Rev. George Miller
April 6, 2025
Luke 18:31-19:10
Last Sunday, Katy was asked “Why we should
we care about St. Lucas UCC?”
She said- “The why is sitting next
to you.”
Today, Jesus is on his way to
Jerusalem. He meets a man on the roadside
and one up a tree.
Both cases have an aspect of change;
celebrating God’s glory.
In different Bibles, you’ll encounter
different words trying to articulate what the men experienced via Jesus.
Some Bibles say “saved”; others “restored”;
“healed”.
Whatever it is that Zaccheus and the man
living with blindness experienced, it transformed their lives and both men
participated in their own salvation.
The man who was blind says “Have mercy on
me!” Jesus stands, still- “What do you
want me to do?” He responds “Lord, let
me see again.”
We witness him playing a part in his own
transformation- calling out, making a choice.
So does Zacchaeus. He does not allow his shortcomings to get in
the way of renewal. He runs, climbs, he
scurries. He is seen, he’s happy,
he invites, even as others grumble, moan.
As a result he is no longer amongst the
lost; he and his household receive renewal.
Saved, restored, healed; an alternative
word could be transformed, as in “…we have been transforming lives as
the hands and feet of Christ since 1880.”
Transformation doesn’t come easy; it takes
work, often involving a “Come to Jesus” moment, like what we experienced on Feb 2.
That talk was tough, but guess what- we
are still here, striving, thriving, and smiling.
I learned how abundantly I’m loved and just
how much love lives within you, and how much ya’ll love one another.
Today is another “Come to Jesus” moment, involving
communication and setting boundaries for our benefit.
As with all relationships, if we do not
set boundaries and make things clear, folk don’t know what they don’t know.
It is not fair to assume that everyone is
a mind reader who knows all things at all times.
To empower each and every one of us, we
will talk about e-mails.
Just as in work and personal life, all of
us have received an e-mail in which someone takes a private e-mail and copies
in other folk who were not part of the original communication.
No one deserves to have their personal
correspondence cced and shared against their will.
Not me, not any of our Council Members, employees, or volunteers.
Another thing is how we communicate via
e-mail.
It is not Ok to “yell” at someone in an
e-mail through lots of capital letters, an abundance of exclamation points, italics
and underlining.
No one on Council, no employees, no
volunteers, nor myself deserve to be “yelled at”, or talked to as a servant or
a misbehaved child, especially from an action that was pure.
This is a boundary that is being lovingly set
for myself, my self-care, and for the health and wholeness of our employees,
volunteers, Council Members…our entire church.
No one should have to engage with e-mails
in which someone is “yelling” at another via keystrokes and caps.
No one should have to engage in back-and-forth tennis matches of cced
emails that violated someone’s privacy.
As a church, we are made up of many
members. We can disagree. Disagreement is healthy. But we do not have the right to disrespect, make
demands or damage another.
We can engage in healthy, civil
conversation, speaking from a place of compassion and love for our church, with
empowered words like “this is how I feel” or “what I think.”
I admire someone who has the courage and
bravery to talk with me face-to-face. If
someone has a concern, you are encouraged to set up a time to meet with me in
the office. You can invite an advocate
to join you to witness what is said and done.
St. Lucas UCC – we are an incredible congregation. I have developed deep, deep fondness for all
of you.
We have a relationship that is so
wonderful. I get to learn so much from
you.
Together we are tilling the soil, planting
seeds, feeding one another so that we can blossom, bear fruit, and know that
“love grows here.”
We are St. Lucas UCC, founded 145 years
ago.
We are a church; a Body Of Christ. A body that sees, hears, feels- we can feel
joy; we can feel pain.
We are not a body meant to demean, tear
down, shame. We are a body meant to show-
-the Father Who Hugs
-the Woman who Searches
-the Shepherd who Seeks
-the Hen who gathers her brood.
Today we had a talk; as we grow together,
we’ll have more. But guess what-
This is how we grow.
This is how we evolve.
This is how we heal, restore, redeem,
renew, reenergize.
This is how we are made whole. How we transform.
Transform you, transform me, transform us.
Amen.
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