Sunday, February 02, 2014

faith is.....active

Faith is….active 020214                                                                                                                                                             Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; Matt 5:1-12
It’s been one of those weeks that should produce a perfect storm, where all elements come together just right to create the perfect sermon. The Micah text—do justice, love mercy, walk humbly- plus a friend’s sharing her awful experience of our justice system, and a judge’s lack of mercy, plus our daily reading from the Rule of Benedict is currently on humility, plus our Heart Listening group watching the documentary “I am” plus the Beatitudes, blessing those who grieve….surely a perfect storm.  
But they were all rattling around in the head and not cooperating at all….indeed an overabundance.  So I’m just going to let them rattle around in your heads and hearts as well by just sharing some thoughts that have come to me.
Imagine first the scene from the Micah text.   The setting is a court room.  God is prosecuting, the nation is the defendant, accused of forgetting God and going their own way instead of God’s way.  In previous chapters the social evils of the day have been listed, and now the prosecution is summing up:
How have I deserved this asks God. Have you forgotten what I have done for you? I brought you out of slavery, I sent you Moses and Aaron and Miriam….don’t you remember all my saving acts?
Imagine the silence after this plea.   The nation knows it’s true.    Then one lone voice cries out into the silence,
What can we do?  We could bring sacrifices better than ever before, finest animals and barrels of oil.  Will that do? asks the defence.    Then Micah the prophet stands up, puts his arm around this pleader, and gently says, you know what God wants, don’t you?  Three simple rules: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God.
Or as in psalm 15, do what is right, speak the truth, walk blamelessly.
Do justice……blessed are those of my people who hunger and thirst after what’s right, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake
Love kindness…..blessed are those of my people who are merciful, blessed are those who mourn for they shall receive comfort
Walk humbly….blessed are those of my people who are meek (notice not the weak, but Meek), blessed are the pure in heart
Jesus’ first century beatitudes describe how life is in the community of his followers, and his words are shot through with Micah’s words from 5 centuries before.  They call to us, 20 centuries later, and ask us,  as God’s people – as a congregation, a denomination, even as a nation “under God”, do we
do justice
Love kindness
Walk humbly
In a day when $4m buys a 30 second commercial at the superbowl….when Rochester is in the top twenty of poverty ratings…..when individualism, competition and winning are high values and community, cooperation and sharing are low values….do we
Do justice
Love kindness
Walk humbly?
Just what part of that don’t we understand?   In the documentary I am, GK Chesterton responds to the question, what is wrong with the world? By writing, I am.
It doesn’t have to be big or dramatic or earth-shaking….do justice in your work place…..show mercy and love kindness at school…..walk humbly at the grocery store….
…bless the poor in spirit by lifting them up…..bless the grieving with your comforting presence….work for justice and right instead of leaving it to someone else…welcome as sisters and brothers those who make peace……offer kindness to those who need it.
May it be that when asked what’s RIGHT with the world, God’s people might all learn to say, I am.


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