those in need; acts of healing.

 

What do we do?  Just as Jesus called the disciples, we find ways to build upon, grow, surround ourselves with folk who care about the Good News- transformation, Resurrection, healing.

 

As we experienced in today’s reading, controversy and conflict will always exist; the entire ministry of Jesus is surrounded by controversy.

 

Here is a part that is so affirming- Jesus used those moments to teach a lesson and encourage deep thought.

 

Jesus addresses folks with a question about doing good and saving a life, restoring a person to wellness.

 

By responding this way, Jesus allows folk the chance to learn, grow, think in ways that are life affirming.

 

Today we begin our Stewardship Campaign- Love Grows Here; which started off as a statement. 

 

How does Love Grow Here?  The  Yellow Bags going to Feed My People, our work with Habitat for Humanity, our youth as they prepare to travel to Back Bay Mission.

 

“Love Grows Here” is also a Prophetic statement.

 

It is a reminder of why we do what we do, calling us to new ways, brave ways, healthy ways to address and be honest about our conflicts and disagreements.

 

How does Love Grows Here?  By creating space to discuss the things that affect us- loss, fear, grief, moving forward while honoring the past, while not being trapped in it.

 

“Love Grows Here” means that we are prophetically called to nourish and care for the spiritual soil we have been entrusted with by God.

 

We start by acknowledging and addressing the things that can choke out or impede the seeds of hope and possibilities we are planting.

 

We find ways to water the soil, give it sun, through worship, song, acts of compassion, hospitality, kind words, words of forgiveness, acts of grace.

 

Another important  part is allowing time of rest, sabbath, rejuvenation.

 

We discern the seeds we feel called to plant.  Some seeds already exist- the ONA Committee, the Pastoral Care provided through Pastor Janet and the Caring Ministry, the involvement and appreciation of our youth.

 

Friends- there is no denying that we are in a time of transition.

 

It could be long; messy.  It will not end all disagreements and conflicts, nor the issues I personally face.

 

But if we do the work, if we find ways to best communicate with each other, have the honest conversations, be less afraid and more brave to deal with conflict, face disagreements, pray, and to weather  the different storms that come our way, we can experience true transformation.

 

When we do this, we can walk as the disciples with Jesus in the grainfield.

 

We can experience nets being raised up full of fish.

 

We can experience the joy of Resurrection and new beginnings.

 

Let us journey together, planting those seeds, tending the soil, discuss what needs to be discussed, so that we can say with all certainty that “Love Grows Here.”

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”