A Chance to Just...Be; Joshua 8:30-35

            Rev. George Miller

June 9, 2024

Joshua 8:30-35

 

Today we have the chance to talk about the Philippines as they prepare to celebrate their Independence on June 12.

 

The Philippines is a nation of over 7,000 islands with turquoise waters, skyscrapers that kiss the clouds, and a cuisine influenced from all over the earth.

 

When preparing for today, there was much thought about what to say.  A political narrative about the Philippines?  A step-by-step narration of their history with Spain in 1521, America in 1898, and Japan in 1941?

 

Should we recap all of the colonization, or spend this time speaking of the leaders who lost their life?

 

Or could today be more of a celebration?

 

A celebration for how the people of the Philippines are known for being resilient. 

 

How it is a nation known for its diversity and people who are easy to make friends with.

 

Today can be a tribute to how the Philippines had a successful women’s suffragette movement in 1905 and in 1986 voted in a female president.

 

Sometimes, sometimes in the midst of wars and worries and strife, it is to good and it is Ok to focus more on the success than the struggles, the moments of bliss than the months of war.

 

We celebrate Philippines Independence today because one of our beloved members, Fe, is a proud daughter of that island nation; she is someone who has shared her love and shined her light upon us.

 

There are things about the people and places of the Philippines that are so wonderful, and full of life.

 

How formality and respect for others is important.  Streets are known for being safe.  Cost of living is affordable.   

 

The way Christmas is celebrated for 4 months, with clubs playing Mariah Carey at the stroke of midnight on September 1 and malls installing multi-story trees that are fully decorated.

 

The ways in which family will come together for holidays, birthdays and other celebrations, playing games, singing karaoke, feeding you the moment you walk through the door.

 

Today feels more like a day to shine light than to speak of war and strife, because those two things seem to always be there in our lives, in our newspapers, never to fully go away.

 

We share this because today’s reading is one that feels and sounds like a holiday.

 

Here we have Joshua and the people finally in the Promised Land, and they are having a very holy moment.

 

Joshua was stepped in as leader.

 

He’s led the people through trials and tribulations, battles and bad times.  But at this moment, he and the people have come to a place between two sacred mountains.

 

There is an altar.  There are God’s commands.  There are offerings being given, and food, that after being sacrificed, goes to feeding the people.

 

They are in a time of worship; worship grounded in word, ritual, and fellowship.

 

It appears that everyone is there.

 

The author mentions not just Joshua, the priests, or the leaders of the congregation.

 

The author mentions that there are elders, there are citizens, there are foreigners, implying that some are gentile, there are women, and there are children.

 

It is an amazingly inclusive image the author portrays- women and men, infants, and elderly,

 

-those who run the day-to-day operation, those who oversee the spiritual welfare,

 

-those who are citizens and those who are living as aliens alongside them.

 

It is such a beautiful, beautiful reading if we only stop there and say “look- look at how wonderful the Kingdom of God can be,

 

look at how even before Jesus, the words of Galatians 3:28 were being embodied.”

 

But the truth is that there is more to this story.

 

There is way more that goes on right before this story and there is way more takes place after.

 

Though today’s 5 verses seem to be nothing but a celebration, they come right after there has been major battles and mass cruelty,

 

there has been great disobedience and there have been thousands of people killed by the hands of the Israelites and supposedly at the direction of God.

 

So knowing what goes on before today’s reading in chapters 6, 7, and 8, it is hard to present today’s reading in rosy light.

 

Except, except sometimes, sometimes it seems like we just need to take a breather, we need to take a break,

 

we need to intentionally distance ourselves from all that is going on that is wrong with the world,

 

and take a moment, just a moment, to focus on something that seems so right.

 

That’s what today is.

 

A chance to create a breather; a buffer, a pause from the week before and the weeks ahead.

 

Sometimes what worship really needs to be is less a history lesson, or a motivational speech, or a missive on mission, and worship just needs to…

 

Be.

 

Sometimes it is just good to knowingly leave all the other stuff behind, and just be present, just be in the here, in the now.

 

That’s what we’re seeing in today’s reading.

 

God, Joshua, the people, taking some time to come together to experience scripture, to give offerings, to share a meal, with everyone and anyone present.

 

Sometimes we talk too much, think too much, explain too much, that it is best just to be beside each other and experience holy sacredness together.

 

To breathe.  Smile.  Let go.

 

So for the next minute, we’re going to do something together that requires no words.

 

Let us simply look at what’s ahead- to look at our window.

And not solve, not fix, not fight, not worry.  But just look….

 

Green for the grass and fertility of the earth.

Blue for the rains and waters.

Yellow for the sunflowers and honey, the bees and butterflies.

Red for the blood that flows through us and the Spirit that dwells within us.

 

Today we are mindful of being present, being with one another, being with God.  We celebrate that just as we continue to celebrate one another.        Amen.           

Courage; Acts 27:13-26

 

Rev. George Miller

June 2, 2024

Acts 27:13-26

 

Today is a miracle; a moment never imagined; a miracle we share; a moment to take with us when it seems like all miracles are gone.

 

15 years ago, I came here to interview for pastor.

 

While taken on a tour of the community, there was an image that was seared in my mind.

 

Graffiti, in a local rest room; writing of a lost soul seeking out contact with someone else just like them, scribbled onto the bathroom stall.

 

It was an ancient way of communication;  something not seen in ages anywhere else.

 

Seeing this kind of closeted communication made it feel like I traveled back to a time no one deserved to be in.

 

Though that writing on the wall seemed like a relic, it was a sign of where the LGBTQ community was in 2009.

 

Living in secret; fear; hiding; lonely and alone.

 

Indeed, there was a community of women, men, and trans individuals, just as there is everywhere else humans exist.

 

When this group of individuals met, it was done via e-mails that were Blind CCd, under the title “Friends of Dorothy,” a term from the 40’s and 50’s. 

 

We met in homes, sometimes a restaurant, once or twice a film, always done with caution and care, wrapped in some fear and elements of shame.

 

We give honor and thanks to those individuals who had those meetings, finding a way to gather, for without them, we would not be here today.

 

But then, slowly, over 15 years, things began to change, evolve.

 

With social media, members of the LGBTQ community began to make themselves known,

 

no longer scribbling on restroom stalls, but writing about their lives on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 

 

Much of it mundane, most of it ordinary.  But not without naysayers and mean-spirited folk adding unnecessary comments.

 

But that didn’t stop what had started. 

 

People posting photos of their friends, their partners, their trips to Disney for Pride; their grieving for the lives lost at Pulse.

 

Chris Davies courageously held the 1^st public vigil for Pulse.  Emmanuel UCC soon followed.

 

Highlands CORE Wellness hosted the 1st drag show here.  Mark opened a club that welcomed all. 

 

Mon Cirque became important allies, making the first PRIDE event possible.  Emmanuel became Open and Affirming.  Morty & Edna’s put their business and reputation on the line by hosting Drag Bingo. 

 

What was once only expressed secretly, shamefully, solitary in private, is now out in the light, seen, heard, experienced, discussed.  Lived.

 

So it’s with immense joy and celebration that we gather here today, in the protective shelter of God’s Holy Sanctuary,

 

to worship, and to soon share in the Lord’s Supper, knowing that we have worked so hard, so courageously, and we are hungry.

 

Has it been easy?  No.  Have there been naysayers?  Yes. 

 

Have we had to face public obstacles, rough seas, and unfriendly faces?  Heck yes.

 

Are there those cringing that we have the audacity to gather here today, and call ourselves Christian?  Of course.

 

But that says more about their own brokenness than our own wholeness and healing.

 

For we have bravely been on this journey, and we are HERE.

 

That’s what makes today’s scripture so special. 

 

The Apostle Paul is on the journey of a lifetime.

 

He has mastered the art of public witness.  He’s not worried about being seen or heard.  He’s not afraid of going to where the people are.

 

Disagreements don’t stop him.  Threatening words from self-appointed guardians of the old guard don’t get him down.

 

Paul is filled with excitement for what he has experienced through his new life in Christ.

 

He’s using whatever tools he has to share the Good News-

 

public appearances, letters, standing before religious leaders, government officials, interactions with keepers of the peace, and officers who may not always be the most honest.

 

Does Paul have it easy?  Nope.

 

Does everyone like what Paul has to say?  Nope.

 

Does he upset folk wherever he goes?  Yup.

 

Does he even upset those in the group he identifies with?  Heck yes.

 

But Paul keeps Pauling, even when he is threatened with violence, even when the dog whistles go out, even when he’s before City Council.

 

He is a testimony to not giving up, not giving in, of keeping up his courage.

 

Even when he is arrested, even when placed, as prisoner, upon a boat that faces rough seas.

 

Here we see what it means to endure the toughest of storms; here we see what courage is.

 

Paul is on a ship traveling across chaotic waters.  The waves are intense, the boat feels shaky.  Everyone around him is scared, unsure.

 

Paul and the crew head into the winds of the world that try to slow them down and steer them away.

 

They are struck again and again by the waves of the world that their first instinct is to drop everything they have.

 

Here we see Paul and the crew face a moment in which it feels like all hope is lost and they are just wandering listless and with no point.

 

Then, when it seems as if all hope is lost, Paul stands, speaks, and says-

 

“I urge you now- keep up your courage.  Be brave.  Don’t stop.  Don’t quit.”

 

Paul says “Keep up your courage, for I have faith in God.  But we will have to run aground on some island.”

 

There is much to love about this statement.

 

First, is the brutal honesty that Paul shares with the crew- that we will run into rough times; we will run aground.

 

Paul’s words speak to us today, a reminder that even with God, even with bravery,

 

there are islands that block our path, there are obstacles to overcome, there are still shipwrecks we will face.

 

Does that mean we give up?  Does it mean we quit?

 

No. 

 

It means we adjust.  It means we prepare.

 

Second, is how Paul addresses courage.  Instead of imploring the crew to give into cowardice, what does Paul say?

 

“Keep up your courage.”

 

Keep.  An action word. 

 

Keep up.  An action phrase filled with intention.

 

Keep up your courage.

 

In other words, Paul is inviting those on this ship sailing on rough seas to act.

 

Keep.  Hold onto.  Grasp.  Fight for. 

 

Do whatever you need to do to maintain that courage.

 

Notice this- Paul says “keep up.”  He does not say “Go out and get.”

 

He does not tell them to “Find.”

 

He does not instruct them to go to the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz to ask for their courage.

 

Paul says “Keep up your courage.”

 

Which means… the courage is already there.  The courage has been there. 

 

The courage has always present, within them.

 

Paul is not telling this crew facing rough seas, about to run onto the shore, to find courage-

 

he is telling them to hold onto, to embrace the courage that is already within them.

 

And that is beautiful.

 

So often the world tries its best to strip us of our courage. 

 

So often those guardians of the old guard like to make us forget we have courage.

 

Sometimes the leaders, officers, like us to think we have no courage.

 

But we do.  The courage dwells within us.  The courage is ours.  The courage is there for us.

 

To keep.  To hold onto.  To embrace.

 

That courage is amongst each and every one of us today, that is why we are here, that is why we are gathered.

 

That courage is a gift from God; that courage is a sign of Christ’s love.

 

That courage is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

 

Does that courage mean we won’t face rough storms?

 

Does that courage mean we will never be afraid?

 

Does that courage mean danger no longer exists?

 

What it does mean is that the courage we possess is not something we have to go out and get,

 

it’s not something we have to earn, it’s not something only a few of us have it.

 

What it means is that the gift of courage is always there, has always been there, within us.

 

And with God, through God, for God, we have opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to hold that courage, to keep that courage.

 

And to act.

 

Because we are brave.  Because we are beautiful.  Because we have Pride.

 

The seas may be rough, the shores may be jagged, but our courage is ours to keep; our courage is a gift from God.

 

And the more we hold onto our courage, the more we share our courage, the more we show our courage,

 

the more miracles we are sure to face, and the more moments like this that we will have together.

 

For that, let us say “Amen.”

God's Broken Heart; Numbers 14:13-16

 

Rev. George Miller

May 26, 2024

Numbers 14:13-16

 

Starting today we are going to hear the scriptures that YOU, the people, submitted in the past for Stump The Pastor Sunday.

 

Today’s reading could not be timelier.

 

We have one of the most heartbreaking stories in the Bible.  Much of the Israelite’s history hinges on this moment,

 

Featuring a decision that never had to happen, a moment that was theirs and theirs alone to mess up.

 

Today we hear why it took 40 years for them to wander through the wilderness to enter the Promised Land when they could have done it in 19 months.

 

The simple answer is hubris; good ol’ fashion human hubris.

 

Today’s story has lessons to learn.

 

Lessons about listening.  Lessons about truth telling.

 

Lessons about waiting; about not giving into ego-driven fear.

 

Lessons about what happens to a religious body when they’re more willing to listen to the fears of the world, then the hopes of God.

 

Here is what happens- God heard the cries of the enslaved Hebrews and set them free, leading them across the Red Sea.

 

God guided them to Mount Sinai, giving them a year of rest as they receive the Law and take time to recover from their trauma.

 

God guides them to the edge of the Promised Land just as it is Spring.

 

The Land, the Nahalah, the Heaven Here on Earth that God is ready to lead them into is ripe and fertile with all the goodness of Creation.

 

The grass is green.  The goats have udders full of milk.  Bees busy making an abundance of honey.  Grapes are ginormous.

 

Everything anyone could want is right across the way, ready to be enjoyed, ready to be embraced.

 

The rivers flow with fresh water and fish, and the formerly

 

used-and-abused and oh-so-tired people are just a step away from entering into God’s promise of rest and being Pharoah-free.

 

All they have to do is trust, believe, and enter into their future.

 

Representatives are chosen to scout out the land and see the goodness God has waiting for them.  12 men selected to say what’s good.

 

Trouble is that although all 12 see the milk and the honey, and they see the abundance of fruit,

 

10 of the men come back and decide to give a false report.

 

Instead of sowing seeds of hope, they sow seeds of doubt into the people’s ears. 

 

They tell everyone that the land is way too dangerous, the people that live there are way too scary.

 

Even though God has brought the people from slavery into freedom, even though God has parted the Sea, 10 of the leaders lie and tell the people-

 

“We simply cannot enter.  It’s too dangerous; it’s unwise.  We will fail.”

 

And with that…the people God cared for, the people God listened to, the people God fought for and planned for…

 

They begin to weep, moan, and fight amongst each other.

 

They say “It was better the way things were.  Let’s go back to being slaves to the Pharaoh.”

 

Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb do all they can to turn the people’s hearts and trust back to God, but the people refuse.

 

Amidst of all these lies told and lies listened to, in the midst of the sobbing and wailing and fear and folks focused on what-ifs,

 

We are told that the Glory of God is literally standing before the people at the tent of meeting.

 

And it breaks God’s heart. 

 

God, who is full of compassion, compassion meaning “womb love.” Love that comes from having created, having carried, having cared for.

 

Imagine, God is filled with compassion, God filled with womb-love, just like a Mother.

 

Imagine what it must have done to God’s heart to see and hear the people choose the lies over 10 men,

 

then embrace the love and promise God made to them upon their freedom.

 

So God gets angry; God gets mad.  So mad that’s God’s immediate response is-

 

“That’s it- we are going to pull this car over to the side of the road and all of you can get out and walk home.”

 

This is God, filled with the kind of Womb Love that a parent has when their toddler becomes a teenager, who sees the puss on their face, and says

 

“Fine.  Fine.  If you think you know better, go ahead…I am done with you.”

 

And Moses intercedes.  He has a talk with God, a “come to Jesus” moment with the Creator.

 

Moses says “OK Senor, Ok Big Poppa, we know you’re mad, but you don’t mean what you’re saying; you’re just in your feelings.”

 

This is the second time since freeing the people that Moses had to have this talk with God.

 

And the cool thing is that God listens.  God hears.

 

God decides not to pull the car over and make them all get out.

 

But God realizes there needs to be consequences.  There does need to be responsibility for their lies, their bad actions.

 

So the consequence is that the promised trip into the Land flowing with milk and honey is postponed, it is delayed.

 

Instead of getting to enjoy fresh fruit parfaits and sweat tea with honey, the people will wait many years before they enter the land.

 

Instead of getting to rest in the green grass, and walking beside still waters, they’ll endure perils and frustrations of the wild.

 

It is heartbreaking.  It is so sad.

 

They are literally on the cusp of entering into the Promise during the height of its fertility…

 

…and yet they are swayed by the fear placed upon them by a few.

 

It’s a sad story about how fear can fatally affect faith.

 

And we wonder- why were those 10 so quick to lie about a land so, so good?

 

Why did they hold the people back from reaching their full potential?  

 

Perhaps some mistrusted God. 

 

Perhaps some were worried that once they succeeded, no one would need them.

 

Why were the people so willing to be led astray?

 

Perhaps they were so used to being slaves they couldn’t imagine anything else.

 

We all know someone uncomfortable with change, no matter how promise filled it is.

 

Some prefer sticking with what they know than to step into the unknown.

 

Perhaps they were addicted to chaos; the kind of people who were most happy being unhappy.

 

Some fear success and the added responsibility that comes with it, so they accept failure and keep everyone around them down.

 

Why do some value the currency of fear when others use the promise of possibilities? 

 

Sadly, the Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 more years,

 

never getting to see, feel, taste, smell or hear what a land flowing with milk and honey was like.

 

Sadly, God’s compassionate heart was broken, and God had to see as all this needlessly unfolded.

 

As Emmanuel embarks on our Search and Call journey, this is a timely story to hear, for there will be so many steps, so many possibilities, hopes, fears.

 

And during the Search and Call process there will be so many questions-

 

-How do we follow God?

 

-How do we balance fear with faith?

 

-How do we listen to what the Holy Spirit says?

 

-How do we prevent ourselves from going back?

 

-How do we know that we are not following the fear of man, but humbly walking with God?

 

-What timeline do we follow, and whose timeline is it?  Ours or Heaven’s?

 

May today’s story guide us as Emmanuel embarks on the next chapter of its existence.

  Amen and amen.