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 23rd
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
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