Sermon from June 12, 2011; Acts 2:1-21

Rev. George Miller
Acts 2:1-21
“Cleaning House”
June 12, 2011

(Sermon starts off bland & dry.) Today is Pentecost. It is the birthday of the Christian Church and the day that we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost means “Feast of Weeks” and took place 50 days after Passover. All Jewish men within a 20 mile radius of the Temple were expected to attend.

It was around 9 a.m. in the morning when Peter and the apostles were together in one room when…

You know what? Forget this! (Tear up sermon and toss it into the air.)

Let me tell you a joke instead. Remember ‘Lil Ricky? Well, one day he came home from Sunday School. His Mom asked what he learned.

“Well,” Ricky said, “Our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

“When they got to the Red Sea, Moses had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.

“Then Moses radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.”

Ricky’s mother was silent for a moment before she said “Now, is that really what your teacher taught you?”

“Well, no Ma,” he said, “But if I told it the way the he did, you’d never believe it!”

That’s a good jumping off part for today’s message, because Pentecost is about something so amazing, so astounding that there’s no real way to convey it within the confines of time, space or words.

Simply put, it is the day the Holy Spirit was poured out, allowing the Gospel to be heard in a way it had never been heard before.

The disciples and certain women had spent the previous days cooped up in the upper room. They stayed busy by selecting someone to replace Judas and by devoting themselves to prayer.

But there’s almost a sense that they were beginning to stagnate, keeping the Good News to themselves. They needed a reason, a boot in the pants to go out beyond their walls and to do the work of God.

God took care of that by sending them the Holy Spirit.

In doing so, the Gospel went out beyond the north and south, east and west, and it demanded a response, amazing some and making others sneer.

When this story is read, some may ask: “Did it really happen this way, with fiery tongues that rested on top of people?”

Others may state “Does it really matter, because somehow, something happened?”

Or would someone like ‘Lil Ricky describe this story in a way that was more believable?

What is this Holy Spirit?

It’s what Joel had prophesied about and what Jesus promised.

The Holy Spirit is the aspect of God that is wild and unpredictable, which can not be contained or forced to act as we’d like.

It is like the flicker of a flame, the rush of the wind or a wave upon a beach. And just like them, the Spirit can be ferocious and loud or gentle and soft.

The Holy Spirit is the breathe that gave humanity life, the wind that parted the Red Sea, and the fire that was there when the Law was given.

For those of us who are creative, the Holy Spirit is what prompts one to write, paint and compose, act, dance and sing.

For those of us who are involved in social justice, it is that energizing source that makes people march in protests, stand up for their rights and to speak out even when everyone else disagrees.

The Holy Spirit is like Ginger Rogers spinning around the room or Gene Kelly jumping through puddles while singing in the rain.

The Holy Spirit is Martin Luther King saying “I have a dream” and Gandhi saying “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

It is the feeling a mother, or grandmother gets when they hold a newborn against their breast.

It is the moment of silence before worship begins and it is the singing of “Alleluia” when worship comes to an end.

The Holy Spirit is in everything and everywhere, and the more we recognize it, the more it seems to be present.

The Holy Spirit is the free and eternal part of God, so instead of trying to contain it, I’ll share a recent illustration.

As you know, I’ve moved into a new home on the lake. It had been closed up for years; the front was covered with bugs and the inside had the musty smell of closed doors, unwashed linen and dirty towels.

First thing I did? Open up all the doors and windows. Got a cross breeze going. Turned on all the fans.

One by one, went through all the closets and drawers. Washed them with soap and water, sanitized them with scented cleaner, left them open.

Every single towel, sheet, and blanket into the washer with detergent, softener, bleach, let them get agitated; then into the dryer, let them tumble.

Ran all the faucets until the water was clear. Let the ice machine cycle its way through. Burned candles in each room.

What did this do? Began to get the musty smell out.

And as a breeze danced through the place, as the waters ran, as the flames flickered, out went the sense of lifeless stagnation; in came a space for the lively new.

The structure of the house did not change, but the energy did. The walls remained, but it began to feel as if life was inside.

The bugs got gone and different life appeared in the forms of human visitors bearing flowers and bottles of wine.

But a month later I noticed that the musty, stagnant smell and feel was starting to creep back in.

So once again, everything was opened, the fans put on full blast, the floors cleaned, the outside swept.

This time I did something else: I cooked and I baked, making the house not only smell fresher and more like me, but more inviting and a sign that there is life inside.

I think that’s a bit of what the Holy Spirit is about. That just like my home, all people, places and organizations can come to a point in which they become too comfortable, too stagnant and the Holy Spirit, like a cleansing cross breeze, needs to come in and shake things up.

But the coming of the Holy Spirit isn’t meant to be a one time experience. It is meant to be a constant event that shakes us up and asks us to take chances and to create space for fresh air.

We are the church, and as the church, sometimes we do get a little too stagnant, sometimes we get too used to the same old same old.

Sometimes we hate to try new things, but that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit and Pentecost is about.

It is the part of the God that keeps us fresh, keeps us alert and will keep us alive.

We should not be afraid of the Holy Spirit. It is a gift from God, it is God.

With that said, I’d like to end by sharing one more joke:

The minister of the oldest church in town was nervous. He needed to find a way to ask the congregation to come up with the money needed to keep the building in order.

He planned the service down to a T with songs he thought was inspirational. Imagine his distress when the regular organist was sick and was replaced with a last minute substitute.

“Here’s a copy of the service,” he said impatiently and without hope. “Just think of something to play after I make the announcement about our finances. Maybe the Spirit will inspire you.”

Well, the minister came to the dreaded part of worship. He stood up and solemnly said “Brothers and Sisters; the roof repairs are twice as much as we anticipated and we need $4,000 more.”

“If there are any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up.”

Well…just then the substitute organist played “The Star Spangled Banner”!

And that is how the roof was repaired and a new full time organist was found.

Happy Pentecost, Happy Birthday to the Church Universal.

Not only are we the church, we are the Body of Christ, called by God, breathed upon by the Holy Spirit.

May we all learn how to embrace the wild, untamed, fiery, windy part of God, be it in worship, in our lives or in our actions.

Amen and amen.

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party

Every now and then, a series of books come along that just allow the reader to do nothing but read, fall in love, laugh, smile and cry.

Alexander McCall Smith's series of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" is one of those series. They are so predictable, but in a way that is comforting and joyful.

The 12th book, "The Saturday Big Tent Wedding" really nails everything that makes this series so good, and if it is the last book in the series, that will be fine because it feels as if all the loose ties have been tied together.

Old vans, new husbands, impetuous relationships, talking shoes and cups of bush tea all come together.

Of course, McCall Smith uses his familiar characters and simple writing style to tackle big truths. Does God forget some people? Why are some people in our lives? How often do we each get to hear what we all want to hear- that somebody likes us, just as we are, whatever our faults may be.

A joy to read; this book is a perfect summer read and addition to a wonderful series.

Sermon from June 5, 2011; 1 Peter 4:12-5:11

Rev. George Miller
1 Peter 4:12-5:11
“We are the Church”
June 5, 2011

Sometimes, life is not so pleasant.

We go through fiery ordeals.

We get bogged down in watery chaos.

We discover our neighbors
are not so neighborly

and our family…
well our family is sometimes
not what we would choose

more like what we got
and who we are stuck with.

But through it all
We have this place.

A place called CHURCH.

A place where we gather
a place where we worship
not ourselves

But we worship God.
And we give thanks
and we learn
and we wrestle
and we wonder

And for at least one hour a week
we let go of worries
and we just…be

-Out there/beyond these walls
it may seem like we have little control
over what happens

who likes us

how we are treated

who speaks to us or not

But in here
we gather
we shake hands
we sing
we share
we give
we eat

We unite
As One

As the living, breathing
BODY OF CHRIST

Shepherded by God

Surrounded by the Spirit’s sustaining breath

So that we-
can go back
out into the world
to hopefully do some of God’s work
to maybe reflect the light of Christ

But basically…
to survive
another heartbreak
another storm
another flood…

Let me share with you something interesting that deals with watery chaos and acting as
one.

You know fire ants, those creatures we worry about here in FL?

It turns out that they can survive the heavy storms of life. Know why?

They can float.

A colony of fire ants can actually turn into a life raft that allows them to withstand flooding and enables them to float to a new land, even for months at a time.

Engineers have been studying this phenonema for some time now.

When a single ant is dropped into water, it struggles and flails. But, as it turns out, the ant will produce a thin layer of air around it.

However- when a group of fire ants are dropped into water, something amazing happens.

First, the ant colony becomes a sphere. The ants on top crawl down into the water and grab a hold onto their companions.

The next layer of ants crawl to the edge, then the next layer of ants crawl out, then the next layer until within 2 minutes that sphere has flattened out into a raft shape.

The ants cling to each other any way possible: legs on legs, jaws on jaws.

In doing so each ant’s personal air bubble pushes against the other air bubbles, and these bubbles join as one, connecting and protecting the raft.

They become a “super-organism” in which their teamwork prevents any water from coming into contact with them.

These floating rafts become so buoyant they can be pushed underwater 8 inches before any water leaks through.

And if for some reason they become submerged? The ants pull even closer, working to maintain their “communal craft”.

A lesson we can learn? Sometimes it’s good to be full of hot air!

But on a more serious note, they can teach us that when ordeals occur and our livelihood is threatened, it is better to work together and to find a way to endure.

I believe the earliest Christians would have understood this illustration; after all, it wasn’t easy being the new faith in town.

Some called them pagans, others thought they were cannibals, and others accused them of civil disobedience.

Soon they were faced with threats and arrests; eventually some would be tortured, others given death sentences.

Yet somehow the earliest Christians held on, defying the chaos by pulling closer together

They found a way to create their own family

A family of God’s choosing
Formed in Christ
Surrounded by the Holy Spirit

They met in homes
They broke bread
They told stories

They did the work they had been called to
do.

How they managed, I’m amazed.

But today’s reading gives us some insight into how they found that strength.

One way was through group imagery.

The author tells them that they are to work
as one.

The elders to humbly watch over
and tend to the members.

Not in a way that’s selfish, or a chore.

And the younger members;
those who are new to the faith-
they are to listen and to show respect.

No one is to be better
or more important then the other,
but equals

who keep alert
who stay disciplined

And by working together as one?

What will the end result be?

That when all of life’s floods
permanently subside

the big picture will be revealed
and together we will be in glory

and we will see,

with our own eyes

how Christ is right there

to restore us
to support us
and to strengthen us.

Yes, trials will come

yes we will feel like we are
being flooded by the waters of chaos

but in Christ
formed by God
and breathed upon by the Holy Spirit

we as the church can hold on
work together
and in the end find salvation.

For that we should all give a big “Amen!”

Sermon from April 29, 2011; Acts 17:22-34

Rev. George Miller
Acts 17:22-34
“Searching for God”
May 29, 2011

The other day I was going through my files and came across this joke: What are three proofs that Jesus was a Mexican?

First, his name was Jesus. Second, he did things in large groups. Third, he was always being harassed by the authorities.

On the other hand, what are three proofs that Jesus was black? First, he had Sssooouuulll. Second, he called everyone “brother.” Third, he couldn’t get a fair trial.

But perhaps most compelling is this: what are three proofs that Jesus was a woman?

First, he had to feed a crowd at a moment’s notice when there was no food.

Second, he kept trying to get the message across to a bunch of men Who. Just. Didn’t. Get. It.

Third, even when he was dead, he had to get up because there was more work to do…

Yes indeed, in my office I have files upon files filled with stories, e-mails, poems.

Some of them try to solve the great questions of faith.

Ya’ll know the type: they use witty acronyms or reduce each book of the Bible to a one sentence explanation or tell you what to do to create a desired affect.

Want to know how to pray: do this.

Have stronger faith? Do that.

Get to know God? Follow steps a, b, c.

Ensure your salvation? Embrace 1, 2, 3.

But you know what? That all leaves me non-plussed. I’ve stopped believing there are certain steps to guarantee a desired spiritual result.

Now I’m like “I don’t know.” And I don’t mean it in a condescending, dismissive way.

I mean “I don’t know” as in “So much of faith is about mystery and I’m not afraid to embrace it.”

I mean “I don’t know” as in “The more I learn, the more I discover, and the more I discover the more I realize I have yet to learn.”

I mean “I don’t know” as in “I may not know about the past, but I know who’s been present since the very beginning.

“I may feel like I’m stumbling through the present, but I know I’m not stumbling through it alone.

“And I may not know about the future, but I know who holds it.”

Which reminds me of another joke:

There was a Sunday School teacher who believed that memorization was the key to her students’ salvation. So she decided to have her class memorize Psalm 23.

There was one boy, Ricky, who was so excited about the task. But try as he might he just could not memorize it. After much practice he could barely get through the first line.

On the day when the children were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous.

When it was his turn, Ricky stood up to the microphone, took off his baseball cap, and proudly said “The Lord is my shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.”

The Lord is my shepherd and that’s all I need to know. Amen and amen!

I admire folk like Little Ricky. I admire anyone who has the courage to say things like “That’s all I need to know” or “I don’t know” or “Can you help me understand?”

There is a beauty in people who are on a spiritual journey, who feel like they don’t know anything, but know that they want to know.

Those are the people, who when I talk to them, make me feel like God is right there; their seeking uncertainty seems to make God so real, so present.

Even when talking with supposed atheists, I feel the presence of God. It may just be me, but it seems like every atheist I’ve met has an amazing knowledge of religion.

They seem to bring up the topic of God and the Bible more then so-called believers.

Which makes me wonder, “If this person really believed God didn’t exist, then why waste their breath and read so many religious books and articles?”

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote about a time when his father suffered a stroke. Tony was 10 and in school.

His teacher, sensing something was wrong, suggested that they pray for his father’s recovery. Tony whispered to him “I’m afraid my father doesn’t believe in God.”

The teacher replied “That doesn’t matter. God believes in him. (God) loves him without demanding or needing love in return.”

This made a lasting impression, teaching Tony that faith matters because it can inspire and raise people’s sights beyond themselves.

The Lord is my shepherd and that’s all I need to know.

This is a simplified boiling down of what Paul is trying to teach in today’s reading.

In chapter 17 Paul has been the cause of two religious riots. So the church sends Paul to Athens thinking there’ll be no problem there.

But Paul looks around and sees all these shrines and altars and statutes devoted to all these other gods.

This distresses Paul, so Paul being Paul, speaks up once again. Except this crowd is different from the others he has encountered.

He’s is a college town, the Harvard of its day, made up of scholars, professors and privileged folk.
So Paul has to think fast, and come up with a way to appeal to the crowd.

“People of Athens,” he says, “I can tell how very spiritual you are. I can see that you worship many gods, even if you don’t know who they are. But let me shed some light:

“The God who started it all is Lord of everything, everyone, and everywhere. Because of this, God does not live in buildings or man-made things.

“After all God made us all from one, giving us boundaries of space and time. And why these boundaries?

“So that we can seek, so that we can question. So that we can grab, grasp, and grope.

“So that when we search, we will find God and discover that God is never, ever, far away from us.”

I admire the technique Paul uses. I appreciate his use of words.

He says that we grope for God, a word that demands a reaction, if not a chuckle.

To grope is an action, it’s not about being passive or waiting for something to happen.


When we think of the word grope we may think of a teenager on his or her first date.

It’s a word that speaks of desire coupled with desperation, purposefulness coupled with a sense of naïve fumbling, of hopeful excitement coupled with fear and awe.

In speaking to this particular group of people, Paul is using his gifts to say “You don’t know it all, but you’re off to a good start. So let’s go on this journey together.”

The result? Some of the people laughed at him. Some said “We may not agree with you but we’re willing to listen to you again.”

Some of them joined Paul and continued their search for God as revealed through Jesus Christ.

As do we. As do I.

I continue to wonder who God is. Just what Jesus is about. What to fully make about the Holy Spirit.

I question what is real, what is made-up, what is a metaphor, what is a mistranslation.

Sometimes I wonder if we got the story wrong; I wonder how the story will really end.

But I don’t worry so much about who the author and main character is.

And I know that as long as I, as long as you, as long as we, continue to search, we will find, and we will be found, and we will discover how God is indeed not far away from us at all.

In conclusion, let me tell you one more joke.

One day a priest, a pastor, and a guru were arguing about the best way to pray, while a telephone repairman was working nearby.

The priest spoke first, with great certainty, “Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray.”

“No,” said the pastor, “I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven like this.”

“You’re both wrong,” said the guru. “The most effective way to pray is laying down on the floor.”

“Pardon me,” the telephone repairman said, “I may not much know much ‘bout nuthin’, but the best praying I ever did was when I was hanging upside down from a telephone pole.”

Faith is a mystery. We don’t have to be so caught up in steps a, b, c, or embracing 1, 2, 3.

Nor should we be afraid of searching, or groping, as clumsy as it may seem.

What we can know is that somehow, someway, we will make a discovery that God is real, that God has never been too far away and that God believes in us.

For the Lord is our Shepherd, and perhaps sometimes that is all we need to know.

Blessing be to the mystery that is the Holy Spirit, the Way that is Jesus Christ and the known unknown who is God.

Amen and amen.

Sermon from April 24, 2011; John 20:1-18

Rev. George Miller
John 20:1-18
“Letting Go to Hold On”
April 24, 2011; Easter

It’s Easter; the day in which we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We celebrate what God has done.

We celebrate that death has lost its hold, tears turn into joy and that God, the giver of life, prevails.

…but truth be told, resurrection is complex and difficult to preach.

Why? - Because resurrection is a mystery. It defies any concept of space and time; a reality that no words can fully define.

The meaning of Easter is truly something that is best understood here (point to heart) and not here (point to head).

In the Bible alone there are at least 5 different accounts of the Resurrection given by at least 8 different authors, and none of them match up.

That’s partly due to the fact that each writer wanted to convey a different aspect of what the Resurrection meant to them and to their community.

In Mark, Christ’s resurrection creates terror and amazement. Matthew’s Resurrection is an event that shook the world. Luke tells us that the risen Christ is present when we break bread.

John puts a cool spin on the Resurrection- that it is something we should simply believe in even if we did not see it or do not fully understand it.

During our Bible Study last week, one of the participants felt that John’s resurrection accounts were very personal and unique. I like her take on John.

John, as a writer, is very deliberate in his images and words. We just heard how he tells his version of the Resurrection.

It’s dark. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb. The stone has been rolled away.

Expecting the worst she runs to the disciples. She reports the news. Two of them engage in a running match. The body’s not there.

Mary stands outside. She weeps. She bends. She looks. She sees. She weeps some more. She turns. She talks…

She hears her teacher’s voice: “Mary.”

Thanks to a scarcity of words, John creates a powerful tale of reuniting. Then something happens which has puzzled scholars.

Christ says to Mary “Do not hold onto me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them ‘I am ascending to…my God and your God.’”

Why does this puzzle scholars? First, Mary is not sent to proclaim that Christ has been resurrected or that he’ll make future appearances; Mary is sent to say that Christ is ascending to the Father.

Second, Mary is told “Do not hold onto me.” Another way to put this is “Stop clinging to me.”

What does this mean? Why would Christ tell Mary not to hold on?

…I don’t know about you, but I’ve become a reality-show junkie. “America’s Next Top Model”, “Celebrity Apprentice”: guilty pleasures, except for one show called “Hoarders.”

“Hoarders” is about people whose homes are filled with things they can’t let go of. For example, one young man who was afraid that if threw out an item, like a water bottle his mother gave him, that it meant he did not love her anymore.

I could understand his rational. Because so many people in my life have died I too can hold onto things, be it emotional or physical.

As an example, for years I’ve had in my dresser draw a little black book that belonged to my Grandfather George, who died when I was around 5.

After watching this particular episode of “Hoarders” I came across Grandpa’s black book. I read it, at first thinking it was a cool bit of family history; soon I realized it was a memento of a very sad life.

One entry was about his father’s death. The following entry was about his sister’s death.

The book was filled with addresses and names of people who were long gone, people I had never known or heard about.

One entry was about meeting my Grandma, whom he adored. But truth be told, she never truly adored him back, marrying him only because she was afraid of being an old maid.

I realized that by holding onto his book I was literally holding onto my Grandpa’s sadness and grief. So I said my goodbyes and put it into the recycle bin.

But by letting go, three things happened.

There was a peace in knowing that somewhere that lifeless paper had been tuned into something usable, perhaps a newspaper or a best seller.

Second, I got to know more about my Grandfather and in a way he feels present and real.

Finally, I feel as if he is free; his grief has been released into the world and transformed into something else, I know not what.

By holding onto that book, it stayed dead, by letting go, life prevailed.

I think this is part of what John’s Jesus is trying to say to Mary Magdalene.

John’s Gospel embraces Jesus ascending back to God; after all, it is John who starts his Gospel by saying “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God…”

So it makes sense that John would want to see the Word return to God; it becomes yet another way in which Christ is glorified.

But what did this ascension, this return to God do? It accomplished a few things.

First, by ascending to God, Christ created a space that allowed the disciples to be united by a common bond, in which they shared an intimate, spiritual relationship with Christ, in which physical contact was no longer needed.

Second, by ascending to God, Christ created a space for the Holy Spirit to enter in, so that everyone can experience God in new, unexpected ways.

So that we can embrace our gifts, remember what Jesus taught and do our part in reflecting God’s love to the world.

Finally, by ascending to God, Christ went ahead to prepare; to prepare a place for you and for I;

to ensure that each of us has a heavenly destination to return to when our earthly time has come to its conclusion.

None of these things could happen if Mary Magdalene held on to and clung to Christ. For to have clung onto would not have been an act of faith or an act of trust.

To cling onto is to want that person or that thing all to yourself, believing you can only feel that way or remember that joy if you smother it, suppress it, and control it.

But the Good News could not be smothered; it could not be controlled or clutched onto like a guarded gem.

The news of Christ was meant to be given flight and shared unselfishly with the world, giving new life, fresh beginnings and freedom from fears.

In conclusion, when the risen Christ appeared to Mary she became the first to pronounce the Good News.

She who felt his absence at the tomb was the first to see how God defeated death’s hold.

She who was the first to try and hold on became the first to learn how to let go.

One thing we can learn from John’s Gospel is that when we have an encounter with the Risen Christ, we can let go, announcing to the world that in the one who was crucified, resurrected and ascended:

Good returns to good
Love returns to love
life returns to the source of life
and God ultimately prevails.

Happy and joyous Easter to all and blessings be to our Heavenly Parent, the Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen and amen.