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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