The 2026 Psalm- A Tribute to Our Confirmands; Philippians 2:1-11

 

Rev. George Miller

May 17, 2026

Philippians 2:1-11

 

What we heard are words of pure poetry; a love song from Paul about the cosmic Christ who dwells in all people.

 

If we go deeper into Paul’s letter, we hear “Do all these things…children of God…in which you shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life.”

 

The Word of Life; so appropriate for today.  Genesis tells us God created with words.  John tells us Jesus is the Word.  The Holy Spirit is like the words of Wisdom dancing about.

 

In Scripture the importance of words is central to everything.  So, Beloved in Christ- hear now the words of our Confirmands as they start their own Statement of Faith:

 

Noah-“Lord you have always been by me.  You have helped me out in the hardest times and through the hardest decisions.”

 

Will- “O God, living and eternal, You guide us in times of need and in our everyday life.”

 

Fletcher- “God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth. You have always brought us hope and love.”

 

Sophia-  “You are the Creator, who forgives all and trusts us to do our best. Who guides us in rough times and loves us and takes care of us.”

 

Claire- “I believe in you God, our God, and the savior of all. Who created me, created you, and is still creating. I believe He watches over me and keeps me safe in His arms every day.”

 

Elin- “God is the  Holy Spirit, Creator of earth and all living beings. The Shepherd who is watching over me and everyone. The light in the darkness.”

 

Elizabeth- “I believe in You, God, who created everything I know and don’t know. I believe that if I hold you in my heart and talk to You, You will always protect me and I will always be okay.”

 

We can knit these words from our youth into a tapestry that reads like this:   “Lord, you have always been by me, living and eternal, the creator of Heaven and Earth, who guides us in rough times, and loves us, who created me, created you, and is still creating; the Shepherd who is watching me and everyone. If I hold you in my heart and talk to You, You will always protect me and I will always be okay.”

 

This sounds like a 23^rd Psalm for a new generation, direct from our 2026 Confirmands, who are our legacy, our present, and our future. 

 

This Noah, this Will, this Fletcher, this Sophia, this Claire, this Elin, this Elizabeth.  Children of God who shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life.

 

Paul would most certainly call  our Confirmands stars.

 

Here he have this letter from Paul, who has traveled all over the world seeing this and doing that, who has now come to a place of age and wisdom. 

 

Paul is in prison, but his spirit is free.  He uses this time to reflect and share the good news of Christ. 

 

Or as Noah would say “You have helped me out in the hardest times and through the hardest decisions.”

 

Paul’s faith in Christ gives him comfort; joy, generously sharing that joy with the Philippian people to pass on some of what he knows to be true.

 

Like Will, Paul knows that God “brings us together, in happiness, sadness, peace, and reconciliation.”

 

Paul encourages the people to be of one mind in Christ.  His theology of Christ is a lot like Fletcher who states “You have sent to us a man named Jesus. He nourished our lives and gave His world for ours.” 

 

His theology of Christ is a lot like Claire as she testifies “He sent him to help and heal others.”

 

As Sophia states “Jesus, the Savior, who died for us because He was spreading the word.”

 

Paul shared his view in hopes that we can live as Christ did.  In verse 15, he writes  that when we are blameless, we shine like stars in the world.  How very much this is reflected in Elin who wrote about the Good Shepherd being “The light in the darkness.”

 

And Paul, in his concluding words, easily mirrors the words of Elizabeth who states “As God’s presence is with me now, I believe it will be with me forever.”

 

Today is a celebration, a celebration that has been a long time coming.

 

Today is not just about the confirmands, but how Christ dwells within each confirmand.

 

Today is not just about the church universal, but how Christ dwells within the universal church.

 

Today is just not about the history and legacy of St. Lucas UCC but how Christ dwells within St. Lucas’ legacy.

 

And because it is all about Christ, and has always been about Christ, we all can shine bright like stars in the world, holding the forth the word of light. 

 

May our 2026 Confirmands continue to do so as they continue their journeys of faith. 

 

Amen and amen.

 

The 2026 Psalm

 

“Lord, you have always been by me, living and eternal, the creator of Heaven and Earth, who guides us in rough times, and loves us, who created me, created you, and is still creating; the Shepherd who is watching me and everyone. If I hold you in my heart and talk to You, You will always protect me and I will always be okay.”

 

 

By Noah, Will, Fletcher,

Sophia, Claire, Elin, and Elizabeth

May 17, 2026

In The Worst of Times, The Christians Stayed; Philippians 1:1-11

 

Rev. George Miller

May 10, 2026

Philippians 1:1-11

 

Last week we were with Paul, all alone, in Athens.  Now it’s about 10 years later.  Paul has done a lot, seen a lot.  His actions and beliefs have landed him in Rome, under arrest.

 

He is a person with a lot of time to reflect, think things over and see clearly from a lens wide enough to observe his past, present, and future. 

 

With sage wisdom he writes to a group of believers in Philippi who have had his back, sent him a sweet-smelling gift, and embodied what it means to be the hands, feet, heart, and mind of Christ.

 

Paul gives thanks to God for their legacy and prayers, offering blessings of joy and good tiding, asking that the Lord allows their love to overflow with insight and intelligence.

 

Though Paul has had his freedom taken away by the Romans, he celebrates how the Philippians are growing in what is right and what is good, what really matters and what is truly true.

 

While others could be bitter, or ruled by regret, Paul is living his days focused on all things made possible through Jesus Christ for the glory of God and God’s kingdom.

 

Paul is aware of his own mortality, but the joy of  Resurrection fills his being- Christ is alive!   

 

Paul is part of something exciting and new.  A movement of people going out into the world doing what they believed Jesus to do. 

 

This is a mixed group of long- time disciples and fresh faces who exist during a time of unrest.  They’re doing something that hasn’t been done before in the city of Phillippi- being CHURCH.

 

At a time when others worship the Roman Emperor as a god, pray to Zeus, or seek python spirits, Paul is part of a people united in Christ.

 

These women and men are gathering in small groups and private homes.  They’re having potlucks, reading Paul’s letters, saying prayers, recalling the work of Christ-

 

The one who told them to care for the least of these.  The one who said “When you welcome a stranger, feed the hungry, or visit the sick, you are doing it for me.”

 

This group of folk, who before knowing Christ were just doing their own thing.  Peter, a fisherman. Nathaniel, sitting under a tree.  Lydia by the water.

 

What it must have been like to be alive between the middle 30’s and 50’s,  when others are worshipping Zeus or think that snakes are a path to righteousness.

 

Along comes these working-class women and men, some of them with their hands dyed the color purple, others smelling like fishing boats,  inviting you to come to their home to have a meal in which you can learn about some guy named Jesus who was born illegitimately, never got married, was seen with street urchins, spent a lot of his time around the sick with no face mask, touching folk with skin lesions, and  rubbing mud in their eyes.

 

These first followers of Christ, told how Jesus was arrested, executed, and rose from the grave- how in the world did they believe such a tale?  How did something like “The Church” take off?

 

And yet, thanks to people like Paul and Lydia, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the tenacity of God, that is exactly what happened.

 

This group of eclectic, hard-working, faithful men and women become the ones in their cities who were known for offering food and supplying fresh water.

 

The early Christians, with no guidebooks,  Zoom calls, or bylaws, found a way to do the ministry of Christ.   

 

At a time in which Rome’s emperor kept saying “Me, Me, Me” these early Christians said “Sister” and “Brother.”

 

At a time in which citizens were always under the threat of attack, the followers of Christ offered comfort in the Kingdom of God.

 

Today we celebrate Mother’s Day and the women in our lives who have made a difference.  It is also Nurses Week, and on the 12^th it’s International Nurses Day.  Mindful of this special time to honor Moms and nurses, role models and care givers, hear this story: 

 

In the year 249, a pandemic hit the Roman Empire, taking millions of lives.  There was fever, vomiting, folk dying in the street.  Known as the Plague of Cyprian, 5,000 people a day died.  It was so intense, so nasty, that the “who’s who” of the city fled. 

 

The priests of Zeus and the worshippers of snakes were too afraid to stay.  All those who claimed their Emperor was divine or had a shrine to Serapis  took the next Uber and Amtrack out of town.

 

It was the earliest followers of Christ who stayed behind.  It was the Christians who bravely remained in the cities, cared for those in the alleys, and went into homes of the unwell. 

 

During the 13 years the Plague lasted, these followers of Christ did not care if you were of the same faith, skin tone, or caste-system, they nursed people back to health, or, like a compassionate mother, stayed with them even if it seemed hopeless.

 

The Christians were there, and they were the ones to bury the dead, even when families refused to be around their own son or daughter.

 

Being a Christian truly meant to be the hands and feet of Christ, in which gifts of nursing, offering food, water, and presence saved folks lives. 

 

People took notice. 

“Hey- the priests who followed Zeus and Serapis all left us behind.”

“Those who claimed the Emperor was All-Powerful fled as if on fire, but the followers of Christ stayed, held my hand, and knew my name.”

 

Those who survived associated the care they received with what it means to be a Christian.  Instead of fear and abandonment, the Christians demonstrated faith and presence. 

 

Their witness was not doctrine or dogma, who was in and who was out, but presence, care, comfort, which all became a compelling reason why a life in Christ mattered.

 

Today we live in uncertain times.  It has seemed like a decade of delirious days in which we don’t know what’s next- more masks, return to monarchy, the third world war.

 

And yet here we are, as a church, as the Body Of Christ, honoring our legacies and always discerning where we are next being called to be. 

 

I don’t know about you, but I find this to be exciting and affirming.  Paul would say that he is confident that our good works will continue, that we are partners in grace and witness.

 

Mother and Fathers, Nurses and Doctors, Sisters and Brothers in Christ- we are so blessed to be recipients of Paul’s faith, with our sights set on Christ.

 

Just as the earliest Christians were able to figure it out, so will we.  Just as those in Rome were able to minister even during difficult times, so will we.

 

For we are children of the Living God, the one who knowns us by name and does not let anyone go astray. 

Amen and amen.

To Belong; Sermon on Acts 17:16-29

 

Rev. George Miller

May 3, 2026

Acts 17:16-29

 

Since called to serve St. Lucas, one thing that’s apparent is how many people have deep established roots here at the church and county.

 

It’s beyond “where did you go to high school” and beyond “our road used to be an apple orchard,” it’s “my family has been part of this soil for multi-generations.”

 

It’s walking through the graveyard and driving across the city, seeing tombstones and street signs with the name of St. Lucas families.

 

Such knowledge requires great respect and understanding, an appreciation for legacy and roots.

 

Which means that it can be difficult for anyone to move here if they are from somewhere else.  It can take time to find your niche, your tribe, your spot.  But when you do, you sense yourself becoming part of the earth around you. 

 

Everyone wants to feel like they belong.  Throughout the St. Louis landscape are people who can say they have lived on this land since Martin Van Buren was President and before Texas became a state.

 

In the Book of Acts we are following how Paul and others are building their own tribe and finding their own niche founded on Jesus Christ.

 

Paul’s tribe began with Ananias, who called him “Brother,” expanded as he bonded with Barnabas, grew when he joined the disciples in Jerusalem, settled when he set sail with Silas and expanded when sat down with Lydia.

 

Paul became part of a community that included enterprising women in Thessalonica and burly bros in Bereo.

 

And then…it came to a screeching halt.  Due to a religious upraor, Paul’s life became endangered.  He’s separated from his traveling friends and sent to Athens, all alone.

 

There is no more tribe. No clique. No niche.  No cohorts, friends, or streets named after family.  No Silas, no Lydia’s House.  Just Paul, in a strange land, with strange customs and shrines everywhere devoted to deities who don’t even have names.

 

I wonder how many people have an idea of what Paul was feeling, alone in a place with folk you don’t really know?  No class reunion, no church, no one who recalls where the original Freddie’s Market was.

 

Paul is the lone follower of Christ in a city of folk who believe in Zeus or have no belief at all.  Not only is Paul alone, abandoned in Athens, he has not a single person to sing “Jesus Loves Me” with.  He has no one to recite “The Lord’s Prayer” or “Apostles’ Creed” with.

 

He has no one to break the bread and share the cup with.  Or eat donuts cut in half during Coffee Hour.  Paul is a single, solitary sparrow in a world of strange shrines and curious customs.

 

On the surface, today’s scripture sounds triumphant, but read between the lines to realize that it’s about a very real person going through aspects of what it means to be all alone.

 

That Paul did not lose his faith in God or lose sight of the Good News is amazing.  With nary a friendly, familiar face in sight, Paul just keeps on keepin’ on.

 

That’s what faith in Christ can do.

With no one by his side, Paul sets out to do what he can.  He speaks up.  He reaches out.  He finds his voice.

 

He talks so much that the locals label him “The Babbler” and eventually the people begin to listen; they become curious; they ask to hear more about the resurrection.

 

All those lonely days and long walks has paid off; Paul uses what he sees to share what he knows to be true.

With only Christ to confide in, he conjures up a conversation no one was prepared for-

 

“You see that shrine over there,” he says, “That shrine devoted to an unknown god?  Well let me tell you who that god is; and let me tell you what God has done!”

 

While standing amidst a throng of unfamiliar-faces, in a place where people put philosophy over faith, Paul tells them all about God-

 

God the creator, God unlimited, God who can take one ancestor and make a nation and secure a legacy.

 

We may wonder- is Paul actually preaching to himself?  At this time in which he has been abandoned by peers, shipped off, left on his own, in which he’s spent countless days by himself, could it be Paul’s preaching is to remind himself of who he is and what God is about?

 

Maybe today is a story in which Paul is reminding Paul who God is-

 

God is not restricted to to one spot, not stuck to one building, not limited by circumstances or geography or people who look or act as you.

 

God can take a single sparrow and create an abundance, a flock, a nation.

 

Paul tells them and tells himself that no matter what- GOD. IS. THERE.  Even if we are that one lost sheep.

 

Even if we have to make it through dark valleys and death’s shadows; God is there.

 

Even if we have to wait, wrestle, and walk it alone; God is there.

 

So when we discover that no matter what, God is there, we can live, and we can find belonging.

 

Guess what – after this experience Paul  finds some friends in Dionysus and Damris, and with this  new group of folks, a brand-new chapter begins.

 

Today’s scripture reminds us that the Christian story is about moving forward, co-creating and celebrating new communities.  Reaching out and finding out that there are others reaching back.

 

God is not limited to or found only in buildings, people and places that are familiar, God is found in the strange places, the new places, and the lonely places.  God can even be found within ourselves and the stories that we share. 

 

God is found in the communities we create and circles that we form, in which Christ is the center and the Holy Spirit moves through all.

   Amen and amen.