Rev. George Miller
Dec 11, 2016
Matthew 11:2-11
Last week we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of our Sanctuary. January marks the 27th Anniversary of our congregation.
April marks my 7th year of being here; July will mark my 12 years of being a pastor.
During all these years we have all had our share of leadership, volunteering, being part of a team, and not just here at church.
It’s safe to say that we at Emmanuel UCC have an active congregation in which people have been members of other churches, sat on other boards, held other jobs, and volunteered at other non-profits.
And we can all, unequivocally testify, that each and every one of us, no matter where we have been, no matter what we have done, have come across the Tate family.
Ya’ll know the Tate family- they are everywhere.
There is old man Dic-Tate; he likes to run everything and tell people what to do.
While Uncle Ro-Tate tries to change everything.
There’s Sister Agi-Tate who is sure to stir up plenty of trouble with the help of her favorite cousin Irri-Tate.
Lord knows if your organization, board, church, or group try to do something that benefits the good of the community you’ll come across Mr. Hesi-Tate, along with his spouse Vega-Tate, both who like to keep postponing things or creating committees that’ll put things off for another year.
There’s Imi-Tate who tries to be like the popular kids, and the dramatic diva Devas-Tate who is the voice of doom and gloom.
And don’t get me wrong- it’s not that the Tates are a bad bunch.
After all Dic-Tate has a way of getting things done. Ro-Tate keeps things fresh. Agi-Tate can keep people sharp and alert.
Hesi-Tate and Vegi-Tate can prevent others from foolishly running into things.
And let’s not forget the other Tate family members, such as Facili-Tate who is helpful in matters that need clarity and redirection.
And Medi-Tate who is always available to think things over, lend a helpful hand, breath in, breathe out…Namaste.
Yes- we all know the Tate family. They have been around since the beginning of time.
No doubt we see a bit of the Tate’s in the family of Adam and Eve. The Tate’s where right there with Moses and his mob of folk.
And the Tate’s where surely there while John the Baptist and Jesus were doing their separate ministries.
In today’s reading Jesus has been busy doing his thing. People are hearing and seeing things that make the heart proud.
Blind are regaining their sight, the lame are walking, and the lepers are being made clean. Surely a successful ministry of healing and kindness if there ever was one.
But John, who had spent time in the countryside encouraging people to repent and be ready for the Lord, is not so sure Jesus is doing what his job description says.
John had people in the Jordan River being baptized and confessing their sins. He called out the Pharisees and Sadducees as vipers who think they are better than others.
John is expecting the Messiah to come and cut down those who are not bearing good fruit. John is expecting a Messiah who will arrive like a Lion and bring fire and destruction with him.
John in waiting for a Messiah who is more like Dict-Tate or Devis-Tate, who will infiltrate and annihilate…
…but, instead, the Messiah he sees in Jesus, the Messiah that emerges from the waters of baptism, is one who gives sight to the blind, mobility to the wheelchair bound, and clearer skin to those with bad acne.
It’s like John was hoping for General George Patton, and instead he got Doctor Oz.
John expected a Messianic Lion; instead he got a Good Shepherd.
So John is understandably confused. He is in jail because of his actions and the things he has said and done, and with nothing but time on his hand, he sends word to Jesus.
John has his people ask a very simple question: “Are you the one we’ve been waiting for, or are we waiting for another?”
Now, the Gospel writer does not tell us what Jesus’ reaction was. We know nothing about his body language or tone of voice.
But if we are to see Jesus as fully human, as fully one of us, I think it would be fun to imagine Jesus being like….
“…Dude!...Really? I’m going from city to city teaching and proclaiming and telling these really awesome parables and John wants to know if I’m the one?”
Just picture this- Jesus with his hands and feet dirty from all the walking he’s done. He’s surrounded by people he’s helped. He’s probably been so busy he skipped breakfast and is having a late lunch.
And Jesus, after experiencing a bit of Agi-Tate in John’s question, looks around and points to all he’s done. “The deaf can hear, the poor have good news, and even the dead are coming back to life. What more can John want?”
When read this way, there is great humor and realness in this story. After all, how many of us have had a boss or co-worker question what we are doing.
John’s people go away, and Jesus turns to those around him. In his typical style, conducive of a teacher and religious scholar, Jesus deepens the dialogue by providing his own questions.
“What were you all expecting? Did you go into the wilderness expecting someone who was wishy-washy, who would flip-flop like a reed in the wind?”
“Were you expecting someone in a tower wearing luxurious clothes who is all about pomp and pop?”
“Or,” states Jesus, “Were you expecting a prophet? I tell you, John is amazing. There is no one like him, and there never will be.”
“But the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom that is already here and yet to be, has a new way of measuring greatness, and it is not how humans sees things, but how things are seen through Heaven’s Eyes.”
Jesus has an encounter with the Tate family, and instead of caving in, instead of losing faith, he has another way of expressing to the people what his ministry is…
Today we are one step closer to welcoming the birth of the Lord. We have experienced another week of waiting.
We have welcomed the lights of HOPE, PEACE, and JOY. We have talked about the promise of COMFORT, and the truth that life goes on.
Today we are reminded of the radical nature of Jesus Christ. That he was and is the Messiah that was promised. But he did not necessarily arrive as one expected, and he did not always do what people thought a Messiah does.
Advent Season reminds us again and again, and again and again the very freedom of God, the surprising ways in which the Lord enters into our lives and defies what we think, or expect, or demand.
That Emmanuel, God With Us, can enter into our world as a defenseless baby boy.
That Emmanuel, God With Us, can be more focused on healing and restoration than damnation and devastation.
That Emmanuel, God With Us, is not wishy-washy or looking down from a tower, but is right with us, in the midst of our existence.
Tending to our needs. Teaching us how to grow. Telling us that we are loved, and that we are lovely.
How much more could we possibly need?
Yet how much more does God, through Christ do for us?
No matter what the Tate family may say, no matter the wilderness we are in, no matter what we expect or assume, God is with us.
God is ready to do something new. God is ready to surprise us in ways we cannot even begin to expect.
For that we can say “Amen” and “Amen.”
A UCC Pastor's walk through the spiritual waters of Scripture, pop culture and life.
Showing posts with label Sermons 2016. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sermons 2016. Show all posts
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Comfort- sermon on Isaiah 40:1-11
Rev. George Miller
Isaiah 40:1-11
Dec 4, 2016
In our world, there is so much uncertainty. Everything can hang on such a thin, breakable string: finances, health, family.
Fires in TN, shooting at Ohio State, and standing firm at Standing Rock.
With so little to be sure of, the season of Advent brings with it the assurance that through it all, a child will bring hope to the hopeless, and rest to the restless.
In other words: COMFORT.
But first, a story: a family arrived at a local establishment to have a meal, it may have been Dot’s, it may have been Dee’s, it may have been Marley’s or Don Jose’s.
As the mother placed her son, Erik, in his highchair, she noticed how everyone else seemed to be eating and talking quietly.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said “Hi!” He pounded his chubby baby hands on the highchair tray. His eyes crinkled with laughter; he giggled in merriment.
The mother looked around to see the source of his joy: it was an old man who had clearly seen better days: his shirt was dirty, his hair uncombed, his toes poked out of a pair of sorry-lookin’ shoes.
He waved to the baby. “Hey there, baby. Hi there, big boy. I see you buster.”
The mother and father exchanged looks, not knowing what to do. Erik continued to laugh and say “Hi!”
When their meal came, the parents ate as fast as they could. The old man continued the conversation with the baby: “Do ya patty cake? Do ya peek-a-boo?”
At this point, everyone in the restaurant was glaring at the man; nobody thought this man was cute.
Nobody that is, except for Erik.
With their meal finished, the parents headed to the door. The father went to get the car. The mother took Erik to meet him at the door.
The old man sat poised between them and the exit. “Lord,” she thought to herself, “Just let me out of here before he speaks to us.”
As she drew closer to the man, she turned her back so she could avoid breathing in his stench. But as she did, Erik leaned over her arms into a baby’s “pick-me-up” position.
Before she could stop him, Erik had propelled himself into the old man’s arms.
Suddenly a ragged man with sorry-old shoes and a young child with a face full of giggles were in full embrace.
The baby, in an act of total trust and love, laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder.
The man’s eyes closed, and tears hovered beneath his lashes. His aged hands, full of grime and pain, cradled the baby’s bottom and stroked his back.
The mother stood awestruck.
The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and he looked at the mother and said “You take care of this baby.”
Somehow, she managed to say “I will.”
He handed Erik back to her and said “God bless you, ma’am; you’ve given me my Christmas gift.”
She could say nothing more then muttered thanks. With Erik in her arms she ran to the car, crying “My God, my God, forgive me.”
That day, the mother and the patrons at the diner had witnessed God’s love made known through the innocence of a tiny child.
A child who showed love with abandon, who passed no judgment, who saw a person while all the others saw a problem…
“Comfort, O Comfort my people, says your God.”
These words speak to us today, just as they did to the people of Israel 3,000 years ago.
These are words spoken for people who had experienced great shame and uncertainty.
They thought that God had forgotten about them. Their lives were a series of trials in which they felt beaten up by life, stuck in a spiritual wilderness, punished for their sins.
But in this sense of spiritual darkness, comes a voice…
A word of hope and encouragement; a powerful proclamation that God was about to do something new.
The people of Israel were going to be delivered, God was going to make a way out of no way, in which obstacles would be overcome and their emptiness eradicated.
God’s word came to them, filled with mystery and hope- “COMFORT.”
“Comfort, O comfort my people.”
Not comfort based on high hopes or wanton wishfulness, but comfort based on God’s eternal love.
Comfort based on the covenants given to Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Moses; a promise enthroned with King David and enlarged to include all of the people.
God speaks words of comfort that assures them that as sorry and ragged as they may feel, God has claimed them as God’s own.
This is an intimate bond that no human-caused drama could ever erase.
These words of comfort are words that are spoken again and again, because they are words that are made forever true by God’s promise made long ago to our ancestors.
For us, as Christians, these are words that find their ultimate manifestation in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So, although these words were spoken to others long, long ago, and far, far away, they speak to us today.
This Advent, as we wait with joyful anticipation, we also prepare for the gift of comfort, of experiencing how through a child born on Christmas morn, God claims us as God’s own.
That even though we have our own share of wildernesses, worry and woe, we know that our restoration rests in Christ our Lord.
And that although comfort may not be instantly experienced or solve all of our dilemmas, we realize that through Christ, God has entered into our story.
We are gathered, we are fed, and we are carried gently by the Great Shepherd, to experience the forgiveness of our sins and the freedom that comes from such awareness.
Advent is about us hopefully waiting for the promise to be fulfilled in a savior who begins as a baby, meek and mild.
The gift of a child, the promise of a King who will govern over a spiritual kingdom where we are seen, we are fed, and we are loved.
That is the meaning of this season
Advent reminds us that through God there is always hope for the world, and that hope comes in the comfort of a child who will reach out to us with laughter and giggles, who will offer us joy and give us rest.
And yes- it does not stop our world from being filled with so much uncertainty. Everything may still seem to hang on a thin, breakable string.
Fires still burn, people still protest, shooters will still shoot.
Yet even with so little to be sure of, this Advent season brings with it the assurance that through it all, a child, a babe, will bring hope to the hopeless, and rest to the restless.
In other words, COMFORT.
Comfort in knowing that God has not forgotten us, that the Holy Spirit has gathered us together, and in Jesus Christ we are each compassionately embraced.
For that we can all say “Amen” and “Amen!”
Isaiah 40:1-11
Dec 4, 2016
In our world, there is so much uncertainty. Everything can hang on such a thin, breakable string: finances, health, family.
Fires in TN, shooting at Ohio State, and standing firm at Standing Rock.
With so little to be sure of, the season of Advent brings with it the assurance that through it all, a child will bring hope to the hopeless, and rest to the restless.
In other words: COMFORT.
But first, a story: a family arrived at a local establishment to have a meal, it may have been Dot’s, it may have been Dee’s, it may have been Marley’s or Don Jose’s.
As the mother placed her son, Erik, in his highchair, she noticed how everyone else seemed to be eating and talking quietly.
Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said “Hi!” He pounded his chubby baby hands on the highchair tray. His eyes crinkled with laughter; he giggled in merriment.
The mother looked around to see the source of his joy: it was an old man who had clearly seen better days: his shirt was dirty, his hair uncombed, his toes poked out of a pair of sorry-lookin’ shoes.
He waved to the baby. “Hey there, baby. Hi there, big boy. I see you buster.”
The mother and father exchanged looks, not knowing what to do. Erik continued to laugh and say “Hi!”
When their meal came, the parents ate as fast as they could. The old man continued the conversation with the baby: “Do ya patty cake? Do ya peek-a-boo?”
At this point, everyone in the restaurant was glaring at the man; nobody thought this man was cute.
Nobody that is, except for Erik.
With their meal finished, the parents headed to the door. The father went to get the car. The mother took Erik to meet him at the door.
The old man sat poised between them and the exit. “Lord,” she thought to herself, “Just let me out of here before he speaks to us.”
As she drew closer to the man, she turned her back so she could avoid breathing in his stench. But as she did, Erik leaned over her arms into a baby’s “pick-me-up” position.
Before she could stop him, Erik had propelled himself into the old man’s arms.
Suddenly a ragged man with sorry-old shoes and a young child with a face full of giggles were in full embrace.
The baby, in an act of total trust and love, laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder.
The man’s eyes closed, and tears hovered beneath his lashes. His aged hands, full of grime and pain, cradled the baby’s bottom and stroked his back.
The mother stood awestruck.
The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and he looked at the mother and said “You take care of this baby.”
Somehow, she managed to say “I will.”
He handed Erik back to her and said “God bless you, ma’am; you’ve given me my Christmas gift.”
She could say nothing more then muttered thanks. With Erik in her arms she ran to the car, crying “My God, my God, forgive me.”
That day, the mother and the patrons at the diner had witnessed God’s love made known through the innocence of a tiny child.
A child who showed love with abandon, who passed no judgment, who saw a person while all the others saw a problem…
“Comfort, O Comfort my people, says your God.”
These words speak to us today, just as they did to the people of Israel 3,000 years ago.
These are words spoken for people who had experienced great shame and uncertainty.
They thought that God had forgotten about them. Their lives were a series of trials in which they felt beaten up by life, stuck in a spiritual wilderness, punished for their sins.
But in this sense of spiritual darkness, comes a voice…
A word of hope and encouragement; a powerful proclamation that God was about to do something new.
The people of Israel were going to be delivered, God was going to make a way out of no way, in which obstacles would be overcome and their emptiness eradicated.
God’s word came to them, filled with mystery and hope- “COMFORT.”
“Comfort, O comfort my people.”
Not comfort based on high hopes or wanton wishfulness, but comfort based on God’s eternal love.
Comfort based on the covenants given to Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Moses; a promise enthroned with King David and enlarged to include all of the people.
God speaks words of comfort that assures them that as sorry and ragged as they may feel, God has claimed them as God’s own.
This is an intimate bond that no human-caused drama could ever erase.
These words of comfort are words that are spoken again and again, because they are words that are made forever true by God’s promise made long ago to our ancestors.
For us, as Christians, these are words that find their ultimate manifestation in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So, although these words were spoken to others long, long ago, and far, far away, they speak to us today.
This Advent, as we wait with joyful anticipation, we also prepare for the gift of comfort, of experiencing how through a child born on Christmas morn, God claims us as God’s own.
That even though we have our own share of wildernesses, worry and woe, we know that our restoration rests in Christ our Lord.
And that although comfort may not be instantly experienced or solve all of our dilemmas, we realize that through Christ, God has entered into our story.
We are gathered, we are fed, and we are carried gently by the Great Shepherd, to experience the forgiveness of our sins and the freedom that comes from such awareness.
Advent is about us hopefully waiting for the promise to be fulfilled in a savior who begins as a baby, meek and mild.
The gift of a child, the promise of a King who will govern over a spiritual kingdom where we are seen, we are fed, and we are loved.
That is the meaning of this season
Advent reminds us that through God there is always hope for the world, and that hope comes in the comfort of a child who will reach out to us with laughter and giggles, who will offer us joy and give us rest.
And yes- it does not stop our world from being filled with so much uncertainty. Everything may still seem to hang on a thin, breakable string.
Fires still burn, people still protest, shooters will still shoot.
Yet even with so little to be sure of, this Advent season brings with it the assurance that through it all, a child, a babe, will bring hope to the hopeless, and rest to the restless.
In other words, COMFORT.
Comfort in knowing that God has not forgotten us, that the Holy Spirit has gathered us together, and in Jesus Christ we are each compassionately embraced.
For that we can all say “Amen” and “Amen!”
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Waiting with the Lord; Matthew 24:46-44 sermon
Rev. George Miller
Matthew 24:36-44
November 27, 2016
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
Waiting seems to becoming more and more a lost way of life.
With the flick of a switch we have light regardless if it’s morning or not.
With the turn of a faucet we can have cold, warm or hot water instantly.
With a spin of the washing machine and a tumble in the dryer, clothes worn all day immediately become fresh and ready to wear once more.
With cell phones we don’t have to wait to get home to hear who called us. With the internet we don’t have to wait for breaking news. With social media we only get but a second before we hear everyone’s knee-jerk thoughts about who, what, where, when, why, and how dare they.
Waiting is a lost way of life. Writing a letter and waiting days, weeks, months to get a response. Then reading, and rereading that letter, treasuring it, and putting it into safe keeping.
Waiting for the new Sears-Roebuck catalogue to come in the mail. Waiting for the Wells Fargo wagon to come into town.
Waiting for the annual showing of “Wizard of Oz” to come on network TV.
I probably grew up during one of the last generations of waiting. And waiting was not always fun. Waiting wasn’t always preferred. Waiting wasn’t always wonderful.
Waiting can be downright boring.
But waiting also meant something.
Waiting added value to an event. For example I recall as a child the time “Alice in Wonderland” came back to the theaters. My Mom cut out the advertisement in the paper. I carried it around for days, going next door my neighbor to share the excitement that soon we’d be going to see it.
Waiting added meaning to what was about to happen. Or the time “Raiders of the Lost Ark” came out, years before there were multiplexes.
We had to drive another town. We had to wait in line for an hour just to get our tickets. Then we had to wait in line for another hour just to get into the theater.
It was boring and annoying as heck. But when we sat down, and the movie began, and the opening notes came on “Da-da-da-daaa, da da daa”, it was magic….
Waiting created rituals. I have to give it to my parents. They utilized waiting to their best advantage, making every Christmas morning exactly as it should be- filled with anticipation, wonder, and mystery.
On Christmas morning, my 3 siblings and I were to stay in our rooms until…until we heard the sound of sleigh bells outside our windows, signaling that Santa had just left our house.
We got out of bed and into the hallway, which was draped with a large bed sheet, hiding from view what Santa had left for us.
When we waited long enough and the time was right, the bed sheet was taken down and behold- a view of the stockings hanging on the living room railing, filled with delights.
Behold- there was the tree, with presents stacked around.
Behold- there was Dad on the couch with his cup of coffee and yearly calendar from Mom.
Behold- the empty glass of milk and plate of cookie crumbs with our Christmas list on one side and a personally handwritten note from Santa on the other, addressing each and every one of us personally.
The waiting continued as we sat, and gifts were passed out one at a time.
We could open up our gift slow or fast, it didn’t matter because we didn’t get another one until everyone had theirs.
Then going through our stockings, to see who got the biggest onion, signifying they were the naughtiest of the year.
Then waiting for Mom to take one of the onions, chop it up and make scrambled eggs with bacon and toast.
I had no idea then just how special and unique this ritual of waiting was, and how wonderful that our parents made us wait, because the waiting created the memories.
Even as we grew older, we would gleefully complete this ritual.
My sister has continued this ritual by hanging a bed sheet in the hallway of her home, and her boys love it.
I cannot wait to continue the tradition of waiting with my own children.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
A few years ago a book came out by Temple Grandin (“Animals Make Us Human”) which talked about the emotions that animals experience, such as fear, panic, and play.
She also mentioned seeking, which is the same as waiting. The author stated that for animals, the act of seeking or waiting is a positive emotion.
She stated that animals have an emotionally richer life when they have aspects of waiting.
Such as the dog that intuitively waits by the door, knowing that soon their human companion is coming home.
Waiting, as when our cats listen to our waking moments, knowing that soon we’ll be up to open the blinds, give them fresh water and open a can of food.
Even the waiting of a predatory animal as it stalks their prey, or hides in the garden waiting for the right time to pounce on a mouse or a bird.
According to the author, when animals have nothing to seek or no reason to wait for something good to happen, it can affect their mood, their energy, their way of life.
Not having a reason to seek out or to wait far can actually cause a sense of depression or lack of purpose.
And one is left to wonder if this is not true for humans.
That waiting is perhaps more of an emotion, a way of being.
Think of how positive waiting stirs up feelings, anticipation, wonder and joy.
Like kids on Christmas morning, waiting for the bed sheet to be pulled back. Waiting to see what will be. Waiting to be fed and to share a meal.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
For me, that is what I got out of today’s reading. That sense of waiting. That sense of seeking. That sense of planning.
That sense of pulling back the bed sheet.
Here we have Jesus talking to his disciples. He is on the Mt. of Olives, when they come to him, asking “When will the sign be of the end of the age?”
Jesus talks to them, and like a good teacher, like a classic rabbi, like a UCC pastor, he does not give them the answer they want; he doesn’t really give them an answer at all.
The disciples seek him out to know how long they have to wait until the age comes to an end.
His response is a big “No one knows, not even me.”
His response is “You’re going to have to wait it out. As you wait, beware of those who’ll try to lead you off the path you are on.”
“Know that there will be trials, tribulations, and upheavels. There will be breaking apart, and tearing down. And there will be things to endure, and things to overcome.”
“But don’t lose hope, don’t lose faith, because the Good News of God’s Kingdom will be shouted out and shared across the land.”
Wait.
Stay.
Endure.
Jesus instructs them that just as in the days before the flood, life will go on, and because no one knows when the end of the age will be, we wait, we anticipate, we become ready.
In other words- we live.
This is the kind of scripture that, like Revelations, some people are scared by.
But in my opinion, it is not meant to scare, it is meant to give us hope.
This is a scripture that takes the emotional act of waiting and says “This is beyond your control; no one knows but God, so put your energy into other things.”
As Christians, as members of the United Church of Christ, what are the other things we are called to put our energy into?
To not only proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but to be the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That as we wait, as we seek for the Kingdom of God to be made known…we can actually live and act as if the Kingdom of God is already here.
Now, if you’ve been attending here for any length of time you have heard me say that I believe the Kingdom of God is already here.
I truly believe the Kingdom of God is not far off in a distant time achieved only in death; I do not believe the Kingdom is far off in a distant, cloud-filled place.
I believe the Kingdom of God is in the now and present moment, in the now and present place, and it is waiting for us to seek out and discover it.
I believe the Kingdom of God is here, waiting to be seen, waiting to be experienced, waiting to be shared.
Waiting to be realized…
Following the theology found in Matthew, I believe that as we wait for the end of the age, we make God’s Kingdom known by our deeds of mercy, by our acts of forgiveness, by our ways of peace.
Which means that as we enter into the Advent Season, as we await the birth of Jesus Christ, we find our way to live and to discover the Kingdom of God.
This can involve the way we treat one another. With dignity. With respect. With care. With justice. Mindful of the vulnerable, lonely and the scared.
This can involve the way we greet one another. Do we see them as peers, as fellow humans, as neighbors with their own hopes and dreams, worries and needs?
This can involve the way we live and the way we worship. To give God proper honor. To give God proper praise. To humbly trust in the Holy Spirit.
To offer the best we have. To turn to Jesus with all of ourselves- our emotions, our thoughts, our flaws, our wounds.
How can we wait? How can we seek? How can we pull back the bed sheet and discover all the goodness God has in store?
We share the good news with one another, we share the good news with the world, we share the good news with our selves.
Because no matter what things may seem like, no matter what those who are impatient may say, tomorrow is just another day.
So with Christ, and in Christ, we work, we worship, and we wait, knowing that we are waiting with the Lord.
Amen and amen.
Matthew 24:36-44
November 27, 2016
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
Waiting seems to becoming more and more a lost way of life.
With the flick of a switch we have light regardless if it’s morning or not.
With the turn of a faucet we can have cold, warm or hot water instantly.
With a spin of the washing machine and a tumble in the dryer, clothes worn all day immediately become fresh and ready to wear once more.
With cell phones we don’t have to wait to get home to hear who called us. With the internet we don’t have to wait for breaking news. With social media we only get but a second before we hear everyone’s knee-jerk thoughts about who, what, where, when, why, and how dare they.
Waiting is a lost way of life. Writing a letter and waiting days, weeks, months to get a response. Then reading, and rereading that letter, treasuring it, and putting it into safe keeping.
Waiting for the new Sears-Roebuck catalogue to come in the mail. Waiting for the Wells Fargo wagon to come into town.
Waiting for the annual showing of “Wizard of Oz” to come on network TV.
I probably grew up during one of the last generations of waiting. And waiting was not always fun. Waiting wasn’t always preferred. Waiting wasn’t always wonderful.
Waiting can be downright boring.
But waiting also meant something.
Waiting added value to an event. For example I recall as a child the time “Alice in Wonderland” came back to the theaters. My Mom cut out the advertisement in the paper. I carried it around for days, going next door my neighbor to share the excitement that soon we’d be going to see it.
Waiting added meaning to what was about to happen. Or the time “Raiders of the Lost Ark” came out, years before there were multiplexes.
We had to drive another town. We had to wait in line for an hour just to get our tickets. Then we had to wait in line for another hour just to get into the theater.
It was boring and annoying as heck. But when we sat down, and the movie began, and the opening notes came on “Da-da-da-daaa, da da daa”, it was magic….
Waiting created rituals. I have to give it to my parents. They utilized waiting to their best advantage, making every Christmas morning exactly as it should be- filled with anticipation, wonder, and mystery.
On Christmas morning, my 3 siblings and I were to stay in our rooms until…until we heard the sound of sleigh bells outside our windows, signaling that Santa had just left our house.
We got out of bed and into the hallway, which was draped with a large bed sheet, hiding from view what Santa had left for us.
When we waited long enough and the time was right, the bed sheet was taken down and behold- a view of the stockings hanging on the living room railing, filled with delights.
Behold- there was the tree, with presents stacked around.
Behold- there was Dad on the couch with his cup of coffee and yearly calendar from Mom.
Behold- the empty glass of milk and plate of cookie crumbs with our Christmas list on one side and a personally handwritten note from Santa on the other, addressing each and every one of us personally.
The waiting continued as we sat, and gifts were passed out one at a time.
We could open up our gift slow or fast, it didn’t matter because we didn’t get another one until everyone had theirs.
Then going through our stockings, to see who got the biggest onion, signifying they were the naughtiest of the year.
Then waiting for Mom to take one of the onions, chop it up and make scrambled eggs with bacon and toast.
I had no idea then just how special and unique this ritual of waiting was, and how wonderful that our parents made us wait, because the waiting created the memories.
Even as we grew older, we would gleefully complete this ritual.
My sister has continued this ritual by hanging a bed sheet in the hallway of her home, and her boys love it.
I cannot wait to continue the tradition of waiting with my own children.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
A few years ago a book came out by Temple Grandin (“Animals Make Us Human”) which talked about the emotions that animals experience, such as fear, panic, and play.
She also mentioned seeking, which is the same as waiting. The author stated that for animals, the act of seeking or waiting is a positive emotion.
She stated that animals have an emotionally richer life when they have aspects of waiting.
Such as the dog that intuitively waits by the door, knowing that soon their human companion is coming home.
Waiting, as when our cats listen to our waking moments, knowing that soon we’ll be up to open the blinds, give them fresh water and open a can of food.
Even the waiting of a predatory animal as it stalks their prey, or hides in the garden waiting for the right time to pounce on a mouse or a bird.
According to the author, when animals have nothing to seek or no reason to wait for something good to happen, it can affect their mood, their energy, their way of life.
Not having a reason to seek out or to wait far can actually cause a sense of depression or lack of purpose.
And one is left to wonder if this is not true for humans.
That waiting is perhaps more of an emotion, a way of being.
Think of how positive waiting stirs up feelings, anticipation, wonder and joy.
Like kids on Christmas morning, waiting for the bed sheet to be pulled back. Waiting to see what will be. Waiting to be fed and to share a meal.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting…
For me, that is what I got out of today’s reading. That sense of waiting. That sense of seeking. That sense of planning.
That sense of pulling back the bed sheet.
Here we have Jesus talking to his disciples. He is on the Mt. of Olives, when they come to him, asking “When will the sign be of the end of the age?”
Jesus talks to them, and like a good teacher, like a classic rabbi, like a UCC pastor, he does not give them the answer they want; he doesn’t really give them an answer at all.
The disciples seek him out to know how long they have to wait until the age comes to an end.
His response is a big “No one knows, not even me.”
His response is “You’re going to have to wait it out. As you wait, beware of those who’ll try to lead you off the path you are on.”
“Know that there will be trials, tribulations, and upheavels. There will be breaking apart, and tearing down. And there will be things to endure, and things to overcome.”
“But don’t lose hope, don’t lose faith, because the Good News of God’s Kingdom will be shouted out and shared across the land.”
Wait.
Stay.
Endure.
Jesus instructs them that just as in the days before the flood, life will go on, and because no one knows when the end of the age will be, we wait, we anticipate, we become ready.
In other words- we live.
This is the kind of scripture that, like Revelations, some people are scared by.
But in my opinion, it is not meant to scare, it is meant to give us hope.
This is a scripture that takes the emotional act of waiting and says “This is beyond your control; no one knows but God, so put your energy into other things.”
As Christians, as members of the United Church of Christ, what are the other things we are called to put our energy into?
To not only proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but to be the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
That as we wait, as we seek for the Kingdom of God to be made known…we can actually live and act as if the Kingdom of God is already here.
Now, if you’ve been attending here for any length of time you have heard me say that I believe the Kingdom of God is already here.
I truly believe the Kingdom of God is not far off in a distant time achieved only in death; I do not believe the Kingdom is far off in a distant, cloud-filled place.
I believe the Kingdom of God is in the now and present moment, in the now and present place, and it is waiting for us to seek out and discover it.
I believe the Kingdom of God is here, waiting to be seen, waiting to be experienced, waiting to be shared.
Waiting to be realized…
Following the theology found in Matthew, I believe that as we wait for the end of the age, we make God’s Kingdom known by our deeds of mercy, by our acts of forgiveness, by our ways of peace.
Which means that as we enter into the Advent Season, as we await the birth of Jesus Christ, we find our way to live and to discover the Kingdom of God.
This can involve the way we treat one another. With dignity. With respect. With care. With justice. Mindful of the vulnerable, lonely and the scared.
This can involve the way we greet one another. Do we see them as peers, as fellow humans, as neighbors with their own hopes and dreams, worries and needs?
This can involve the way we live and the way we worship. To give God proper honor. To give God proper praise. To humbly trust in the Holy Spirit.
To offer the best we have. To turn to Jesus with all of ourselves- our emotions, our thoughts, our flaws, our wounds.
How can we wait? How can we seek? How can we pull back the bed sheet and discover all the goodness God has in store?
We share the good news with one another, we share the good news with the world, we share the good news with our selves.
Because no matter what things may seem like, no matter what those who are impatient may say, tomorrow is just another day.
So with Christ, and in Christ, we work, we worship, and we wait, knowing that we are waiting with the Lord.
Amen and amen.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
Playing Our Part; Being the Light; post-election sermon on Luke 1:68-79
Rev. George Miller
Luke 1:68-79
November 13, 2016
In preparing today’s sermon I realized that we have a unique balance to present. Today we acknowledge our Veterans. Next week is Christ the King Sunday. And of course, our presidential election just took place.
November 8 is a day that will go down in history. A day in which people from all throughout the world watched to find out what would happen.
How would the election go; how would the America people vote?
The results slowly came in, but at midnight it seemed clear where things were going. It was also clear the emotions that people felt.
Some felt jubilation and pride. Some felt confusion. Others felt let down.
I felt fear- fear of what could come.
Fear that whispered in my ear “What if they come for me?”
Fear that made me mindful of what to wear as I went to bed.
If the worst was to happen, and a mob of people came to my door ready to start some mess, what was I going to look like?
I admit this kind of thinking may sound over-the-top to some. I know that some here today have no idea what I’m even talking about. I also know some here today know exactly what I mean.
If a mob was to come to my door in the middle of the night to make me an example, to embarrass, or humiliate me, what should I wear as an expression of who I am?
I opted for a t-shirt I got during Comcast Care Days, when I worked alongside newly elected Sheriff, Paul Blackman.
I wore it because it represented my care for the community and my role as a Board Member for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
I wore it because it was green, the color of life. It had the figure of a person in joyful display, and featured bright cheerful colors in the shapes of stars and leaves.
I wore it because in the back it said “Looking Forward
Giving Back.”
It represented Highlands Community, and the love and pride I have of living and pastoring here.
I was afraid, so I wore that green Comcast Cares T-shirt because in the horrible chance something did happen, and anyone tried to hurt me, they’d have to do so looking at it, and me, as a person.
Wearing that green t-shirt was for me a sign of protest, and a sign of hope.
There are many ways in which people who feel scared, upset, lost, can find hope.
Hope can come in the songs we sing. Hope can come in the stories we share. Hope can come from remembering previous times in which salvation arrived and things worked themselves out.
Hope can come from children.
Hope can also come from laughter, humor, and finding the ironies of life.
Before we get any more serious, let’s pause for a moment. Let’s allow for a time of levity. A time in which story, children, humor come into play, and offer a moment of lighthearted hope.
Who here is a fan of the TV show “Modern Family”? It’s been on for some time now, featuring one grand family that is made up of 3 distinct family units.
A common theme of the show is that of diversity; another theme is fathers and sons.
3 years ago “Modern Family” had an episode centered on Jay, the family patriarch, and his adopted 12-year-old son, Manny, who is not like other boys and certainly not like Jay.
Jay is gruff and manly; he likes to wear sweats, watch football, and drink scotch. Manny is polite and sensitive; he enjoys wearing fedoras, poetry, and drinking espresso.
So picture this- it’s the state fair and Manny enters the baking contest. He creates a confectionary replica of Los Angeles.
Jay is not happy about this. He’s worried that Manny will be teased by the other kids.
Why can’t he just enjoy things like football!
The story moves along at a sitcom pace. The cake judging is about to take place, but Manny’s cake is not there. They have 10 seconds to get it to the table.
“Don’t worry,” Manny says.
He grabs the cake, cradles it with pride, and he barrels through the crowd of people, knocking down anyone who gets in his way.
Just so happens that the football coach witnesses Manny’s strength and determination and next thing you know, Manny is on the football team as their ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬-fullback and leads the team to their very first victory.
Jay is so proud!
Children surprise us.
Children give us hope. Children represent the days ahead. Children are the reminder that no matter what, life goes on.
Good or bad, happy or sad, jubilant or scared, children give us hope.
Though I am not yet a parent, I look forward to experiencing this first hand when I get to adopt, and to have you all right by my side.
Most fathers and sons have interesting relationships, and in today’s reading we hear the words of a Dad speaking about his son.
In the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, we meet Zechariah, a priest. One day, while in the Temple, Zechariah is visited by an angel who tells him the good news: Zechariah will have a son; the child will be called John, and he will be the reason for much joy.
But the news is tempered with a reality: as amazing as John will be, he is not to be the star player, but a precursor of what’s to come.
John will bring families back together and he will bring wisdom to the foolish, but alas, John is not going to be the MVP.
He is not going to be the quarterback of the team or the one who scores the winning touchdown. He is going to be more like the fullback, making the way for the Lord.
How did Zechariah feel about this news? He must have been amazed and perplexed: “Holy Cow there’s an angel talking to me!”
But then there’s the other part- His son will pave the way; but he will never ever, be The Way.
His son will bring great joy, but his son will not be the ultimate reason for that gladness.
Often times, when we read the Bible, we place its people on high holy-chairs. And if we know the story and how it plays out, we may become numb to the human element.
We know what Jesus is going to do; we know the lives he’ll forever transform.
But we forget that the people in these stories didn’t truly know the outcome. They couldn’t turn to chapter 24 to see how it all works out.
The people in these stories had to live through the story; they had to live through the happenings, good or bad, triumphant or sad.
We are told that Zechariah is struck mute by the angel. During his wife’s pregnancy, he is not able to speak a single word.
This time of silence must have given Zechariah a lot of time to think about things, time to ponder, time to wrestle what was and what was not to be.
His son was to be great; but not the greatest.
Would that be good enough for Zechariah? Would that do?
If this was a Shakespearean play, Zechariah would have railed against the prophecy. He would found some way, any way to make his son the star; to make his son the King.
He would have visited witches at a cauldron or got his hands on a poisoned potion or kidnapped the Christ child.
Maybe at some point, Zechariah did entertain those thoughts; but then, somehow he found the ability to…let them go.
Instead of harboring a grudge or focusing on what would never be for his son, Zechariah found a way to faithfully look ahead and embrace the promise…of what’s to come.
After his son is born, Zechariah’s speech is restored. And after giving praise to God, he speaks the words we heard today.
He speaks eloquently of what God has done and what God will do.
Zechariah acknowledges that it will be the son of Mary who will fulfill the words of the prophets, who will lead the people to victory and rescue them from their enemies.
What an amazing, humble thing to say about someone else’s child. What class, what character Zechariah shows.
Zechariah conceded that as great as his son is, there is another child that will be greater.
But I do not sense it means that Zechariah loves his own son any less, it just means that he fully understands who his son is and what he is meant to be.
His son is the one to go up ahead and to prepare the way.
His son is the one to plant the seeds of salvation and forgiveness.
He may not be the Messiah but he will be called the prophet of the Most High.
He may not be “The Son of God” but he will play a role in bringing light into the life of the people.
His feet may not be the ones that bring people over the winning goal line, but he will play his own part in guiding to victory.
And there is nothing wrong about that; and any father, anywhere, should be proud that their son could play such a role…
…Tuesday we voted in our new president. Today we have honored our Veterans. Next week is Christ the King Sunday.
Today I believe it is good for us to lift up and to remember that we are Christians. As such we follow Jesus Christ.
Today we celebrate that Jesus was more than a rabbi. More than a teacher, doctor, story-teller. More than our friend.
Today we also lift up that Christ is King in our lives.
A King who heals. A king who gathers and restores. A king who feeds the flock. A king who welcomes the wayward home.
A King who preaches and practiced forgiveness, whose strength came from the Heavenly Kingdom.
Because Christ is King, we do not have to be.
Because Christ is and forever shall be King, we don’t have to burden ourselves with tasks we were not created for or called to do.
Because Christ is King, we can focus our attention onto who we are and the best version of ourselves that we can be.
I do not believe John is the one and only person called to pave a way for the Lord.
I do not believe John is the only one who can share light with others in darkness.
We can each pave a way for the Lord in our own, special way.
We have each been blessed with our own unique spiritual gifts; we all have our own talents, ways of sharing joy, ways of being bearers of gladness.
With knowledge that Christ is King, we have the opportunity to speak words of hope, to be actors of hope, and to be team players, each doing what we know we can do the best.
In conclusion, God has always had a plan for the world.
Beginning with Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Deborah and Gideon, continuing with people like Zechariah and his son John, that plan has continued, even when unexpected events have taken place, even when fear seems to take hold.
Christ is indeed King and in him God has a heavenly playbook and a heavenly plan.
Some of us are best at baking cakes; others as being fullbacks; some may even be able to do both.
But we each get to play our own role; we each get to share our part.
In doing so we each get to shine a light into the darkness: to have hope, to share the gift of mercy with the oppressed, joy to those who weep, and forgiveness to the broken down.
In Christ, we all get to play our role on the field, doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our Lord, and with one another.
Amen and amen.
Luke 1:68-79
November 13, 2016
In preparing today’s sermon I realized that we have a unique balance to present. Today we acknowledge our Veterans. Next week is Christ the King Sunday. And of course, our presidential election just took place.
November 8 is a day that will go down in history. A day in which people from all throughout the world watched to find out what would happen.
How would the election go; how would the America people vote?
The results slowly came in, but at midnight it seemed clear where things were going. It was also clear the emotions that people felt.
Some felt jubilation and pride. Some felt confusion. Others felt let down.
I felt fear- fear of what could come.
Fear that whispered in my ear “What if they come for me?”
Fear that made me mindful of what to wear as I went to bed.
If the worst was to happen, and a mob of people came to my door ready to start some mess, what was I going to look like?
I admit this kind of thinking may sound over-the-top to some. I know that some here today have no idea what I’m even talking about. I also know some here today know exactly what I mean.
If a mob was to come to my door in the middle of the night to make me an example, to embarrass, or humiliate me, what should I wear as an expression of who I am?
I opted for a t-shirt I got during Comcast Care Days, when I worked alongside newly elected Sheriff, Paul Blackman.
I wore it because it represented my care for the community and my role as a Board Member for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
I wore it because it was green, the color of life. It had the figure of a person in joyful display, and featured bright cheerful colors in the shapes of stars and leaves.
I wore it because in the back it said “Looking Forward
Giving Back.”
It represented Highlands Community, and the love and pride I have of living and pastoring here.
I was afraid, so I wore that green Comcast Cares T-shirt because in the horrible chance something did happen, and anyone tried to hurt me, they’d have to do so looking at it, and me, as a person.
Wearing that green t-shirt was for me a sign of protest, and a sign of hope.
There are many ways in which people who feel scared, upset, lost, can find hope.
Hope can come in the songs we sing. Hope can come in the stories we share. Hope can come from remembering previous times in which salvation arrived and things worked themselves out.
Hope can come from children.
Hope can also come from laughter, humor, and finding the ironies of life.
Before we get any more serious, let’s pause for a moment. Let’s allow for a time of levity. A time in which story, children, humor come into play, and offer a moment of lighthearted hope.
Who here is a fan of the TV show “Modern Family”? It’s been on for some time now, featuring one grand family that is made up of 3 distinct family units.
A common theme of the show is that of diversity; another theme is fathers and sons.
3 years ago “Modern Family” had an episode centered on Jay, the family patriarch, and his adopted 12-year-old son, Manny, who is not like other boys and certainly not like Jay.
Jay is gruff and manly; he likes to wear sweats, watch football, and drink scotch. Manny is polite and sensitive; he enjoys wearing fedoras, poetry, and drinking espresso.
So picture this- it’s the state fair and Manny enters the baking contest. He creates a confectionary replica of Los Angeles.
Jay is not happy about this. He’s worried that Manny will be teased by the other kids.
Why can’t he just enjoy things like football!
The story moves along at a sitcom pace. The cake judging is about to take place, but Manny’s cake is not there. They have 10 seconds to get it to the table.
“Don’t worry,” Manny says.
He grabs the cake, cradles it with pride, and he barrels through the crowd of people, knocking down anyone who gets in his way.
Just so happens that the football coach witnesses Manny’s strength and determination and next thing you know, Manny is on the football team as their ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬-fullback and leads the team to their very first victory.
Jay is so proud!
Children surprise us.
Children give us hope. Children represent the days ahead. Children are the reminder that no matter what, life goes on.
Good or bad, happy or sad, jubilant or scared, children give us hope.
Though I am not yet a parent, I look forward to experiencing this first hand when I get to adopt, and to have you all right by my side.
Most fathers and sons have interesting relationships, and in today’s reading we hear the words of a Dad speaking about his son.
In the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, we meet Zechariah, a priest. One day, while in the Temple, Zechariah is visited by an angel who tells him the good news: Zechariah will have a son; the child will be called John, and he will be the reason for much joy.
But the news is tempered with a reality: as amazing as John will be, he is not to be the star player, but a precursor of what’s to come.
John will bring families back together and he will bring wisdom to the foolish, but alas, John is not going to be the MVP.
He is not going to be the quarterback of the team or the one who scores the winning touchdown. He is going to be more like the fullback, making the way for the Lord.
How did Zechariah feel about this news? He must have been amazed and perplexed: “Holy Cow there’s an angel talking to me!”
But then there’s the other part- His son will pave the way; but he will never ever, be The Way.
His son will bring great joy, but his son will not be the ultimate reason for that gladness.
Often times, when we read the Bible, we place its people on high holy-chairs. And if we know the story and how it plays out, we may become numb to the human element.
We know what Jesus is going to do; we know the lives he’ll forever transform.
But we forget that the people in these stories didn’t truly know the outcome. They couldn’t turn to chapter 24 to see how it all works out.
The people in these stories had to live through the story; they had to live through the happenings, good or bad, triumphant or sad.
We are told that Zechariah is struck mute by the angel. During his wife’s pregnancy, he is not able to speak a single word.
This time of silence must have given Zechariah a lot of time to think about things, time to ponder, time to wrestle what was and what was not to be.
His son was to be great; but not the greatest.
Would that be good enough for Zechariah? Would that do?
If this was a Shakespearean play, Zechariah would have railed against the prophecy. He would found some way, any way to make his son the star; to make his son the King.
He would have visited witches at a cauldron or got his hands on a poisoned potion or kidnapped the Christ child.
Maybe at some point, Zechariah did entertain those thoughts; but then, somehow he found the ability to…let them go.
Instead of harboring a grudge or focusing on what would never be for his son, Zechariah found a way to faithfully look ahead and embrace the promise…of what’s to come.
After his son is born, Zechariah’s speech is restored. And after giving praise to God, he speaks the words we heard today.
He speaks eloquently of what God has done and what God will do.
Zechariah acknowledges that it will be the son of Mary who will fulfill the words of the prophets, who will lead the people to victory and rescue them from their enemies.
What an amazing, humble thing to say about someone else’s child. What class, what character Zechariah shows.
Zechariah conceded that as great as his son is, there is another child that will be greater.
But I do not sense it means that Zechariah loves his own son any less, it just means that he fully understands who his son is and what he is meant to be.
His son is the one to go up ahead and to prepare the way.
His son is the one to plant the seeds of salvation and forgiveness.
He may not be the Messiah but he will be called the prophet of the Most High.
He may not be “The Son of God” but he will play a role in bringing light into the life of the people.
His feet may not be the ones that bring people over the winning goal line, but he will play his own part in guiding to victory.
And there is nothing wrong about that; and any father, anywhere, should be proud that their son could play such a role…
…Tuesday we voted in our new president. Today we have honored our Veterans. Next week is Christ the King Sunday.
Today I believe it is good for us to lift up and to remember that we are Christians. As such we follow Jesus Christ.
Today we celebrate that Jesus was more than a rabbi. More than a teacher, doctor, story-teller. More than our friend.
Today we also lift up that Christ is King in our lives.
A King who heals. A king who gathers and restores. A king who feeds the flock. A king who welcomes the wayward home.
A King who preaches and practiced forgiveness, whose strength came from the Heavenly Kingdom.
Because Christ is King, we do not have to be.
Because Christ is and forever shall be King, we don’t have to burden ourselves with tasks we were not created for or called to do.
Because Christ is King, we can focus our attention onto who we are and the best version of ourselves that we can be.
I do not believe John is the one and only person called to pave a way for the Lord.
I do not believe John is the only one who can share light with others in darkness.
We can each pave a way for the Lord in our own, special way.
We have each been blessed with our own unique spiritual gifts; we all have our own talents, ways of sharing joy, ways of being bearers of gladness.
With knowledge that Christ is King, we have the opportunity to speak words of hope, to be actors of hope, and to be team players, each doing what we know we can do the best.
In conclusion, God has always had a plan for the world.
Beginning with Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Deborah and Gideon, continuing with people like Zechariah and his son John, that plan has continued, even when unexpected events have taken place, even when fear seems to take hold.
Christ is indeed King and in him God has a heavenly playbook and a heavenly plan.
Some of us are best at baking cakes; others as being fullbacks; some may even be able to do both.
But we each get to play our own role; we each get to share our part.
In doing so we each get to shine a light into the darkness: to have hope, to share the gift of mercy with the oppressed, joy to those who weep, and forgiveness to the broken down.
In Christ, we all get to play our role on the field, doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our Lord, and with one another.
Amen and amen.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Welcoming Jesus Into Your House; Luke 19:1-10
Rev. George Miller
Oct 30, 2016
Luke 19:1-10
Confession time- I’ve had no idea what to preach about today. We’ve talked about so much over the past year- mental illness, racial tensions, the election, finances.
It’s time for some levity.
In yesterday’s paper, amidst all the super-serious news was an article about the president of the Philippines who said God told him to stop cussing.
He was on a flight to his hometown when God woke him up and said “If you don’t stop with the foul language I am going to bring this plane down to the ground!”
Now, the president of the Philippines is known for being crass and crude, cussing out both the pope and our president.
He’s used off-color language when talking about the UN Secretary General, human rights advocates and Islamic extremists, and he’s been seen in public chewing gum in front of emperors.
And the man is not a teenager, he is 71 years old.
He’s a political bad boy, but he claims God had a come-to-Jesus-moment with him, so he will try his best to change his ways.
I love the notion that God can enter into someone’s life unexpectedly and change them for the better.
Of course, this notion is Biblical. In the book of Acts, Saul, an enemy of the Christians, has an encounter with the resurrected Christ and becomes the biggest cheerleader for Jesus.
In the book of Judges we have God appearing to Gideon, who is the weakest member of the weakest clan, calling him to be the mightiest of leaders.
Today, in the Gospel of Luke, we have Jesus inviting himself over to the house of Zacchaeus, enemy of the state.
The delight is in the details.
Jesus is entering into Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, and a crowd has gathered. And we have Zacchaeus, who is a short, short man climbing a sycamore tree just so he can see him.
To fully enjoy this story, we realize this was 2,000 years before Facebook; 2,000 years before you can tag someone in a photo or hashtag someone in a post if you wanted to get their eye.
This is before selfies and cell phones, so if Zacchaeus was to get Jesus’ attention, he was gonna have to do it the old fashioned way- he climbed a tree.
The interesting thing is that apparently Jesus already knew who he was. We’re not told how, we are not told why, but we are told that Jesus looked up, saw this short man in the tree and said-
“Zacchaeus! Bro! Hombre! Get down from there so I can hang with you at your house.”
Of course, people didn’t like it one bit. Not only did Zacchaeus collect taxes for the Roman government, but he was their chief guy.
What kind of rabbi would eat with their enemy? What kind of savior would stay with a sinner?
But Jesus doesn’t mind what the others say.
Zacchaeus stands there, on solid ground, short in stature, but soaring in spirit, and he says-
“Look- half of what I own I will give to the needy, and I will pay back 4X to those I defrauded.”
His reward: the gift of acceptance. He is accepted into the Family of God, guaranteed a place at the table.
No longer an outsider, an enemy, a sell-out, but a brother, a friend, and among the found.
There is a lightness, a joy, that comes from this scripture. That is a good thing, because in the same chapter Jesus will enter into Jerusalem, cry over the sins of the city, and cleanse the Temple.
But for now, for this moment, separating all that has come before and all the drama that will come later, is this perfectly captured moment in time in which Jesus is standing before a sinner who may be short in stature, but he is extraordinary in heart.
And the possibility for positive change is present.
Change that can bless the poor, change that can bless the community, change that can bless Zacchaeus himself.
Once again we get to see the Still Speaking God at work.
Once again we hear what happens when holiness enters into a person’s life.
Once again we are reminded that no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey- Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
No matter who you are, or what you have done- Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
No matter who you are, no matter who you have-
-hurt
-robbed from
-cursed at
-disgraced
-lied about
-sinned against
Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
Today.
Tomorrow.
Every day.
No matter what you have said, no matter what you have done, no matter your age, your height, your sex, your role in life-
Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
It’s never too late, it’s never too early. You’re never too rich, you’re never too poor.
Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
For that, we can all say amen and amen.
Oct 30, 2016
Luke 19:1-10
Confession time- I’ve had no idea what to preach about today. We’ve talked about so much over the past year- mental illness, racial tensions, the election, finances.
It’s time for some levity.
In yesterday’s paper, amidst all the super-serious news was an article about the president of the Philippines who said God told him to stop cussing.
He was on a flight to his hometown when God woke him up and said “If you don’t stop with the foul language I am going to bring this plane down to the ground!”
Now, the president of the Philippines is known for being crass and crude, cussing out both the pope and our president.
He’s used off-color language when talking about the UN Secretary General, human rights advocates and Islamic extremists, and he’s been seen in public chewing gum in front of emperors.
And the man is not a teenager, he is 71 years old.
He’s a political bad boy, but he claims God had a come-to-Jesus-moment with him, so he will try his best to change his ways.
I love the notion that God can enter into someone’s life unexpectedly and change them for the better.
Of course, this notion is Biblical. In the book of Acts, Saul, an enemy of the Christians, has an encounter with the resurrected Christ and becomes the biggest cheerleader for Jesus.
In the book of Judges we have God appearing to Gideon, who is the weakest member of the weakest clan, calling him to be the mightiest of leaders.
Today, in the Gospel of Luke, we have Jesus inviting himself over to the house of Zacchaeus, enemy of the state.
The delight is in the details.
Jesus is entering into Jericho on his way to Jerusalem, and a crowd has gathered. And we have Zacchaeus, who is a short, short man climbing a sycamore tree just so he can see him.
To fully enjoy this story, we realize this was 2,000 years before Facebook; 2,000 years before you can tag someone in a photo or hashtag someone in a post if you wanted to get their eye.
This is before selfies and cell phones, so if Zacchaeus was to get Jesus’ attention, he was gonna have to do it the old fashioned way- he climbed a tree.
The interesting thing is that apparently Jesus already knew who he was. We’re not told how, we are not told why, but we are told that Jesus looked up, saw this short man in the tree and said-
“Zacchaeus! Bro! Hombre! Get down from there so I can hang with you at your house.”
Of course, people didn’t like it one bit. Not only did Zacchaeus collect taxes for the Roman government, but he was their chief guy.
What kind of rabbi would eat with their enemy? What kind of savior would stay with a sinner?
But Jesus doesn’t mind what the others say.
Zacchaeus stands there, on solid ground, short in stature, but soaring in spirit, and he says-
“Look- half of what I own I will give to the needy, and I will pay back 4X to those I defrauded.”
His reward: the gift of acceptance. He is accepted into the Family of God, guaranteed a place at the table.
No longer an outsider, an enemy, a sell-out, but a brother, a friend, and among the found.
There is a lightness, a joy, that comes from this scripture. That is a good thing, because in the same chapter Jesus will enter into Jerusalem, cry over the sins of the city, and cleanse the Temple.
But for now, for this moment, separating all that has come before and all the drama that will come later, is this perfectly captured moment in time in which Jesus is standing before a sinner who may be short in stature, but he is extraordinary in heart.
And the possibility for positive change is present.
Change that can bless the poor, change that can bless the community, change that can bless Zacchaeus himself.
Once again we get to see the Still Speaking God at work.
Once again we hear what happens when holiness enters into a person’s life.
Once again we are reminded that no matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey- Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
No matter who you are, or what you have done- Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
No matter who you are, no matter who you have-
-hurt
-robbed from
-cursed at
-disgraced
-lied about
-sinned against
Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
Today.
Tomorrow.
Every day.
No matter what you have said, no matter what you have done, no matter your age, your height, your sex, your role in life-
Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
It’s never too late, it’s never too early. You’re never too rich, you’re never too poor.
Jesus wants to be welcomed into your house.
For that, we can all say amen and amen.
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Shades of Grey- Election Edition
Rev. George Miller
Oct. 23, 2016
Luke 18:9-14
Today is a day in which I’m going to talk like I am a Big Boy. And I trust that you all here are Big Boys and Big Girls, and like Stephanie would say, that you are each able to pull on your Big Boy and Big Girl pants.
Because it is about time that we talk about this election. It is safe to say that this is an election unlike anything we have ever seen.
All these issues of lies and misbehavior, misbehavior and more lies.
But I got news for you- I was born in 1970, which means I came to consciousness during the Watergate Era, and in a country still dazzled by the Kennedy Legacy.
So I have never known a time in which presidents didn’t lie and politicians did not misbehave or cheat on their wives.
Call me jaded, call me a realist, but when I hear about these things I’m like “Yeah, so?”
I’m not looking for my leaders to be my buddies, or my friends, or my Sunday School teachers.
I’m looking for them to be the best leaders they can be who put the welfare of the people and the land before themselves and their cronies; leaders who can protect but can also play well with all the other leaders of the world.
In other words-justice. But not- perfection.
It’s a shame that we expect people to be so perfect. We live in and have co-created a society in which we expect everything to be so black and white.
Either everything is all good or all bad.
Someone is either all saint or all sinner.
Things are heavenly or they are hellish.
Where is the in-between?
The truth is that we are all in-between. We all are composed of good and bad, saint and sinner, heavenly and hellish.
Question is- do we hide it? Do we deny it? Do we push people away if they get too close to our truths? Do we attack those who stumble upon our shades of grey?
What if…what if Hillary had said 2 years ago, upfront, and on her own “Guess what- I made a HUGE mistake. I used my own personal server and in the process received and sent confidential e-mails.”
What if Hillary said “I admit that what I did was wrong, and once it was brought to my attention I stopped and sought council on how to best address my mistake.”
Would she have been justified by the American voters, humbled by her honest confession of non-compliance?
What if…what if Trump spoke up immediately and said “I have said some inappropriate things in private that I now realize were harmful to others. And I acknowledge that there are instances in which I have disrespected women; some of these are on tape.”
What if he said “I never meant to harm anyone, but I am seeking council and advise on how my words and actions can affect another, and I intend to learn and grow from these unfortunate experiences.”
Would he have been justified by the American voters, humbled by his honest admittance of objectification?
Is either candidate all good or all bad? All saint or all sinner? All heavenly or all hellish?
Today’s reading is one of those scriptures that if one is not careful, it can place people in a one or the other category.
Jesus is telling a parable.
A parable is a story that defies description. It seems to go one way, and then veers to the other. It shakes up pre-conceived notions of the world.
Parables challenge us to think, and no matter how much time we devote to them, we can never quite fully grasp them.
Parables force us to wrestle with God, and it is in the wrestling that we become closer to our Creator.
Here Jesus tells a parable in which he talks of 2 distinct people.
First, there is the Pharisee. Pharisees back in the day were akin to our church elders and church leaders.
They were the ones who served as deacons, they were the ones who sat on the boards, they were the ones who ensured things kept running.
They were the ones who gave greatly, tithed ten percent, and made sure the bills were paid and the lights were kept on.
The Pharisees were also notorious for being big on following the rules, and not straying from how things were done.
They preferred the old hymnals, and liturgy spoken in the proper language, and everyone to dress a certain way.
The Pharisees kept the Temple going, but they could also be overly righteous, quick to judge, and assume that only they worshipped God the right way.
Then we have the Tax Collector. Back in the day tax collectors were seen as greedy, untrustworthy, and unclean.
Perhaps worse- they were seen as traitors to their own people. Tax collectors worked for the Roman government, collecting the taxes from their Jewish peers living in Jerusalem.
They made their money off of commission, so they could charge people whatever they wanted. If the person refused or was unable to pay, they could be fined or arrested.
It would be akin to Isis conquering America and your neighbor going to work for them collecting taxes to strengthen their army.
So, who is the good guy? Who is the bad guy? The one who is holier than thou but keeps the Temple running? The one who works for the enemy but is humble?
Does it make a difference on how we view them if we realize there’s a good chance the Pharisee was born into a Pharisee family that was well-to do, had power and position, so he had the luxury of fasting, tithing and following all the laws of the land?
Does it make a difference if we realize there’s a good chance the Tax Collector was born into a poor family that struggled every day, had no power, no position, and none of the luxuries that allowed for fasting, giving, and following all the laws of the land?
What kind of desperate background may someone come from that they would be willing to work for the enemy?
What if the Tax Collector had a family to feed and needed some way to earn money?
Who is good, who is bad?
So you are being asked not to see either man as black or white, good or bad, saint or sinner, heavenly or hellish.
But to see them as doing what they know, and doing what they can in a complex world.
As the parable continues, Jesus tells us what the Pharisee says. It is interesting to note that his prayer features
-33 words
-1 reference to “God”
-5 references to himself, and all the good he’s done
Clearly, the Pharisee’s prayer is not so much to God or about God, as it is about him.
Jesus then tells us what the Tax Collector says. It is interesting to note that his prayer features
-7 words
-1 reference to God
-1 reference to himself as sinner
Clearly, the Tax Collector’s prayer comes from a heavy heart.
The twist in the parable is when Jesus tells us that it is the Tax Collector who is justified.
Why? Because he was honest before God. He spoke his imperfect truth, he confessed his sins, he admitted his flaws.
He sought mercy.
Therefore mercy is what he received.
Justification is what he got. Grace is what rained down upon him as he returned home.
Does this mean that he was the better person? Does it mean he is now the one who is all good, all saint, all heavenly?
Does it mean that upon being justified he changed his ways? Does it mean he stopped collecting taxes and working for the enemy?
We don’t know; we will never know.
Jesus doesn’t tell us, because a parable is not meant to be easy.
A parable is meant to make us think. Make us uneasy. Make us wrestle with God.
If the world was only in black and whites we’d be left to wonder:
-Is it better to be holy but unhumble?
or
-Is it better to be unholy but be humble?
We do not live in a world of black or white. We live in a world of grays.
Which means we are constantly surrounded by people who are like both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. We are surrounded by people who can boast and be humble.
And truth be told, we all have a bit of the Pharisee in us, and we all have a bit of the Tax Collector in us.
We have all done things for the benefit of others, and we have all done things for the benefit of ourselves.
We have all bragged upon how much better we are than another, and we have all had times in which we said that we were worms in the dirt.
Today’s parable does not give us an easy answer or easy insight but maybe we can take a bit of what we like from each person in today’s tale.
That we can be inspired to try our best, and to admit our worst.
That if we trying to do what we need to get by, we can still find ways to help another.
That we don’t judge so quickly, but we are brave enough to present ourselves before God to be judged.
That we can be honest enough with God about how we have messed up, and humble enough to receive the gifts of grace.
To not only see ourselves in shades of grey, but to see others in grey, realizing that people are not all good, people are not all bad.
…No one is perfect; everyone is perfectly flawed…
…As we near the close of today’s message, I have a brief story to share.
A few weeks ago for the adoption class, I had to find someone to sit down with and to share my fears.
My real fears. The ones I keep hidden, even from myself.
I invited my friend Aisha over, she’s a mother of 7 and radiates a spirit of love.
So in the comfort of my sun room, I talked. I shared my fear, and as I shared one fear, another came out, and another, and another.
And with the admittance of fears, came the tears, and admittance of other feelings, like anger, doubt, and even joy.
And Aisha just…listened.
She didn’t cut off. She didn’t critique. She didn’t shame or explain away.
Aisha was simply there, hearing every word.
At the end she smiled. We hugged.
I felt like five pounds from each shoulder had been removed.
That moment became, for me, an example of how God is. That God is there. God listens.
And when we give ourselves the gift of confessing and speaking our truth, God is there to release, to embrace, and to justify.
Days later, Aisha confided that there wasn’t a single thing I said that she herself had not felt or experienced, confirming that my grays were here grays too.
In conclusion, today’s scripture has so many things to say. Today is can be a reminder that we can come before God and be who we truly are and to admit what we truly feel.
To know that God can handle it.
God is a Big Boy.
God’s got Big Girl pants.
There is nothing we can say or confess or admit to that God is shocked by.
There is nothing we can say or confess or admit to that God doesn’t already know.
There is nothing we can say or confess or admit to that would ever make God take God’s love away.
For that, we can say amen and amen.
Oct. 23, 2016
Luke 18:9-14
Today is a day in which I’m going to talk like I am a Big Boy. And I trust that you all here are Big Boys and Big Girls, and like Stephanie would say, that you are each able to pull on your Big Boy and Big Girl pants.
Because it is about time that we talk about this election. It is safe to say that this is an election unlike anything we have ever seen.
All these issues of lies and misbehavior, misbehavior and more lies.
But I got news for you- I was born in 1970, which means I came to consciousness during the Watergate Era, and in a country still dazzled by the Kennedy Legacy.
So I have never known a time in which presidents didn’t lie and politicians did not misbehave or cheat on their wives.
Call me jaded, call me a realist, but when I hear about these things I’m like “Yeah, so?”
I’m not looking for my leaders to be my buddies, or my friends, or my Sunday School teachers.
I’m looking for them to be the best leaders they can be who put the welfare of the people and the land before themselves and their cronies; leaders who can protect but can also play well with all the other leaders of the world.
In other words-justice. But not- perfection.
It’s a shame that we expect people to be so perfect. We live in and have co-created a society in which we expect everything to be so black and white.
Either everything is all good or all bad.
Someone is either all saint or all sinner.
Things are heavenly or they are hellish.
Where is the in-between?
The truth is that we are all in-between. We all are composed of good and bad, saint and sinner, heavenly and hellish.
Question is- do we hide it? Do we deny it? Do we push people away if they get too close to our truths? Do we attack those who stumble upon our shades of grey?
What if…what if Hillary had said 2 years ago, upfront, and on her own “Guess what- I made a HUGE mistake. I used my own personal server and in the process received and sent confidential e-mails.”
What if Hillary said “I admit that what I did was wrong, and once it was brought to my attention I stopped and sought council on how to best address my mistake.”
Would she have been justified by the American voters, humbled by her honest confession of non-compliance?
What if…what if Trump spoke up immediately and said “I have said some inappropriate things in private that I now realize were harmful to others. And I acknowledge that there are instances in which I have disrespected women; some of these are on tape.”
What if he said “I never meant to harm anyone, but I am seeking council and advise on how my words and actions can affect another, and I intend to learn and grow from these unfortunate experiences.”
Would he have been justified by the American voters, humbled by his honest admittance of objectification?
Is either candidate all good or all bad? All saint or all sinner? All heavenly or all hellish?
Today’s reading is one of those scriptures that if one is not careful, it can place people in a one or the other category.
Jesus is telling a parable.
A parable is a story that defies description. It seems to go one way, and then veers to the other. It shakes up pre-conceived notions of the world.
Parables challenge us to think, and no matter how much time we devote to them, we can never quite fully grasp them.
Parables force us to wrestle with God, and it is in the wrestling that we become closer to our Creator.
Here Jesus tells a parable in which he talks of 2 distinct people.
First, there is the Pharisee. Pharisees back in the day were akin to our church elders and church leaders.
They were the ones who served as deacons, they were the ones who sat on the boards, they were the ones who ensured things kept running.
They were the ones who gave greatly, tithed ten percent, and made sure the bills were paid and the lights were kept on.
The Pharisees were also notorious for being big on following the rules, and not straying from how things were done.
They preferred the old hymnals, and liturgy spoken in the proper language, and everyone to dress a certain way.
The Pharisees kept the Temple going, but they could also be overly righteous, quick to judge, and assume that only they worshipped God the right way.
Then we have the Tax Collector. Back in the day tax collectors were seen as greedy, untrustworthy, and unclean.
Perhaps worse- they were seen as traitors to their own people. Tax collectors worked for the Roman government, collecting the taxes from their Jewish peers living in Jerusalem.
They made their money off of commission, so they could charge people whatever they wanted. If the person refused or was unable to pay, they could be fined or arrested.
It would be akin to Isis conquering America and your neighbor going to work for them collecting taxes to strengthen their army.
So, who is the good guy? Who is the bad guy? The one who is holier than thou but keeps the Temple running? The one who works for the enemy but is humble?
Does it make a difference on how we view them if we realize there’s a good chance the Pharisee was born into a Pharisee family that was well-to do, had power and position, so he had the luxury of fasting, tithing and following all the laws of the land?
Does it make a difference if we realize there’s a good chance the Tax Collector was born into a poor family that struggled every day, had no power, no position, and none of the luxuries that allowed for fasting, giving, and following all the laws of the land?
What kind of desperate background may someone come from that they would be willing to work for the enemy?
What if the Tax Collector had a family to feed and needed some way to earn money?
Who is good, who is bad?
So you are being asked not to see either man as black or white, good or bad, saint or sinner, heavenly or hellish.
But to see them as doing what they know, and doing what they can in a complex world.
As the parable continues, Jesus tells us what the Pharisee says. It is interesting to note that his prayer features
-33 words
-1 reference to “God”
-5 references to himself, and all the good he’s done
Clearly, the Pharisee’s prayer is not so much to God or about God, as it is about him.
Jesus then tells us what the Tax Collector says. It is interesting to note that his prayer features
-7 words
-1 reference to God
-1 reference to himself as sinner
Clearly, the Tax Collector’s prayer comes from a heavy heart.
The twist in the parable is when Jesus tells us that it is the Tax Collector who is justified.
Why? Because he was honest before God. He spoke his imperfect truth, he confessed his sins, he admitted his flaws.
He sought mercy.
Therefore mercy is what he received.
Justification is what he got. Grace is what rained down upon him as he returned home.
Does this mean that he was the better person? Does it mean he is now the one who is all good, all saint, all heavenly?
Does it mean that upon being justified he changed his ways? Does it mean he stopped collecting taxes and working for the enemy?
We don’t know; we will never know.
Jesus doesn’t tell us, because a parable is not meant to be easy.
A parable is meant to make us think. Make us uneasy. Make us wrestle with God.
If the world was only in black and whites we’d be left to wonder:
-Is it better to be holy but unhumble?
or
-Is it better to be unholy but be humble?
We do not live in a world of black or white. We live in a world of grays.
Which means we are constantly surrounded by people who are like both the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. We are surrounded by people who can boast and be humble.
And truth be told, we all have a bit of the Pharisee in us, and we all have a bit of the Tax Collector in us.
We have all done things for the benefit of others, and we have all done things for the benefit of ourselves.
We have all bragged upon how much better we are than another, and we have all had times in which we said that we were worms in the dirt.
Today’s parable does not give us an easy answer or easy insight but maybe we can take a bit of what we like from each person in today’s tale.
That we can be inspired to try our best, and to admit our worst.
That if we trying to do what we need to get by, we can still find ways to help another.
That we don’t judge so quickly, but we are brave enough to present ourselves before God to be judged.
That we can be honest enough with God about how we have messed up, and humble enough to receive the gifts of grace.
To not only see ourselves in shades of grey, but to see others in grey, realizing that people are not all good, people are not all bad.
…No one is perfect; everyone is perfectly flawed…
…As we near the close of today’s message, I have a brief story to share.
A few weeks ago for the adoption class, I had to find someone to sit down with and to share my fears.
My real fears. The ones I keep hidden, even from myself.
I invited my friend Aisha over, she’s a mother of 7 and radiates a spirit of love.
So in the comfort of my sun room, I talked. I shared my fear, and as I shared one fear, another came out, and another, and another.
And with the admittance of fears, came the tears, and admittance of other feelings, like anger, doubt, and even joy.
And Aisha just…listened.
She didn’t cut off. She didn’t critique. She didn’t shame or explain away.
Aisha was simply there, hearing every word.
At the end she smiled. We hugged.
I felt like five pounds from each shoulder had been removed.
That moment became, for me, an example of how God is. That God is there. God listens.
And when we give ourselves the gift of confessing and speaking our truth, God is there to release, to embrace, and to justify.
Days later, Aisha confided that there wasn’t a single thing I said that she herself had not felt or experienced, confirming that my grays were here grays too.
In conclusion, today’s scripture has so many things to say. Today is can be a reminder that we can come before God and be who we truly are and to admit what we truly feel.
To know that God can handle it.
God is a Big Boy.
God’s got Big Girl pants.
There is nothing we can say or confess or admit to that God is shocked by.
There is nothing we can say or confess or admit to that God doesn’t already know.
There is nothing we can say or confess or admit to that would ever make God take God’s love away.
For that, we can say amen and amen.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Women Warriors Judges 4:1-10
Rev. George Miller
Judges 4:1-10
October 16, 2016
There are those who would say that we are in “The Year of the Woman.”
At the Olympics, women won 61 medals for the USA. The Women’s Gymnastics Team won 9, and Simone Biles and Simone Manuel set records.
Music wise, women have ruled the airwaves. Rhianna told us to “Work, work, work, work, work.” Beyonce visually and sonically poured us a big ol’ glass of “Lemonade.”
Adele sang “Hello from the other side” and sold 10 million copies of her latest CD.
In the world of literature and stage, J.K. Rowling is making magic with her newest Harry Potter creations and “Girl on the Train” has become the must read book.
By reimagining their classic cartoons with real people, Disney has been crafting films that feature women as the main character.
Last week Disney made news with their live action remake of “Mulan,” undertaking a huge, international casting call for one of the few Asian female leading roles in history.
As we prepare for this year’s Trunk-o-Treat, retailers report that female anti-hero Harley Quinn is the number one costume, with people of all ages dressing up like the “Suicide Squad” character.
Then there is this little thing called the Election, in which for the first time in American History we have a female presidential nominee for a major political party.
Personal preferences and politics aside, we can all agree that this is a historic moment in time.
But yet, other countries have had women in powerful positions for quite awhile, such as England and Germany.
And then we have the Bible, and though it is much harder to come across, we encounter a handful of stories featuring women in prominent roles.
For example, Miriam, the sister of Moses. She followed him down the river, ensured his survival, and worked alongside Moses and their brother Aaron in delivering the people.
Upon crossing the Red Sea, Miriam leads the women in a song of praise which is believed to be the first piece of recorded scripture.
For those who are taking part in our Daily Bible readings, you know that this week we met the Queen of Sheba in Chronicles 9, who paid a visit to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba came to the Holy City to test Solomon, to see if he was as truly wise as others said.
She brought with her spices, gold, and precious stones. Upon investigating and interviewing him, she gives her approval and rewards him with her blessings and gifts.
In the Gospels we have Mary Magdalene being the first one to hear about and to experience the resurrection of Christ.
While the disciples hide away in fear, it is she who bravely goes to the tomb and experiences the Good News.
Then we have today’s reading. Like last week, it is also from the Book of Judges.
Here is a story that not too many people are familiar with, and that is a shame.
Here is a story about a woman of great power, of great wisdom, of great might.
During a time in which Israel has yet to be ruled by Kings, Deborah is a judge.
She is married to a man named Lappidath, which in Hebrew means torches. Therefore Deborah is literally a “fiery woman” or a “woman of spirit.”
Deborah was not just someone’s wife. She had many roles. She was a prophetess, which meant she was looked upon to declare whether or not God would give the people victory in battle.
Deborah was also a judge, which had a different meaning back then. Judges were seen as deliverers, they were responsible for bringing their people up out of harm’s way.
But if you also noticed, she was sought after by people who came up to her, seeking her knowledge as she sat under the palms.
Deborah was many things to many people. And in today’s story we also witness as she becomes a general.
Once again, the people of Israel have failed God. They have failed to trust God. They have failed to believe that God will do what God says can be done.
Because of that, new trouble and new enemies arise.
But Deborah is not afraid. When Barak comes to her, she says “The Lord says Go! Bring an army of 10,000 men and God will defeat your enemy for you.”
Barak asks her to go with him. Who knows why. Was it because he was scared and wanted her there for support?
Was it because he was untrusting of Deborah and God’s promise?
Was it because he so highly valued her leadership that he wanted Deborah right by his side?
We never know, but it is clear that Barak has no issue going into battle with Deborah, and we are told she gets up, she goes, and like General Patton she leads 10,000 men to war.
Wow.
Just recently we as a nation were debating if women should and could serve in combat, and right here, in a biblical story that’s nearly 3,000 years old, we have a tale of a fiery woman who bears the light of freedom, justice, and victory for her people.
Makes you wonder how different we would be as a people if we all knew this story.
Makes you wonder where we would be as a nation if we taught every child this story.
Makes you wonder how the church could go centuries debating if women could or should be ordained, or be ministers, or hold leadership roles.
This story, though 3,000 years old, is still so revolutionary. Just this week we had a pastor say that it is against the will of God for a woman to be president.
But right here, in sacred scripture, we have God using a woman to lead, to judge, to discern, to save.
Once again, today’s reading goes along with the theme of last week’s reading- the freedom of God.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it much more- scripture teaches us again and again, and again and again that God is free. God acts unexpectedly; God cannot be controlled.
Which means if God wants to use a lefty in a world of righties- God will.
If God wants to rely upon crafty word-play- God will.
If God wants to use the tools of the enemy against them- God will.
If God wants to appoint a woman as a judge and use her as a prophetess- God will.
If God wants to use a woman as a soldier in the Army of the Lord and promote her to general- God will.
If God wants to stop injustice, unkindness, and the evil of the enemy- God will.
God is free, God is wild, God is funny. God is complex. God is with us in the high places, and with us in the low places.
God is not sexist. God does not discriminate based on gender. God does not fall victim to gender roles placed upon people by their society.
God hears, God sees, God acts, God moves.
God will use who, what, where, and when, and God does not have to answer to the “why?”
God is not limited. God is forever free.
For that, I believe we can ALL say Amen and amen.
Judges 4:1-10
October 16, 2016
There are those who would say that we are in “The Year of the Woman.”
At the Olympics, women won 61 medals for the USA. The Women’s Gymnastics Team won 9, and Simone Biles and Simone Manuel set records.
Music wise, women have ruled the airwaves. Rhianna told us to “Work, work, work, work, work.” Beyonce visually and sonically poured us a big ol’ glass of “Lemonade.”
Adele sang “Hello from the other side” and sold 10 million copies of her latest CD.
In the world of literature and stage, J.K. Rowling is making magic with her newest Harry Potter creations and “Girl on the Train” has become the must read book.
By reimagining their classic cartoons with real people, Disney has been crafting films that feature women as the main character.
Last week Disney made news with their live action remake of “Mulan,” undertaking a huge, international casting call for one of the few Asian female leading roles in history.
As we prepare for this year’s Trunk-o-Treat, retailers report that female anti-hero Harley Quinn is the number one costume, with people of all ages dressing up like the “Suicide Squad” character.
Then there is this little thing called the Election, in which for the first time in American History we have a female presidential nominee for a major political party.
Personal preferences and politics aside, we can all agree that this is a historic moment in time.
But yet, other countries have had women in powerful positions for quite awhile, such as England and Germany.
And then we have the Bible, and though it is much harder to come across, we encounter a handful of stories featuring women in prominent roles.
For example, Miriam, the sister of Moses. She followed him down the river, ensured his survival, and worked alongside Moses and their brother Aaron in delivering the people.
Upon crossing the Red Sea, Miriam leads the women in a song of praise which is believed to be the first piece of recorded scripture.
For those who are taking part in our Daily Bible readings, you know that this week we met the Queen of Sheba in Chronicles 9, who paid a visit to King Solomon.
The Queen of Sheba came to the Holy City to test Solomon, to see if he was as truly wise as others said.
She brought with her spices, gold, and precious stones. Upon investigating and interviewing him, she gives her approval and rewards him with her blessings and gifts.
In the Gospels we have Mary Magdalene being the first one to hear about and to experience the resurrection of Christ.
While the disciples hide away in fear, it is she who bravely goes to the tomb and experiences the Good News.
Then we have today’s reading. Like last week, it is also from the Book of Judges.
Here is a story that not too many people are familiar with, and that is a shame.
Here is a story about a woman of great power, of great wisdom, of great might.
During a time in which Israel has yet to be ruled by Kings, Deborah is a judge.
She is married to a man named Lappidath, which in Hebrew means torches. Therefore Deborah is literally a “fiery woman” or a “woman of spirit.”
Deborah was not just someone’s wife. She had many roles. She was a prophetess, which meant she was looked upon to declare whether or not God would give the people victory in battle.
Deborah was also a judge, which had a different meaning back then. Judges were seen as deliverers, they were responsible for bringing their people up out of harm’s way.
But if you also noticed, she was sought after by people who came up to her, seeking her knowledge as she sat under the palms.
Deborah was many things to many people. And in today’s story we also witness as she becomes a general.
Once again, the people of Israel have failed God. They have failed to trust God. They have failed to believe that God will do what God says can be done.
Because of that, new trouble and new enemies arise.
But Deborah is not afraid. When Barak comes to her, she says “The Lord says Go! Bring an army of 10,000 men and God will defeat your enemy for you.”
Barak asks her to go with him. Who knows why. Was it because he was scared and wanted her there for support?
Was it because he was untrusting of Deborah and God’s promise?
Was it because he so highly valued her leadership that he wanted Deborah right by his side?
We never know, but it is clear that Barak has no issue going into battle with Deborah, and we are told she gets up, she goes, and like General Patton she leads 10,000 men to war.
Wow.
Just recently we as a nation were debating if women should and could serve in combat, and right here, in a biblical story that’s nearly 3,000 years old, we have a tale of a fiery woman who bears the light of freedom, justice, and victory for her people.
Makes you wonder how different we would be as a people if we all knew this story.
Makes you wonder where we would be as a nation if we taught every child this story.
Makes you wonder how the church could go centuries debating if women could or should be ordained, or be ministers, or hold leadership roles.
This story, though 3,000 years old, is still so revolutionary. Just this week we had a pastor say that it is against the will of God for a woman to be president.
But right here, in sacred scripture, we have God using a woman to lead, to judge, to discern, to save.
Once again, today’s reading goes along with the theme of last week’s reading- the freedom of God.
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it much more- scripture teaches us again and again, and again and again that God is free. God acts unexpectedly; God cannot be controlled.
Which means if God wants to use a lefty in a world of righties- God will.
If God wants to rely upon crafty word-play- God will.
If God wants to use the tools of the enemy against them- God will.
If God wants to appoint a woman as a judge and use her as a prophetess- God will.
If God wants to use a woman as a soldier in the Army of the Lord and promote her to general- God will.
If God wants to stop injustice, unkindness, and the evil of the enemy- God will.
God is free, God is wild, God is funny. God is complex. God is with us in the high places, and with us in the low places.
God is not sexist. God does not discriminate based on gender. God does not fall victim to gender roles placed upon people by their society.
God hears, God sees, God acts, God moves.
God will use who, what, where, and when, and God does not have to answer to the “why?”
God is not limited. God is forever free.
For that, I believe we can ALL say Amen and amen.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
The Bible's Bathroom Joke; Judges 3:12-20
Rev. George Miller
Judges 3:12-30
October 9, 2016
Here is a list of current events:
-tension between groups in the Mid East
-Uncertainty over gender roles
-Power-hungry political leaders who chase after and demean women
-Child and spouse abuse
-Senseless acts of violence
-Moral confusion
-Narcissism (J. Clinton McCann, “Judges”, pp 1-2)
Except these aren’t today’s events, they were the current events taking place in Israel during the time period the Book of Judges covers.
Judges is a book that has familiar names, like Gideon, Samson, and Deborah. But it’s a book that’s rarely preached on in churches. In fact, the Lectionary (which I often use), recommends one reading from this book once every 3 years.
Why?
One guess is because Judges is the kind of Old Testament book in which God seems to always be angry, inflicting punishment and revenge, and seems to prefer war over the ways of peace that us progressive, protestant followers of Christ tend to prefer.
But read this book and you are left with deep theological questions about the nature and actions of God, and if God actually cares just about Israel and not one whit about the rest of the citizens of creation.
And then of course we have today’s reading, a raunchy, ribald action-adventure that is fit more for a Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” sequel than a Sunday reading. (And having Jean read it aloud is such a delight.)
Let’s be honest- Judges 3 is vulgar, violent, possibly racist, heroic, and funny as heck.
Not just funny, but punny.
In the original Hebrew, the left-handed Ehud is from the tribe of Benjamin, which literally means “Son of the Right-Hand.”
The name of the fat king is Eglon, which means “calf” or “bull.” So King Eglon is literally a fat cow.
The word for “message” is the same word as “thing”, so when Ehud tells the King he has a secret for him, and then pulls out a sword, Ehud is both lying and telling the truth.
“Dirt” can be a nice way of saying the inside of one’s bowels.
And we have this gratuitous scene in which the King’s staff think they’re smelling him going to the bathroom, but what they are really smelling is the after effects of said “dirt” being spilt out.
Not to mention this story is not easy for any of us men who are rather larger in girth and have been meaning to lose weight for the past 2-20 years but just haven’t gotten around to it.
Why such a story exist? What possible good can come from a vulgar bathroom joke in which 10,000 men die?
Well, we have to remove ourselves from our current station in life to understand.
This was as a story told, and written by, people who had experienced great oppression.
They were people who knew all about impotent rage.
They were people who underwent years, decades, and centuries of being oppressed and experienced all kinds of injustice.
And for people who’ve been oppressed, who are being held down by an oppressor, sometimes the only thing they have is humor.
The ability to laugh at one’s enemies is one of the most powerful balms; poking fun at those who hurt us can diminish their power and make them seem less invincible.
This story’s original tellers and listeners weren’t being cautiously politically correct.
They did not see this as a story of unfair murder, but a story of how their enemy was defeated, and how God rained down righteous vengeance upon people who had held them down for 18 years.
And the questions arise-
-did God really act this way back then or is this how people perceived God as working?
-does God still act this way now, and if so, what does that mean?
-did having a son in Jesus Christ change God?
There are numerous other questions, but for this remaining of our morning, I’d like to ask “How can we apply such a vulgar, violent, funny tale to today’s life?”
I say “easy.”
First thing to do is to think of who or what an enemy or a threat would be.
We just survived Hurricane Matthew. Matthew posed a threat to the entire state and east coast.
Gusts of wind, heavy rain, booming thunder, assured death and destruction.
What if Hurricane Matthew replaced King Eglon in our story?
Then we have a metaphorical tale about how God will deliver us from even the worst of storms, and that even though there is dirt, and mess, and uncertainty, God will prevail.
What if we replace Ehud with Jenny Craig?
Then we have a metaphorical story about how individual fat and America’s chronic-obesity epidemic is able to be slayed and destroyed through God.
That instead of using a knife to cut another piece of rich, decadent cake, Jenny Craig is able to cut down the fat that is enveloping our bodies and health-care system.
What if we replace King Eglon and the Moabites with other kinds of enemies?
What if the Moabites and King represented cancer, or Alzheimer’s, or AIDS?
And this story is about how God is able to come into our lives and destroy illness?
What if Ehud represents the medical community?
Then this story becomes a metaphorical telling of how God is able to use doctors, surgeons, medicine, and technology to care for and protect those living with illness.
If we see the king as disease and Ehud as the presence of God, then we can say that no matter how devastating, no matter how oppressive, no matter how evil cancer, Alzheimer’s and AIDS are-
-they are not more powerful than God, and they do not get to have the final say.
What if we went back 70 years and simply said Ehud represents our American military, and Eglon represented Hitler?
Then we would have a clear understanding of right and wrong, good and bad, free and oppression, and we would have zero issue with Hitler being taken down in a vulgar, funny, violent way.
Yes, today’s story is not what many expect out of the Bible.
Yes, today’s story is not neat, pretty and smelling like roses and lavender.
But today’s story is once again another instance in which we get to glimpse into the history of God and God’s people, and be reminded:
That God is free. God acts unexpectedly; God cannot be controlled.
Which means if God wants to use a lefty in a world of righties- God will.
If God wants to rely upon crafty word-play that borders on the deceptive- God will.
If God wants to use the tools of the enemy against them, such as their greed, their over-consumption, their false idols- God will.
If God wants to enjoy a good fart joke- God will.
If God wants to stop injustice, unkindness, and egocentrism- God will.
God is free, God is wild, God is funny. God is complex. God is with us in the lofty places, and God is even with us in the outhouse.
That’s amazing when you realize there is not a place in which God will not go; there is not a story in which God cannot be made known.
For that, I believe we can ALL say Amen and amen.
Judges 3:12-30
October 9, 2016
Here is a list of current events:
-tension between groups in the Mid East
-Uncertainty over gender roles
-Power-hungry political leaders who chase after and demean women
-Child and spouse abuse
-Senseless acts of violence
-Moral confusion
-Narcissism (J. Clinton McCann, “Judges”, pp 1-2)
Except these aren’t today’s events, they were the current events taking place in Israel during the time period the Book of Judges covers.
Judges is a book that has familiar names, like Gideon, Samson, and Deborah. But it’s a book that’s rarely preached on in churches. In fact, the Lectionary (which I often use), recommends one reading from this book once every 3 years.
Why?
One guess is because Judges is the kind of Old Testament book in which God seems to always be angry, inflicting punishment and revenge, and seems to prefer war over the ways of peace that us progressive, protestant followers of Christ tend to prefer.
But read this book and you are left with deep theological questions about the nature and actions of God, and if God actually cares just about Israel and not one whit about the rest of the citizens of creation.
And then of course we have today’s reading, a raunchy, ribald action-adventure that is fit more for a Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” sequel than a Sunday reading. (And having Jean read it aloud is such a delight.)
Let’s be honest- Judges 3 is vulgar, violent, possibly racist, heroic, and funny as heck.
Not just funny, but punny.
In the original Hebrew, the left-handed Ehud is from the tribe of Benjamin, which literally means “Son of the Right-Hand.”
The name of the fat king is Eglon, which means “calf” or “bull.” So King Eglon is literally a fat cow.
The word for “message” is the same word as “thing”, so when Ehud tells the King he has a secret for him, and then pulls out a sword, Ehud is both lying and telling the truth.
“Dirt” can be a nice way of saying the inside of one’s bowels.
And we have this gratuitous scene in which the King’s staff think they’re smelling him going to the bathroom, but what they are really smelling is the after effects of said “dirt” being spilt out.
Not to mention this story is not easy for any of us men who are rather larger in girth and have been meaning to lose weight for the past 2-20 years but just haven’t gotten around to it.
Why such a story exist? What possible good can come from a vulgar bathroom joke in which 10,000 men die?
Well, we have to remove ourselves from our current station in life to understand.
This was as a story told, and written by, people who had experienced great oppression.
They were people who knew all about impotent rage.
They were people who underwent years, decades, and centuries of being oppressed and experienced all kinds of injustice.
And for people who’ve been oppressed, who are being held down by an oppressor, sometimes the only thing they have is humor.
The ability to laugh at one’s enemies is one of the most powerful balms; poking fun at those who hurt us can diminish their power and make them seem less invincible.
This story’s original tellers and listeners weren’t being cautiously politically correct.
They did not see this as a story of unfair murder, but a story of how their enemy was defeated, and how God rained down righteous vengeance upon people who had held them down for 18 years.
And the questions arise-
-did God really act this way back then or is this how people perceived God as working?
-does God still act this way now, and if so, what does that mean?
-did having a son in Jesus Christ change God?
There are numerous other questions, but for this remaining of our morning, I’d like to ask “How can we apply such a vulgar, violent, funny tale to today’s life?”
I say “easy.”
First thing to do is to think of who or what an enemy or a threat would be.
We just survived Hurricane Matthew. Matthew posed a threat to the entire state and east coast.
Gusts of wind, heavy rain, booming thunder, assured death and destruction.
What if Hurricane Matthew replaced King Eglon in our story?
Then we have a metaphorical tale about how God will deliver us from even the worst of storms, and that even though there is dirt, and mess, and uncertainty, God will prevail.
What if we replace Ehud with Jenny Craig?
Then we have a metaphorical story about how individual fat and America’s chronic-obesity epidemic is able to be slayed and destroyed through God.
That instead of using a knife to cut another piece of rich, decadent cake, Jenny Craig is able to cut down the fat that is enveloping our bodies and health-care system.
What if we replace King Eglon and the Moabites with other kinds of enemies?
What if the Moabites and King represented cancer, or Alzheimer’s, or AIDS?
And this story is about how God is able to come into our lives and destroy illness?
What if Ehud represents the medical community?
Then this story becomes a metaphorical telling of how God is able to use doctors, surgeons, medicine, and technology to care for and protect those living with illness.
If we see the king as disease and Ehud as the presence of God, then we can say that no matter how devastating, no matter how oppressive, no matter how evil cancer, Alzheimer’s and AIDS are-
-they are not more powerful than God, and they do not get to have the final say.
What if we went back 70 years and simply said Ehud represents our American military, and Eglon represented Hitler?
Then we would have a clear understanding of right and wrong, good and bad, free and oppression, and we would have zero issue with Hitler being taken down in a vulgar, funny, violent way.
Yes, today’s story is not what many expect out of the Bible.
Yes, today’s story is not neat, pretty and smelling like roses and lavender.
But today’s story is once again another instance in which we get to glimpse into the history of God and God’s people, and be reminded:
That God is free. God acts unexpectedly; God cannot be controlled.
Which means if God wants to use a lefty in a world of righties- God will.
If God wants to rely upon crafty word-play that borders on the deceptive- God will.
If God wants to use the tools of the enemy against them, such as their greed, their over-consumption, their false idols- God will.
If God wants to enjoy a good fart joke- God will.
If God wants to stop injustice, unkindness, and egocentrism- God will.
God is free, God is wild, God is funny. God is complex. God is with us in the lofty places, and God is even with us in the outhouse.
That’s amazing when you realize there is not a place in which God will not go; there is not a story in which God cannot be made known.
For that, I believe we can ALL say Amen and amen.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
When Human Rights are Perverted does the Lord Not See It? Sermon on Lamentations 3:19-36
Rev. George Miller
Lamentations 3:19-36
Oct 2, 2016
“When human rights are perverted…does the Lord not see it?”
Last March, Eden Seminary hosted a gathering called “Forward from Ferguson: Prophetic & Pastoral Visions.”
I attended that gathering and the most memorable moment was when guest lecturer Gregory Ellison came out from behind the pulpit, walked throughout the sanctuary and silently…
…looked at all the people present, nodding his head and making small gestures of acknowledgment.
After what felt like 5 minutes he stood in front of everyone and said “It is good to see you.”
He then spoke about what it is like not to be seen. To be a young black man in society and to feel like people do not see you.
To be a homeless person and to feel as though people do not see you.
To be an elderly person in a nursing home and to feel like people do not see you.
According to Mr. Ellison, when you go a long time feeling unseen, you develop a series of emotions- insecurity, sadness, and anger.
When people’s blindness to you causes them to mistreat you, it can develop into what he labeled “impotent rage.”
Impotent rage is when you have been made to feel so helpless, so silenced, so invisible, that all this anger bubbles up and eventually erupts.
In other words, look at the riots that recently took place in South Carolina regarding the shooting of yet another black man.
For decades, actually centuries, there have been issues about the way authorities have treated people of color, people on the fringe of society, and people from another land.
Back in February Beyonce tried to address the issues of police-related shootings through song, dance, and video.
Instead of people listening to what she had to say, and trying to see as she saw, they became outraged, condemned her and threatened boycotts.
Months later on the BET awards, actor Jesse Williams addressed the issue with an eloquent, impassioned speech.
Instead of people listening to what he had to say, and trying to see as he saw, talk shows went into a frenzy and people demanded he be fired from his television show.
Footballer Colin Kaepernick peacefully addressed the issue by doing nothing- he sat during the National Anthem to bring people’s attention to social injustices.
Instead of people trying understand what he was saying, and to see as he saw, he was immediately judged, the recipient of hateful comments, and called to leave the country.
So, in South Carolina when yet another black man, when another mother’s son was shot, people responded with impotent rage.
Music didn’t get the message out. Speeches didn’t get the message out. Sitting didn’t get the message out.
So with nothing left, people took to the streets, protesting, rioting, shooting and looting.
And still- we have yet to hear that what they are trying so hard to say- that human rights are being perverted and can we not see it.
Let’s go back 47 years, to New York City. An establishment known as Stonewall, a place frequented by the LGBT community.
A time in which being so was a crime.
It was not unusual for the cops to come in and do a raid, usually once a month. Lights would be turned on, patrons lined up, IDs checked.
If men were dressed as women they were arrested; if women did not have on 3 identifiable pieces of feminine attire they were arrested.
Names would be printed in the papers, families humiliated, people lost their jobs.
At 1:20 am on a Saturday night in June 1969, the authorities came once again. 205 people were present. Some began to run away, but the cops barred the doors.
Tired of the injustice and humiliation, something snapped. Impotent rage kicked in.
Patrons refused to be arrested. People refused to show their Ids.
It is reported that some of the cops began to assault some of the women, while others pushed and kicked customers outside.
A bystander began to sing “We Shall Overcome”. Someone was shoved.
Soon little things like pennies were being thrown. Then beer bottles. Then bricks from a nearby construction sight.
Impotent rage filled the street as officers barricades themselves inside the bar while the crowd grew in size.
Garbage cans, rocks, a parking meter- all used as expressions of rage and anger.
Nights later thousands gathered to show their support for the LGBT community.
As a result of that night, the Gay Rights Movement began, with the institution of community organizations, Pride Parades, and nearly 50 years later we see the result with marriage equality becoming law and the chance for people like me to adopt.
“When human rights are perverted does the Lord not see it?”
Let’s go further back. Boston, 1773, at a congregational church known as the Old South Meeting House, which is part of the UCC.
A group of white men meet, filled with impotent rage.
These colonists are angry because they object to the Tea Act that’s been passed by British Parliament. They feel it violates their rights to “No taxation without representation.”
These colonists believe it is unfair that they can only import their tea from Great Britain. They are offended by the extremely high tea tax that at one point was as high as 25%.
These men hear that seven ships carrying 2,000 chests of tea are coming their way to the colonies.
They realize they have had it with the way the British have treated them. They hate how they are being over taxed.
Since England will neither listen nor see them, they do something that gets their message across very clear-
They protest. Thousands of people arrive; 7,000 people surround the Meeting House.
With ships in the Boston Harbor, people pour out of the church. Up to 130 men, some dressed in Mohawk costumes, board the tea-bearing boats.
Over the course of 3 hours they dump 90,000 pounds of tea into the water, costing up to $1.7 million dollars in today’s money
Talk about an act of impotent rage, in which those who felt helpless forced others to see them.
As Americans we view these men as heroes.
But the British were aghast, calling this destruction of private property, viewing the colonists as hooligans, riff raff, trash.
Britain punished the colonies, shutting down the port, implementing harsher laws that became known as the Intolerable Acts.
When human rights are violated does the Lord not see it?
Throughout history we see episodes of impotent rage.
Whenever people deemed as less than, savages, wormwood, gall, and hopeless are ignored, abused, arrested and told to shut up and take it, there is likely going to be some kind of response.
Throughout history we see people who have been bearing the yoke of hate, of those whose mouths have been made to taste the dust of the ground, and of those whose cheeks have been hit by the smiter.
They are left to wonder- does the Lord not see it, does the Lord not care?
And in many circumstances it can appear as if the answer is “No…no the Lord does not see it, the Lord does not care.”
But then a sliver of hope can come in by the act of remembering; hope can come from the stories and narratives that are stored in our soul.
Hope can come from the recalling of scripture and found in our Holy Text.
Hope comes from the ways in which the Bible reminds us that yes- God does see, yes- God does care, and yes- God does act.
God saw the suffering of the slaves in Egypt, God heard their pleas for help and God delivered them.
God saw the Samaritan woman as her jars of oil and grain nearly run out, and God made sure both of them never went bare.
God saw the cries and suffering of Jesus on the cross, and God responded by resurrecting him on the 3rd day.
We recall these stories; we remember that God saw, God heard, and God acted.
In these narrative truths comes hope.
Hope.
Hope is like impotent rage in that it comes from the same place- it is born out of pain.
Hope and impotent rage are both expressions of profound yearning rooted in hurt.
Hope and impotent rage come from wounded insides and scarred psyches.
And when we have hope, we are able to hope with God.
Hope that things can change.
Hope that things can get better.
Hope that although things are not like they were, and they are not as they should be, in Christ and by the Holy Spirit, things are still becoming.
Hope says things are still happening.
Hope says that possibilities are still unfolding.
Hope says that New Beginnings lay just beyond the horizon.
Hope- the kind that comes from remembering and recalling that if God has done it before, God can do it again.
Hope that says the very worst of human kind pales when compared to the very best that God has to offer.
Hope that says as long as we have breathe, there is always the chance for a grander tomorrow.
Hope manifests itself into acts of life and victory that defy the odds, defy the -isms, and defy those who say “No you can’t.”
Hope is the weed that grows out of the concrete sidewalk.
Hope is the budget that believes great things will transpire.
Hope is the breaking of bread and pouring of wine during your last meal.
Hope is a confidence born out of trust in God that says if waters can part, if jars can stay full, if the dead can rise, then God’s steadfast love can see us through.
Hope is not superficial. Hope is not naïve. Nor does hope in God mean that we expect God will do it alone.
But in hope we trust that God will work through history, work through creation, work through the people.
That God will use us to speak, to act, to step, to rise, to march, to cross over, to give, to share, to welcome, to love, to point out.
Hope asks that we see.
God asks us to see as things really are, and God asks that we act accordingly, to do what is right.
That we see injustice and act justly.
That we see meanness and act kindly.
That we see hubris and act humbly.
“When human rights are perverted…does the Lord not see it?”
I say the answer is yes. And in that answer I believe there is hope.
And in that hope comes strength.
When there is hope and when there is strength, there is the ability to believe in and to face tomorrow.
When there is hope, instead of impotent rage, there can be infinite glory.
Amen and amen.
Lamentations 3:19-36
Oct 2, 2016
“When human rights are perverted…does the Lord not see it?”
Last March, Eden Seminary hosted a gathering called “Forward from Ferguson: Prophetic & Pastoral Visions.”
I attended that gathering and the most memorable moment was when guest lecturer Gregory Ellison came out from behind the pulpit, walked throughout the sanctuary and silently…
…looked at all the people present, nodding his head and making small gestures of acknowledgment.
After what felt like 5 minutes he stood in front of everyone and said “It is good to see you.”
He then spoke about what it is like not to be seen. To be a young black man in society and to feel like people do not see you.
To be a homeless person and to feel as though people do not see you.
To be an elderly person in a nursing home and to feel like people do not see you.
According to Mr. Ellison, when you go a long time feeling unseen, you develop a series of emotions- insecurity, sadness, and anger.
When people’s blindness to you causes them to mistreat you, it can develop into what he labeled “impotent rage.”
Impotent rage is when you have been made to feel so helpless, so silenced, so invisible, that all this anger bubbles up and eventually erupts.
In other words, look at the riots that recently took place in South Carolina regarding the shooting of yet another black man.
For decades, actually centuries, there have been issues about the way authorities have treated people of color, people on the fringe of society, and people from another land.
Back in February Beyonce tried to address the issues of police-related shootings through song, dance, and video.
Instead of people listening to what she had to say, and trying to see as she saw, they became outraged, condemned her and threatened boycotts.
Months later on the BET awards, actor Jesse Williams addressed the issue with an eloquent, impassioned speech.
Instead of people listening to what he had to say, and trying to see as he saw, talk shows went into a frenzy and people demanded he be fired from his television show.
Footballer Colin Kaepernick peacefully addressed the issue by doing nothing- he sat during the National Anthem to bring people’s attention to social injustices.
Instead of people trying understand what he was saying, and to see as he saw, he was immediately judged, the recipient of hateful comments, and called to leave the country.
So, in South Carolina when yet another black man, when another mother’s son was shot, people responded with impotent rage.
Music didn’t get the message out. Speeches didn’t get the message out. Sitting didn’t get the message out.
So with nothing left, people took to the streets, protesting, rioting, shooting and looting.
And still- we have yet to hear that what they are trying so hard to say- that human rights are being perverted and can we not see it.
Let’s go back 47 years, to New York City. An establishment known as Stonewall, a place frequented by the LGBT community.
A time in which being so was a crime.
It was not unusual for the cops to come in and do a raid, usually once a month. Lights would be turned on, patrons lined up, IDs checked.
If men were dressed as women they were arrested; if women did not have on 3 identifiable pieces of feminine attire they were arrested.
Names would be printed in the papers, families humiliated, people lost their jobs.
At 1:20 am on a Saturday night in June 1969, the authorities came once again. 205 people were present. Some began to run away, but the cops barred the doors.
Tired of the injustice and humiliation, something snapped. Impotent rage kicked in.
Patrons refused to be arrested. People refused to show their Ids.
It is reported that some of the cops began to assault some of the women, while others pushed and kicked customers outside.
A bystander began to sing “We Shall Overcome”. Someone was shoved.
Soon little things like pennies were being thrown. Then beer bottles. Then bricks from a nearby construction sight.
Impotent rage filled the street as officers barricades themselves inside the bar while the crowd grew in size.
Garbage cans, rocks, a parking meter- all used as expressions of rage and anger.
Nights later thousands gathered to show their support for the LGBT community.
As a result of that night, the Gay Rights Movement began, with the institution of community organizations, Pride Parades, and nearly 50 years later we see the result with marriage equality becoming law and the chance for people like me to adopt.
“When human rights are perverted does the Lord not see it?”
Let’s go further back. Boston, 1773, at a congregational church known as the Old South Meeting House, which is part of the UCC.
A group of white men meet, filled with impotent rage.
These colonists are angry because they object to the Tea Act that’s been passed by British Parliament. They feel it violates their rights to “No taxation without representation.”
These colonists believe it is unfair that they can only import their tea from Great Britain. They are offended by the extremely high tea tax that at one point was as high as 25%.
These men hear that seven ships carrying 2,000 chests of tea are coming their way to the colonies.
They realize they have had it with the way the British have treated them. They hate how they are being over taxed.
Since England will neither listen nor see them, they do something that gets their message across very clear-
They protest. Thousands of people arrive; 7,000 people surround the Meeting House.
With ships in the Boston Harbor, people pour out of the church. Up to 130 men, some dressed in Mohawk costumes, board the tea-bearing boats.
Over the course of 3 hours they dump 90,000 pounds of tea into the water, costing up to $1.7 million dollars in today’s money
Talk about an act of impotent rage, in which those who felt helpless forced others to see them.
As Americans we view these men as heroes.
But the British were aghast, calling this destruction of private property, viewing the colonists as hooligans, riff raff, trash.
Britain punished the colonies, shutting down the port, implementing harsher laws that became known as the Intolerable Acts.
When human rights are violated does the Lord not see it?
Throughout history we see episodes of impotent rage.
Whenever people deemed as less than, savages, wormwood, gall, and hopeless are ignored, abused, arrested and told to shut up and take it, there is likely going to be some kind of response.
Throughout history we see people who have been bearing the yoke of hate, of those whose mouths have been made to taste the dust of the ground, and of those whose cheeks have been hit by the smiter.
They are left to wonder- does the Lord not see it, does the Lord not care?
And in many circumstances it can appear as if the answer is “No…no the Lord does not see it, the Lord does not care.”
But then a sliver of hope can come in by the act of remembering; hope can come from the stories and narratives that are stored in our soul.
Hope can come from the recalling of scripture and found in our Holy Text.
Hope comes from the ways in which the Bible reminds us that yes- God does see, yes- God does care, and yes- God does act.
God saw the suffering of the slaves in Egypt, God heard their pleas for help and God delivered them.
God saw the Samaritan woman as her jars of oil and grain nearly run out, and God made sure both of them never went bare.
God saw the cries and suffering of Jesus on the cross, and God responded by resurrecting him on the 3rd day.
We recall these stories; we remember that God saw, God heard, and God acted.
In these narrative truths comes hope.
Hope.
Hope is like impotent rage in that it comes from the same place- it is born out of pain.
Hope and impotent rage are both expressions of profound yearning rooted in hurt.
Hope and impotent rage come from wounded insides and scarred psyches.
And when we have hope, we are able to hope with God.
Hope that things can change.
Hope that things can get better.
Hope that although things are not like they were, and they are not as they should be, in Christ and by the Holy Spirit, things are still becoming.
Hope says things are still happening.
Hope says that possibilities are still unfolding.
Hope says that New Beginnings lay just beyond the horizon.
Hope- the kind that comes from remembering and recalling that if God has done it before, God can do it again.
Hope that says the very worst of human kind pales when compared to the very best that God has to offer.
Hope that says as long as we have breathe, there is always the chance for a grander tomorrow.
Hope manifests itself into acts of life and victory that defy the odds, defy the -isms, and defy those who say “No you can’t.”
Hope is the weed that grows out of the concrete sidewalk.
Hope is the budget that believes great things will transpire.
Hope is the breaking of bread and pouring of wine during your last meal.
Hope is a confidence born out of trust in God that says if waters can part, if jars can stay full, if the dead can rise, then God’s steadfast love can see us through.
Hope is not superficial. Hope is not naïve. Nor does hope in God mean that we expect God will do it alone.
But in hope we trust that God will work through history, work through creation, work through the people.
That God will use us to speak, to act, to step, to rise, to march, to cross over, to give, to share, to welcome, to love, to point out.
Hope asks that we see.
God asks us to see as things really are, and God asks that we act accordingly, to do what is right.
That we see injustice and act justly.
That we see meanness and act kindly.
That we see hubris and act humbly.
“When human rights are perverted…does the Lord not see it?”
I say the answer is yes. And in that answer I believe there is hope.
And in that hope comes strength.
When there is hope and when there is strength, there is the ability to believe in and to face tomorrow.
When there is hope, instead of impotent rage, there can be infinite glory.
Amen and amen.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Gift of Giving; Luke 16:19-31 sermon
Rev. George Miller
Luke 16:19-31
09/28/16
Step right up, step right up!
Have I got an offer for you!
Have I got a deal!
How would you like to have a special place to go in which for 2-4 hours each week you get to be part of something fantabulous!
You get to meet and mingle with friendly folk. Hear beautiful music performed by expert musicians!
Listen to inspiring words of hope! Partake in delicious treats and fresh hot coffee!
We’ll even throw in the chance for you to sing in a group, learn how to play an instrument, and participate in weekly study!
You can also garden, decorate, visit other folk, play a part in important decisions, even help make a difference in people’s lives.
All while being welcome no matter who you are and being reminded that the Big Daddy of us all loves you very, very much.
And if you happen to feel sick, lonely, sad or in the hospital we have someone special who can visit you at no additional charge.
How much would you say such an exciting offer would be worth?
$100 per week? $50 per week?
What if I was to tell you that for right now it would be $35.60 per week?
What a steal! Friends, food, fellowship, and feeling good!
But wait, for those who wish to pay only $2 more per week you can have the added bonus of a hot, delicious brunch with bacon, gravy and omelets made your way.
For those desiring more, for an extra $3.13 you can enjoy the satisfaction of playing a role in feeding the hungry.
That’s right folks- for a grand total of $40.73 a week this can be all yours.
Music, mingling, meditation, mission, munchies, messages of hope, and the assurance that in God there is more than we can ever imagine!
Now, for those who say $40.63 is too much, don’t you worry, ‘cause our Big Daddy has a plan.
No one is ever turned away, no one is ever denied acceptance.
Big Daddy, in our Manual of Living, simply asks that we give 10% of what we receive. Which means if all you can give is $2 or $20 that’s all Big Daddy asks.
But if you can give $50 or $60, well Big Daddy will accept that too.
How many here today will say that this is indeed a great deal, and a worthy expense!
…You know, talking about money isn’t one of the easiest things to do. The topic of money, like the topics of music, politics, and sex are deeply personal and emotional.
And a church talking about money?
Seems like people enjoy going to church, but they don’t want to discuss the cost or embrace the notion that we depend upon donations and the generosity of everyone present.
As Judy said last week “The good news is that we have all the resources we need, the bad news is that it’s in your pockets.”
Churches are so different from for-profit businesses.
It’s not like we offer a tangible product like a fancy car or a pair of high heel shoes.
It’s not like we offer exclusive content like Netflix, or On Demand like HBO, or unlimited data like Sprint.
It’s not like we offer the exotic memories that come with a Time Share. Or the thrills of a roller coaster at Busch Gardens.
We’re not sexy. We’re not deemed by everyone as necessary.
Disney offer a product in which they can raise their tickets prices $10 and people may complain, but they will still pay.
Airlines will charge for luggage and pre-selecting seats and people will grumble, but they’ll still fly.
But churches- well, we create an annual budget, we try our best to convince people why they should give, and then every year we scramble to stay afloat.
More often than not leaders and members will think the solution is to cut costs. But how can God be expected to bless us if we are not willing to bless God?
According to the Bible, all God asks is 10 percent of what we earn; we are willing to give a dime out of every dollar.
But we find that to be too much. We worry that we can’t do without. We go into survival mode and become fearful that we won’t personally survive.
But if we are unwilling to part with 10 cents, how can we turn to God and say “Help”, “Bless”, “Hear”, “Deliver”?
Thankfully God does help, bless, hear and deliver…and yet even then we still find it hard to make the budget and to unapologetically share with people what is needed to run the church if you choose to be a part of this covenantal community.
And as of today, with a budget of $178,000, with an average weekly attendance of 96 people, the amount comes to $35.60 per person, per week in offerings for our mission and ministry to function.
$40.73 if you wish to have brunch and stock the Shepherd’s Pantry…
…Money. Wealth. Finances.
What a deeply personal, controversial, theological conversation…
Over a month ago I felt called to preach on today’s scripture. And what I felt called to do was to go in the opposite direction of what some may think this scripture is about.
On one level, when given a quick read through, this story seems to say “Rich people: bad. Poor people: good.”
This story of Lazarus and the wealthy man has placed into people’s heads the images of heaven and hell, reward and punishment, eternal pleasure or eternal pain.
But I do not personally see this in any way being a condemnation of rich people, or folks with financial wealth.
I think this is a story about what it means to experience closeness with God; what it is like to experience paradise.
I think this is about one kind of wealthy person- those who live in extravagant luxury while a neighbor is suffering nearby.
The attention is in the details.
The rich man isn’t just wealthy, he goes around wearing purple, an opulent color that back then could only be afforded and worn by kings, priests and prostitutes.
He didn’t just have a house, but a home large enough to warrant its own driveway and gate, no doubt meant to welcome the desirables in and keep the unfortunates out.
He didn’t just have his daily bread or enjoy a well balanced meal, he ate sumptuously every day, no doubt meat and milk, pastries and wine all the time.
All while poor Lazarus lay at the edge of his property, dogs licking his sores, hoping that if anything he could just have the crumbs and left-overs that fell from the man’s table.
I don’t think Jesus is condemning the man’s wealth in this story, I think Jesus is condemning what he could have done with it and didn’t.
I think Jesus would have been satisfied if the man had found a way to feed the starving Lazarus.
I think Jesus would have been satisfied if the man had walked to the end of his driveway and gave Lazarus some of his gently used linen and purple polos.
I think Jesus would have been satisfied if the man had found a way to use some of his wine and pastry funds to make sure that Lazarus was able to see a dermatologist about his sores.
But the man didn’t, and as a result he experienced a spiritual separation from God; a sadness that came from not being a better neighbor.
But I do not think the man’s sin was his wealth, or his enjoyment of nice things.
I think the man’s sin was his inability to share.
I don’t think Jesus really had an issue with people who had money; I think the issue was with how they used it- to exclude or include, to hoard or to bless.
Think about it- Jesus must have had plenty of friends with big checkbooks- how else could he and 12 men wander around the countryside, eating and sleeping for free.
Think of folk like Zacheaus who had Jesus join him at his home for dinner.
Think of the banquets, meals, celebrations, and weddings that Jesus attended- someone had to pay for them all.
Think of Martha and Mary. They had their own home. They provided hospitality to Jesus and his merry men. Martha had her many tasks.
Surely Martha and Mary were on the more financially well off side then those who were day laborers.
Think of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with costly perfume.
When Jesus was crucified, think of the rich man from Arimathea who came and took his body, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in his own personal tomb.
I do not think Jesus had an issue with people who were rich or financially secure at all.
In fact, how could the Good Samaritan have been so good if he did not have extra money to pay the inn keeper?
How could the Prodigal Son be welcomed home with a ring, a robe, and a fatted calf if his father did not have wealth?
How could the Lord’s Supper have taken place if some generous person had not opened up their home, provided the table, the wine, and the bread?
I think Jesus had a wonderful relationship with the wealthy, and he only had a hard time with those who hoarded or held back from blessing others.
I think of my own life, of how I have been blessed.
For example, I think of John, the father of my high school girlfriend. How he came from a place of poverty and dropped out of high school.
How he worked really hard, began his own business, and wisely accumulated his wealth.
I think of how he used it.
He had a large beautiful home with a pool and a BMW with a carphone. He had a condo in the Hamptons and a wife dripping in diamonds.
But I recall how he would take the entire family out for dinner, not just wife and kids, but their boyfriends and girlfriends as well.
We’d drive to the Elbow Room in the Hamptons, the kind of place where all that was on the menu was steak, steak and more steak, the only salad dressing was Catalina, and the wait was always an hour.
The kind of place where you dressed up, sat at the bar eating bar snacks out of wooden bowls, at a time in American history in which teenagers could be served an alcoholic drink if an adult was present.
And John would pay for it all.
He was the kind of man that allowed me to drive his daughter in my beat up 1970 Dodge Dart to their beach condo in which a concierge greeted us, and we could spend the day swimming in the ocean or a salt water pool.
John was the kind of man who’d invite you over for the family’s traditional seafood Christmas Eve meal featuring shrimp the size of small cats.
Truth is, most of what I learned about how to act in a fancy restaurant, or how to walk into an establishment, or how to enjoy the finer things came from John and his wife.
And he asked for nothing in return. He did it cause he wanted to, he did it cause he could. He did it without having to go without.
John did so by establishing fellowship and creating memories, even if someone like me, used to McDonalds and shopping at Sears, was too young to fully know or appreciate how cool and generous he was.
…Today’s scripture can sound like it condemns those who have wealth or riches; I think it is more a cautionary tale about how holding on too tightly can cause an unnecessary divide.
I think today’s tale is meant to say don’t be so much like the decadent man that you fail to see and respond to others in need.
That today’s scripture is a reminder that our money and our resources are not only meant to bless us, but to bless others, to make our part of the world a bit more heaven-like.
So as we go through the process of giving our offering, as we go through the process of creating a church budget for 2017, as we prepare to think of what we are being called to give, may we do so mindful of all that God has done.
Mindful of the biblical principal of tithing in which God simply asks for one dime back for every dollar.
May we be mindful that it is only by grace and chance that we are not the Lazarus who is lying by the gate.
May we be mindful that we as a church already have all the resources we require, all we need is for each of us to give accordingly.
Amen and amen.
Luke 16:19-31
09/28/16
Step right up, step right up!
Have I got an offer for you!
Have I got a deal!
How would you like to have a special place to go in which for 2-4 hours each week you get to be part of something fantabulous!
You get to meet and mingle with friendly folk. Hear beautiful music performed by expert musicians!
Listen to inspiring words of hope! Partake in delicious treats and fresh hot coffee!
We’ll even throw in the chance for you to sing in a group, learn how to play an instrument, and participate in weekly study!
You can also garden, decorate, visit other folk, play a part in important decisions, even help make a difference in people’s lives.
All while being welcome no matter who you are and being reminded that the Big Daddy of us all loves you very, very much.
And if you happen to feel sick, lonely, sad or in the hospital we have someone special who can visit you at no additional charge.
How much would you say such an exciting offer would be worth?
$100 per week? $50 per week?
What if I was to tell you that for right now it would be $35.60 per week?
What a steal! Friends, food, fellowship, and feeling good!
But wait, for those who wish to pay only $2 more per week you can have the added bonus of a hot, delicious brunch with bacon, gravy and omelets made your way.
For those desiring more, for an extra $3.13 you can enjoy the satisfaction of playing a role in feeding the hungry.
That’s right folks- for a grand total of $40.73 a week this can be all yours.
Music, mingling, meditation, mission, munchies, messages of hope, and the assurance that in God there is more than we can ever imagine!
Now, for those who say $40.63 is too much, don’t you worry, ‘cause our Big Daddy has a plan.
No one is ever turned away, no one is ever denied acceptance.
Big Daddy, in our Manual of Living, simply asks that we give 10% of what we receive. Which means if all you can give is $2 or $20 that’s all Big Daddy asks.
But if you can give $50 or $60, well Big Daddy will accept that too.
How many here today will say that this is indeed a great deal, and a worthy expense!
…You know, talking about money isn’t one of the easiest things to do. The topic of money, like the topics of music, politics, and sex are deeply personal and emotional.
And a church talking about money?
Seems like people enjoy going to church, but they don’t want to discuss the cost or embrace the notion that we depend upon donations and the generosity of everyone present.
As Judy said last week “The good news is that we have all the resources we need, the bad news is that it’s in your pockets.”
Churches are so different from for-profit businesses.
It’s not like we offer a tangible product like a fancy car or a pair of high heel shoes.
It’s not like we offer exclusive content like Netflix, or On Demand like HBO, or unlimited data like Sprint.
It’s not like we offer the exotic memories that come with a Time Share. Or the thrills of a roller coaster at Busch Gardens.
We’re not sexy. We’re not deemed by everyone as necessary.
Disney offer a product in which they can raise their tickets prices $10 and people may complain, but they will still pay.
Airlines will charge for luggage and pre-selecting seats and people will grumble, but they’ll still fly.
But churches- well, we create an annual budget, we try our best to convince people why they should give, and then every year we scramble to stay afloat.
More often than not leaders and members will think the solution is to cut costs. But how can God be expected to bless us if we are not willing to bless God?
According to the Bible, all God asks is 10 percent of what we earn; we are willing to give a dime out of every dollar.
But we find that to be too much. We worry that we can’t do without. We go into survival mode and become fearful that we won’t personally survive.
But if we are unwilling to part with 10 cents, how can we turn to God and say “Help”, “Bless”, “Hear”, “Deliver”?
Thankfully God does help, bless, hear and deliver…and yet even then we still find it hard to make the budget and to unapologetically share with people what is needed to run the church if you choose to be a part of this covenantal community.
And as of today, with a budget of $178,000, with an average weekly attendance of 96 people, the amount comes to $35.60 per person, per week in offerings for our mission and ministry to function.
$40.73 if you wish to have brunch and stock the Shepherd’s Pantry…
…Money. Wealth. Finances.
What a deeply personal, controversial, theological conversation…
Over a month ago I felt called to preach on today’s scripture. And what I felt called to do was to go in the opposite direction of what some may think this scripture is about.
On one level, when given a quick read through, this story seems to say “Rich people: bad. Poor people: good.”
This story of Lazarus and the wealthy man has placed into people’s heads the images of heaven and hell, reward and punishment, eternal pleasure or eternal pain.
But I do not personally see this in any way being a condemnation of rich people, or folks with financial wealth.
I think this is a story about what it means to experience closeness with God; what it is like to experience paradise.
I think this is about one kind of wealthy person- those who live in extravagant luxury while a neighbor is suffering nearby.
The attention is in the details.
The rich man isn’t just wealthy, he goes around wearing purple, an opulent color that back then could only be afforded and worn by kings, priests and prostitutes.
He didn’t just have a house, but a home large enough to warrant its own driveway and gate, no doubt meant to welcome the desirables in and keep the unfortunates out.
He didn’t just have his daily bread or enjoy a well balanced meal, he ate sumptuously every day, no doubt meat and milk, pastries and wine all the time.
All while poor Lazarus lay at the edge of his property, dogs licking his sores, hoping that if anything he could just have the crumbs and left-overs that fell from the man’s table.
I don’t think Jesus is condemning the man’s wealth in this story, I think Jesus is condemning what he could have done with it and didn’t.
I think Jesus would have been satisfied if the man had found a way to feed the starving Lazarus.
I think Jesus would have been satisfied if the man had walked to the end of his driveway and gave Lazarus some of his gently used linen and purple polos.
I think Jesus would have been satisfied if the man had found a way to use some of his wine and pastry funds to make sure that Lazarus was able to see a dermatologist about his sores.
But the man didn’t, and as a result he experienced a spiritual separation from God; a sadness that came from not being a better neighbor.
But I do not think the man’s sin was his wealth, or his enjoyment of nice things.
I think the man’s sin was his inability to share.
I don’t think Jesus really had an issue with people who had money; I think the issue was with how they used it- to exclude or include, to hoard or to bless.
Think about it- Jesus must have had plenty of friends with big checkbooks- how else could he and 12 men wander around the countryside, eating and sleeping for free.
Think of folk like Zacheaus who had Jesus join him at his home for dinner.
Think of the banquets, meals, celebrations, and weddings that Jesus attended- someone had to pay for them all.
Think of Martha and Mary. They had their own home. They provided hospitality to Jesus and his merry men. Martha had her many tasks.
Surely Martha and Mary were on the more financially well off side then those who were day laborers.
Think of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with costly perfume.
When Jesus was crucified, think of the rich man from Arimathea who came and took his body, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in his own personal tomb.
I do not think Jesus had an issue with people who were rich or financially secure at all.
In fact, how could the Good Samaritan have been so good if he did not have extra money to pay the inn keeper?
How could the Prodigal Son be welcomed home with a ring, a robe, and a fatted calf if his father did not have wealth?
How could the Lord’s Supper have taken place if some generous person had not opened up their home, provided the table, the wine, and the bread?
I think Jesus had a wonderful relationship with the wealthy, and he only had a hard time with those who hoarded or held back from blessing others.
I think of my own life, of how I have been blessed.
For example, I think of John, the father of my high school girlfriend. How he came from a place of poverty and dropped out of high school.
How he worked really hard, began his own business, and wisely accumulated his wealth.
I think of how he used it.
He had a large beautiful home with a pool and a BMW with a carphone. He had a condo in the Hamptons and a wife dripping in diamonds.
But I recall how he would take the entire family out for dinner, not just wife and kids, but their boyfriends and girlfriends as well.
We’d drive to the Elbow Room in the Hamptons, the kind of place where all that was on the menu was steak, steak and more steak, the only salad dressing was Catalina, and the wait was always an hour.
The kind of place where you dressed up, sat at the bar eating bar snacks out of wooden bowls, at a time in American history in which teenagers could be served an alcoholic drink if an adult was present.
And John would pay for it all.
He was the kind of man that allowed me to drive his daughter in my beat up 1970 Dodge Dart to their beach condo in which a concierge greeted us, and we could spend the day swimming in the ocean or a salt water pool.
John was the kind of man who’d invite you over for the family’s traditional seafood Christmas Eve meal featuring shrimp the size of small cats.
Truth is, most of what I learned about how to act in a fancy restaurant, or how to walk into an establishment, or how to enjoy the finer things came from John and his wife.
And he asked for nothing in return. He did it cause he wanted to, he did it cause he could. He did it without having to go without.
John did so by establishing fellowship and creating memories, even if someone like me, used to McDonalds and shopping at Sears, was too young to fully know or appreciate how cool and generous he was.
…Today’s scripture can sound like it condemns those who have wealth or riches; I think it is more a cautionary tale about how holding on too tightly can cause an unnecessary divide.
I think today’s tale is meant to say don’t be so much like the decadent man that you fail to see and respond to others in need.
That today’s scripture is a reminder that our money and our resources are not only meant to bless us, but to bless others, to make our part of the world a bit more heaven-like.
So as we go through the process of giving our offering, as we go through the process of creating a church budget for 2017, as we prepare to think of what we are being called to give, may we do so mindful of all that God has done.
Mindful of the biblical principal of tithing in which God simply asks for one dime back for every dollar.
May we be mindful that it is only by grace and chance that we are not the Lazarus who is lying by the gate.
May we be mindful that we as a church already have all the resources we require, all we need is for each of us to give accordingly.
Amen and amen.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Breathing with our Mountain-Moving God, Psalm 113 sermon for Sept 18, 2016
Rev. George Miller
Psalm 113
Sept 18, 2016
It has been a super hectic summer.
We had the joyful experience of calling Rev. Ken Hull to be our Director of Music.
We had the somber experience of responding to the PULSE murders and hosting the Town Hall Meeting.
We had our Vacation Bible School, the monthly Shepherd’s Pantry, and I’ve been busy with play rehearsals.
But now it feels like we are starting to cool down, catch our breath.
The office is at the point in which bulletins are done a day early. Council reports were in on-time.
After last week’s Air Conditioner Chat, two people have stepped forward offering to co-organize this year’s Harvest Home Sale.
Ahhh- breathe- calm…
And then…the news. We got our financial report and the treasurer shared the fact that we are currently $22,000 behind budget.
Which means that we definitely need to make sure we have a Harvest Home. That we begin early with our Meet the Budget Match. That we run a successful Intent to Give Campaign for 2017.
And that we take seriously our offerings and expenses for the next 3 ½ months.
Such somber, sobering news can make it feel as if the sky is falling, the world is coming to an end, that we have our backs against the Red Sea, and the bill collectors will soon be forcing us to shut our church’s doors…
Breathe….ah, breathe.
Then look- we’ve actually received $1,500 more than this time last year.
Membership is up, and new people are joining next month. Attendance has seen a 17% increase since 2010.
Worship, spirituality and mission are on point. The community knows our name.
In other words, our mission and ministry are thriving, which means that yes- our expenses are up.
You can’t have a healthy pastor without health insurance.
You can’t print bulletins, run websites, have a full-time office administrator without paying for it.
Can’t have a safe, air-conditioned, lighted place to hold worship, handbell practice, Bible studies, food pantries and free lunches without taking care of the grounds, paying the utilities, and buying supplies.
No one is getting rich. No one is throwing money away.
No one can say we are not having mission and ministry, fellowship and worship.
So what to do, what to do?
First, breathe…
Then, take a page from today’s scripture and praise the Lord!
How about we praise, O servants of the Lord!
How about we praise the name of the Lord!
How blessed is the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore!
Who is like the Lord our God?
Everybody-praise the Lord!
Today’s scripture is a very special one. It makes up what are called the Hallel psalms.
Hallel means to praise.
Psalm 113 to Psalm 118 are 6 songs that were designed to be sung during joyous festivals. They were songs meant to be sung during Passover.
Which means that Psalm 113 is a song that Jesus and his disciples would have sung on the night they shared their final meal.
Which means that even in the shadow of the betrayal and the reality of the cross, Jesus sang out “Praise the Lord!”
The reason why Psalm 113-118 were sung during festivals and Passover is very clear. They were songs about deliverance; songs representing the majesty and wonder of God.
Psalm 113 represents the good, great things that God can do.
Psalm 113 represents how God can do what others say cannot be done.
Raise the poor? Done!
Lift the needy? Done!
Fill an empty home with children? Done and done again!
Today’s scripture presents what we have been calling a “vertical image” of God. It talks of God being high above and distant, kingly and sitting on a throne.
AND- it also shows God as being close at hand, alert, aware and active.
Psalm 113 praises the Lord for being a God who can raise the poor from dust.
A God who lifts the needy from piles of ash.
A God who gives a childless person a house filled with the sound of kids laughing.
These are not insignificant feats. These are not mere fairy tales.
These are the traits of a God who sees, a God who knows, who cares, who causes things to happen.
These are the traits of a God who sends winds, who parts waters, who delivers the innocent, and conquers the enemy.
This is a God in which nothing is too, too wonderful…
You know, as of today I have been ordained exactly 11 years, 2 months and a day.
I have been here at Emmanuel UCC for exactly 6 years and 5 months.
Ya’ll know that according to reason I should not be here. You’ve seen just some of the steps I have taken.
If there is one thing I hope to leave behind as my legacy is the realization that God can and does work miracles.
That God moves mountains, God parts the seas, and that God can make a way out of no way.
I hope that my legacy is one in which people can testify that when the world says “no”, God says “yes!”
That when I was poor and unemployed, God found a way to make sure my bills were paid and food was in the cabinet.
That when I was needy, God found a way to surround me with people, organizations, and opportunities to ensure my most basic needs were met.
That even though I am 46, single and as barren as anyone can be, God is finding a way for even a wretch like me to go through the adoption process and create a home in which children’s laughter will be heard.
Those are just some of the reasons why I can say “Praise the Lord!” Why I can praise the name of the Lord.
How many reasons to praise God exist right here in our sanctuary today?
Who else in here knows what it is like to be poor and needy, and to have somehow, someway made it through?
Who else has experienced the pain of death and the loss of a loved one, and discovered that there can be life, love, and new beginnings on the other side of grief?
Who has ever lost all they had and found a way to start afresh?
Who has ever watched their life go up in dust and never thought things could settle back down?
Who else has ever felt barren, empty, hopelessly bare and found that God has blessed them with new opportunities and a chance for joy?
If so- then we are called to rejoice. We are called to give thanks.
We are called not to hold back, but to co-create with God, to minister with Jesus, and to do the mission of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, as of today, we may be $22,000 behind. But we are far from finished. We are far from the end of the road.
We are far from the end of the story, or at the point that the Red Sea waters will come crashing down.
We remember all that God, through Christ, has done for us.
We recognize all that God, through Christ, is currently doing.
We embrace the opportunity to co-create and play a part in God’s mission and ministry through:
-our offerings
-our tithes
-our gifts
-our time
-our talents
-our stories, and
-ourselves.
And we trust that as we continue in our mission and the ministry, there is nothing, no thing that God cannot do.
Amen and amen.
Psalm 113
Sept 18, 2016
It has been a super hectic summer.
We had the joyful experience of calling Rev. Ken Hull to be our Director of Music.
We had the somber experience of responding to the PULSE murders and hosting the Town Hall Meeting.
We had our Vacation Bible School, the monthly Shepherd’s Pantry, and I’ve been busy with play rehearsals.
But now it feels like we are starting to cool down, catch our breath.
The office is at the point in which bulletins are done a day early. Council reports were in on-time.
After last week’s Air Conditioner Chat, two people have stepped forward offering to co-organize this year’s Harvest Home Sale.
Ahhh- breathe- calm…
And then…the news. We got our financial report and the treasurer shared the fact that we are currently $22,000 behind budget.
Which means that we definitely need to make sure we have a Harvest Home. That we begin early with our Meet the Budget Match. That we run a successful Intent to Give Campaign for 2017.
And that we take seriously our offerings and expenses for the next 3 ½ months.
Such somber, sobering news can make it feel as if the sky is falling, the world is coming to an end, that we have our backs against the Red Sea, and the bill collectors will soon be forcing us to shut our church’s doors…
Breathe….ah, breathe.
Then look- we’ve actually received $1,500 more than this time last year.
Membership is up, and new people are joining next month. Attendance has seen a 17% increase since 2010.
Worship, spirituality and mission are on point. The community knows our name.
In other words, our mission and ministry are thriving, which means that yes- our expenses are up.
You can’t have a healthy pastor without health insurance.
You can’t print bulletins, run websites, have a full-time office administrator without paying for it.
Can’t have a safe, air-conditioned, lighted place to hold worship, handbell practice, Bible studies, food pantries and free lunches without taking care of the grounds, paying the utilities, and buying supplies.
No one is getting rich. No one is throwing money away.
No one can say we are not having mission and ministry, fellowship and worship.
So what to do, what to do?
First, breathe…
Then, take a page from today’s scripture and praise the Lord!
How about we praise, O servants of the Lord!
How about we praise the name of the Lord!
How blessed is the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore!
Who is like the Lord our God?
Everybody-praise the Lord!
Today’s scripture is a very special one. It makes up what are called the Hallel psalms.
Hallel means to praise.
Psalm 113 to Psalm 118 are 6 songs that were designed to be sung during joyous festivals. They were songs meant to be sung during Passover.
Which means that Psalm 113 is a song that Jesus and his disciples would have sung on the night they shared their final meal.
Which means that even in the shadow of the betrayal and the reality of the cross, Jesus sang out “Praise the Lord!”
The reason why Psalm 113-118 were sung during festivals and Passover is very clear. They were songs about deliverance; songs representing the majesty and wonder of God.
Psalm 113 represents the good, great things that God can do.
Psalm 113 represents how God can do what others say cannot be done.
Raise the poor? Done!
Lift the needy? Done!
Fill an empty home with children? Done and done again!
Today’s scripture presents what we have been calling a “vertical image” of God. It talks of God being high above and distant, kingly and sitting on a throne.
AND- it also shows God as being close at hand, alert, aware and active.
Psalm 113 praises the Lord for being a God who can raise the poor from dust.
A God who lifts the needy from piles of ash.
A God who gives a childless person a house filled with the sound of kids laughing.
These are not insignificant feats. These are not mere fairy tales.
These are the traits of a God who sees, a God who knows, who cares, who causes things to happen.
These are the traits of a God who sends winds, who parts waters, who delivers the innocent, and conquers the enemy.
This is a God in which nothing is too, too wonderful…
You know, as of today I have been ordained exactly 11 years, 2 months and a day.
I have been here at Emmanuel UCC for exactly 6 years and 5 months.
Ya’ll know that according to reason I should not be here. You’ve seen just some of the steps I have taken.
If there is one thing I hope to leave behind as my legacy is the realization that God can and does work miracles.
That God moves mountains, God parts the seas, and that God can make a way out of no way.
I hope that my legacy is one in which people can testify that when the world says “no”, God says “yes!”
That when I was poor and unemployed, God found a way to make sure my bills were paid and food was in the cabinet.
That when I was needy, God found a way to surround me with people, organizations, and opportunities to ensure my most basic needs were met.
That even though I am 46, single and as barren as anyone can be, God is finding a way for even a wretch like me to go through the adoption process and create a home in which children’s laughter will be heard.
Those are just some of the reasons why I can say “Praise the Lord!” Why I can praise the name of the Lord.
How many reasons to praise God exist right here in our sanctuary today?
Who else in here knows what it is like to be poor and needy, and to have somehow, someway made it through?
Who else has experienced the pain of death and the loss of a loved one, and discovered that there can be life, love, and new beginnings on the other side of grief?
Who has ever lost all they had and found a way to start afresh?
Who has ever watched their life go up in dust and never thought things could settle back down?
Who else has ever felt barren, empty, hopelessly bare and found that God has blessed them with new opportunities and a chance for joy?
If so- then we are called to rejoice. We are called to give thanks.
We are called not to hold back, but to co-create with God, to minister with Jesus, and to do the mission of the Holy Spirit.
Yes, as of today, we may be $22,000 behind. But we are far from finished. We are far from the end of the road.
We are far from the end of the story, or at the point that the Red Sea waters will come crashing down.
We remember all that God, through Christ, has done for us.
We recognize all that God, through Christ, is currently doing.
We embrace the opportunity to co-create and play a part in God’s mission and ministry through:
-our offerings
-our tithes
-our gifts
-our time
-our talents
-our stories, and
-ourselves.
And we trust that as we continue in our mission and the ministry, there is nothing, no thing that God cannot do.
Amen and amen.
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