Rev. George Miller
August 24, 2025
Psalm 18:2
Today is a day of joy and joyful singing;
a foundation of our faith and one of the ways we tell the story.
We give thanks to Linda who was inspired
to hold a Hymn Sing. We thank all of you
for supplying a surplus of songs.
Foundation- We’ve explored so many foundations of our faith- The Apostles’
Creed, the UCC Statement of Faith, next week we’ll have a Baptism.
Each Sunday we welcome in the Light of
Christ, receive the assurance of forgiveness, say the Lord’s Prayer, and participate
in the offering.
All part of the traditions that have
shaped the Church Universal since the days Lydia had worshippers in Corinth gather
in her home.
Tradition- Roots of who we are as we continue
growing into who God calls us to be.
God, our Shepherd, our Father, our Rock.
Today’s reading, submitted last year, is
perfect for now. A love song to the Lord
in who we find refuge and strength.
In God we are given a home and become brave.
Notice how twice the Lord is referred to
as “my rock.”
Dig deeper, and discover something cool. In Hebrew there are 2 words used for rock- sela
and sur, and they mean different things.
Sela refers to something you can see, climb,
enter - think a cliff or cave.
Sur refers to something steady, unshakeable,
a bedrock.
Sela is what you run to; sur is
what you stand upon.
In other words, St. Lucas UCC is one kind
of rock, a beautiful stone structure that we come to when we need to feel
loved, rested, safe.
What takes place within St. Lucas UCC is
another kind of rock in which the worship, the liturgy, the tradition is the bedrock
of our faith.
In this way, the words we say, prayers we
offer, songs we sing are the “sur”, the steady part of our faith that deepens
our relationship to God.
St. Lucas UCC, as a building, is the rock
that rises from the earth and reaches into the sky.
Our missions, our traditions, our hymns
are the rock that rises from our collective hearts and reaches into the
heavens.
Today, as we sing our songs, let’s not think
of them as just familiar favorites, but rocks-
Rocks of melody and harmony that lift our
spirits, still our soul, and create the foundation of our faith.
When we sing “It Is Well With My Soul” or “In
The Garden”, when we sing “There’s Something About That Name” and “Tell Me That
Old Old Story” we’re not just singing words from a book-
We are sharing and celebrating
foundational bedrock of our faith and trust of God.
These are indeed Rocks of Ages, meant to
hold us together and unite us as one, standing upon the Lord.
Amen.
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