Choices- Who To Serve; Joshua 24:14-18

 

Rev. George Miller

Oct 16, 2022

Joshua 24:14-18

 

Past, popular, or present.  That’s what today’s reading is about.  Choosing.  Making a choice.

 

Do you stick with what was in the past?  Do you choose what’s popular?  Do you opt for the present, knowing who you are and where you are?

 

Choose today what is best for you; what is best for your household.

 

Last week we were camped out with Moses by Sinai mountain.  He told the people they were God’s most precious possessions.  They were given a chance to accept such an honor.  They were blessed with 10 Commandments.

 

Now, 40 years have passed.  Moses is dead; Joshua is their new leader.  They are poised to enter the Promised Land, a place flowing with all the milk, butter, bread, and gasoline that you could want.

 

But before the people go into the Promised Land, before they leave behind their time in the wilderness, Joshua reminds them of all they have been through, all they have seen, and all that God has done for them.

 

Joshua gives each and every one of them a chance, an opportunity to decide, for themselves who they will serve and who they will be.

 

Joshua tells them “Before you step into your future, choose today what you will do.  Will you cling to the ways of the past when your enslaved ancestors worshipped other gods.”

 

“Will you look around at other people and decide you want to be just like them, so you’ll worship their deities.”

 

“Or will you allow the God who is here, the God who is now, the God who saw your through the sea, the sand, through the hunger and thirst, to be your one and only?”

 

Joshua does not force his choice upon them.  Nor does Joshua force them to choose his way.  He does not shame them; he does not condemn them.

 

Joshua says “Choose who you will serve- the idols of your enemies, the gods of the cool kids, or the One who calls you God’s most precious jewel.”

 

Joshua then says “As for me, my family and I will serve the Lord.”

 

Joshua could have chosen the god of his captors, he could’ve taken the easy route and did what everyone else was doing, but instead he goes with the God who is Still Speaking.

 

What’s so lovely here is that Joshua’s notion of faith is one of service.  He is not asking “who will you pray to?” or “who will you sing too?”  He is not asking “who will you donate to.”

 

Joshua asks is “Who will you serve?” 

It’s a bold turn.  He is tying his own mission and identity to what he knows about God. 

 

He is implying that the one he serves is the one who will authorize and energize him.

 

Joshua is articulating that to choose to serve God means that one is willing to be an agent of God, an actor for God, that one is willing to do justice, love kindness, walk humbly.

 

The beauty of today’s reading is that no one is being forced into their faith, no one is being told “this is what you have to do.”

 

The beauty is that each and every person is being invited to select who they will serve.

 

For Joshua, it is a no brainer- he will serve the God who saves, and because of the gift of the 10 Commandments, Joshua already knows how to serve-

 

To speak honestly, to be content with what he has, to not harm his parents, his spouse, his neighbors.

 

Joshua knows that to serve God means don’t hurt God through words or manufactured idols.

 

Joshua knows that to serve God also means to rest, to allow the earth, the animals, the immigrants to rest as well.

 

Perhaps most wonderful of all is when Joshua says “Choose today.”

 

Choose today who you will serve-  What this implies is that the choice is not a one-time deal, but an ongoing decision made each and every day, each and every time we wake up.

 

Choose today, Joshua says, with the implication that if you choose the past or choose the popular and it doesn’t work out for you, you can choose again tomorrow and select God.

 

Choose today, Joshua says, which also means that if we do choose God, and we slip up, we fail, we make a tragic mistake…guess what?-  we can choose again all over.

 

“Choose,” Joshua says to a people who have been wandering in the wilderness for so long.

 

Choose who you will serve.  The past, the popular, or the one who calls you the most precious possession.

 

Who do you choose at this moment, in this place, at this time?

 

Amen and amen.

Freedom For All; Cuban Independence Day Sermon; Exodus 19:1-9

 

Rev. George Miller

Oct 9, 2022

Exodus 19:1-9a

 

It’s been 11 days since Hurricane Ian ravaged our state.  8 days since many of us had our electricity back on.

 

Too bad we can’t say the same for our sisters and brothers in Cuba.  The island nation, just 200 miles south, had 11 million people struggling without electricity since Sept 27; their main power plant is unable to be brought back online.

 

No electric means no access to water since pumps are required, and food has been spoiling rapidly.

 

People have gathered to protest; anxiety has grown.  Security forces were trucked in to stop protestors from marching, authorities blocked internet communications.

 

Cuba has turned to the US, emergency assistance.

 

It’s been a difficult time, but if there are 2 things we know about the people of Cuba-they have faced rough times before, and they are survivors.

 

It's in the very nature of the nation. 

 

Cuba, like the Philippines, Haiti, and America, has had complex history of exploration and colonization.

 

Back in the 1800’s, Cuba was a Spanish territory known for their production of sugar, an island made of indigenous individuals, European immigrants, people stolen from Africa, and indentured servants from China.

 

Business owners were demanding economic reforms.  Spain’s oppressive military expanded while famers saw a 6% tax increase and their voices ignored.

 

The abolitionist movement was growing. The creole community sought equality and representation in Parliament. 

 

 

This all came together on Oct 10, 1868, when a plantation owner named Carlos Manuel gathered his enslaved workers, granted them their freedom and issued a cry of Independence, starting an out-all military uprising against Spain that lasted for 10 years.

 

Oct 10 is known as the “Cry Of Yara”, a day that marks this historic moment in which men of all races (native, Spanish, African, Asian, European) came together as one to fight for freedom.

 

This sense of freedom was based on the belief that God created humanity, so therefore there should be a spirit of brother/sisterhood, tolerance, justice, the belief that all people are equal, and that no one is excluded from this spirit, even their enemies.

 

Oct 10 marks the moment the nation of Cuba said “We want to be free, we want independence, we want an end to slavery, and anyone can be part of this movement.”

 

What’s astounding is that Cuba didn’t want to end their relationship with Spain, they wanted to continue, as sisters.  But Spain said “no.”

 

Freedom.  Independence.  Equality.  Justice.  Could Oct 10, 1868 be any more biblically grounded if it tried?

 

How cool that today we celebrate the fight for freedom and end of slavery with a story that is all about enslaved people being delivered by God and finding a way to become a unified nation in which ethics, covenant and faith all come together.

 

Here we are in Exodus.  It’s 3 months after the Israelites were saved from slavery.  They have reached Mount Sinai, and there they will camp for 11 months. 

 

Though they are in the wilderness, they are far from alone- God is with them.  God has granted them a leader in Moses and the leadership of Aaron, Miriam, Jethro, and many wise elders.

 

God gives Moses a message to share with the people- “You now know what God can and will do for you.  If you choose to listen for my voice and obey my simple instructions, you will be my most treasured joy.”

 

God says to the people “The whole world is mine, but you will be the most special of all.”

 

Moses gives this message to the people, and they say “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”

 

After the people agree to be God’s most precious possessions, God has the people consecrated.  They prepare by washing all their clothes.

 

Then Moses and his brother Aaron go up the mountain to receive what we know as the 10 Commandments.

 

Now, do the people keep their end of the bargain?  Sadly, know the answer is “No.”  But does God keep the covenant?  The answer is “We’re still here, aren’t we!”

 

What are the commands God gives to his most precious treasure?  10 simple requests:

 

1)   Know that I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of slavery.  Choose no other gods but me.

2)   Don’t make something with your hands, claim that it is me and worship it.

3)   Don’t use my name disrespectfully. 

4)   Remember to take one day off a week to rest; allow your children, your employees, your animals, and all immigrants a chance to rest.

5)   Honor your parents

6)   Do not murder

7)   Don’t be unfaithful to your spouse

8)   Don’t take what isn’t yours

9)   Don’t speak lies about other people

10)        Don’t waste a minute of your life jealous about what others have

 

Amazing.  1^st, we hear God saying “Walk humbly with me”- know that I am the Lord who saves, choose no one else but me, don’t make me an idol or misuse my name.  And rest.

 

2^nd, God is saying “Do justice”- Don’t kill, harm your spouse, steal, or lie.

 

3^rd- God is saying “Love kindness”- be nice to mom and pop, don’t worry what others have.

 

To a group of people who’ve been enslaved for 500 years and told they were worthless, God says “You are precious, you are free, and if you choose me, I will show you how to be true sisters and brothers.”

 

So on this day when we celebrate Cuba’s independence from slavery and greed, we also remember our own freedom, found in God.

 

Just as the people of Cuba longed to live their best life on the land, we are reminded how God wants us to live our best life, be one with the land, our neighbors, one with God.

 

God wants us to accept our role as God’s most precious treasure and as God’s greatest belonging.

 

And the beauty is, that God gives us that choice each and every day we wake up, each and every moment we open our eyes.

 

We give thanks for the freedom we find in God, and we give thanks for the gifts of the commandments that remind us just how wonderful we are.                              

 

Amen and amen.

Our Surreal God; Genesis 12:1-9

 

Rev. George Miller

Sept 25, 2022

Genesis 12:1-9

 

It has been a surreal week.

 

Testing positive for COVID 30 months into the pandemic was not part of the plan.  Having 7 other people test positive wasn’t supposed to happen.

 

Closing our doors last week and not having worship at all was definitely not part of the plan.  And yet that’s what happened, and yet here we are.

 

It feels surreal.  Calling in sick for the first Sunday in 17 years of ministry is surreal.  Composing this message while still in a COVID fog is surreal.

 

Yet, in many ways, it seems appropriate, for it can be said we worship a surreal God. 

 

Our God is so surreal they say that God created light and life through the abstractness of breath and words.

 

So surreal that first are last and last are first.  So surreal that little becomes much and mustard seeds can contain all of the heavens.

 

To witness the surreal, all we have to do is step into this story of our great great ancestors, Abram and Sarai.

 

Abram and Sarai are what you’d call a mature couple.  They’ve been married for years.  They have settled into their forever home where cattle graze and rain falls.

 

If there is one issue is that they never had a child.  They have nephews and an extend family that surrounds them, but no son or daughter to call their own.

 

Culturally speaking they are almost invisible people.  Legacy speaking, their family tree is as good as dead. 

 

Then the most surreal, unexpected thing happens- God speaks to Abram and says “Lech lekha,” which means “Get up and Go!” in Hebrew.

 

Like COVID, this call from God literally comes out of nowhere.  There’s no forewarning, there is no indication it is about to happen.

 

Abram and Sarai are getting ready to enjoy a round of golf or Early Bird at the Caddy Shack and God says “Lech lekha”- Get Up and Go!

 

How surreal.  How odd.

 

I wonder if Abram thought he was hearing things.  Did her wonder if he was experiencing some form of brain fog?  Maybe some of the Sahara dust had lodged in his ears.

 

“Get up and Go!” is the command this surreal God gives to this man.

 

To make it even more surreal, God says “I will show you land.  I will make you a great nation.  I will bless you.  I will make everyone know your name, and because of you all the families of the world will be blessed.”

 

If I heard those things last week I would have assumed it was all the Robatussin and ramen soup talking.

 

And yet, Abram listens to that voice.  Abram listen s to God.  Abram uproots his wife, uproots, his household, uproots his nephew and away they go.

 

To make things even more surreal, God appears to Abram and says “To your children, I will give them this land.” 

 

From there, Abram journeys on in stages, surreal stages, not knowing exactly what is going to happen next.

 

Surreal stages.

 

That’s what this week has felt like.  Unexpected.  Out of nowhere.  Nonlinear. 

 

Surreal is this story of Abram. 

 

Surreal is this whole COVID experience, from back in November 2019 when we first heard about it to today.

 

It has been an odd path, with twists and turns, and thinking you know but discovering you don’t know.

 

This whole COVID thing has also been a study in patience.  The not knowing.  The uncomfortableness waiting.  Acting.  Resting.  Moving ahead.  Stopping.  Brain fog.  Stages.  Steps.

 

Today’s narrative is a story about the unexpectedness of life.  Of how we never know. 

 

And isn’t that how we have been living?  Not fully knowing.  Hoping. 

 

Like Abram and Sarai we have been journeying in stages through this whole COVID inflation Monkey Pox January 6 time of tribulation not really sure where we are going.

 

It's surreal.  It’s been odd.  But here we are.  The question is- what do we do, how do we respond?

 

Do we give in, do we give up?  Do we pretend that its not real? 

 

Do we turn on one another or do we turn to one another. 

 

Do we say “How are you?”  “How are you doing?”  Do we admit when it is too surreal?  Do we acknowledge the fog and mystery and the unknown?

 

Today’s message is not one that is to give you an answer or tell you what to do.

 

Today’s message is more an acknowledgement that we have been through a lot this past week, and there is perhaps more to be faced. 

 

Today’s message is more like a hand, a hand to say “I know just as little as you do, and I’m not sure where I am going.  But I know that with God I am not going alone, and perhaps we can face this surrealness together.”

 

The stages we face next are unsure and bound to be non-linear.  How can we face them together; how do we face them with God?                   Amen.

Statement to School Board re: Sex Ed & LGBTQ; Sept 6, 2022

 

My name is Rev. George Miller. I’ve had the honor to serve in Sebring for 12 years. 

 

It’s wonderful to watch the School Board do the work you do, for the sake of our kids.  But I’m concerned about the discussions regarding comprehensive health ed.

 

Few of the decisions seem to be based on fact and research. 

 

Research shows how life-saving sex education is.  Data shows that sex ed reduces teen pregnancy, STI’s, cuts down on depression and suicide attempts.

 

Research from places like Darkness 2 Light show that teens who take sex ed are less likely to be sexually abused and trafficked.

 

Data shows that abstinence-only lessons do NOT keep our kids safe, STD or pregnancy free.

 

Orientation is discussed as if being lesbian or gay is only about sex.  Orientation is about identity.  Who you love, how you see yourself, when you feel the most YOU.

 

To use personal religious views to say that people of the LGBTQ community are evil is wrong.  This puts false words into Jesus’ mouth, going against his teachings of compassion.

 

It’s scary to know that safe havens are not allowed and that children who come to you in confidence can be outed to their parents.

 

Telling a parent that their child has come out as LGBTQ can pose great danger.  40% of our homeless youth identify as LGBTQ and were kicked out by family.  Up 40% of homeless teens are sex trafficked. 

 

What we’ve heard by public speakers are personal takes of their faith, laced with misunderstood interpretations of scripture, often using mistranslated texts. 

 

Folk say “We want to teach a biblical approach to sex,” yet the Bible features polygamy, concubines, marrying your kin.

 

I am concerned about the meanness we have witnessed in this room done by the people identifying as Christians. 

 

LGBTQ youth are discussed at these meetings as inhuman and non-citizens.

 

It's as if the bullies from jr. high have grown up to be bullies at the board meetings.  We know that often those who are bullies are themselves having issues at home.

 

There is a saying that “A hit dog hollers.”  There seem to be folk here today who are overly obsessed with the LGBTQ presence.

 

Perhaps they are worried that someone they care about is gay; perhaps they’re worried that they are gay, so they’re doing all they can to demonize others so they don’t have to look at themselves.

 

If that is you today, please stop.  You are hurting innocent youth; ultimately you are hurting yourself.  If this is you, know that you are worthy of love and there are people who will stand by and support you. 

 

Let us stop this assault on our LGBTQ youth who are simply trying to be their true selves.