What does it mean to walk with God? 

Today’s reading from the prophet Michah reminds us of our role and responsibility in response to God’s grace. It’s a treasured passage in the both the Jewish and Christian traditions because it simplifies what is important to God: to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. 

Micah was a prophet about 700 years before Jesus. Prophets didn’t peer into crystal balls to predict the future. They were steeped in God’s word, they looked out over society, and they saw the gaps between what God wanted and how people behaved. The role of the prophets was to help people get back on the right path. 

Micah addressed the people during a time of prosperity for the wealthy and powerful and crushing poverty for everyone else.Thesystem was rigged against the poor with oppressive taxes and corruption at all levels.  

Although the elites worshiped God, giving thanks for a system that benefited them, God was not pleased. For several generations, prophets like Micah reminded the people that God didn’t care about their beautiful services, magnificent sanctuaries, and eloquent prayers if their worship didn’t translate into treating people fairly during the rest of the week. 

Do you enjoy courtroom dramas? A couple of my favourites are Twelve Angry Men and of course To Kill a Mockingbird. Today the prophet Micah invites us to imagine a courtroom drama. The plaintiff is God and the defendants are the wealthy and powerful. Micah is the judge. The mountains and all of nature occupy the jury box. 

God opens by asking “Why are you the way you are? What have I done to you that you continually go against my will, perpetuate injustice, and don’t care for the poor?” 

The defense is combative and ,well, defensive! “Here we go again! Lord, you are never pleased. Whatever we do is never good enough. What would it take to make you happy? More sacrifices? Ten thousand rams? 

The defensive response reflects a universal temptation toward seeing God as demanding, impossible to please, and perpetually disappointed in us because we are not perfect. Some religious systems present an image of God that is negative: demanding and keeping a scorecard of all our failings. 

Jesus saw a world where God ruled in every heart, a world of sharing, peace and justice.  A world of love, harmony, and unity; unconditional acceptance, forgiveness, love, relationship, a God who works through ordinary people with their flaws as well as their strengths. 

I imagine Micah as a judge, looking at the people and telling them “You’ve got it all wrong! You know what God requires of you. It’s really not complicated: be a decent human being, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God”.  

Justice comes from a Hebrew word that means to make right. When we try to make things right in our relationships, in our families, in our churches and in our world. Justice comes about not only when activists take a stand, but when the masses remember that silence is compliance, and we do our best to make things right.  

Kindness is about more than being “nice”. A nice person may tell a neighbor they are sorry that they are sick while a kind person may drop off some soup or offer to pick up groceries for them. Micah challenges us to go beyond nice.  

Whenever the Old Testament talks about why God does what she does for people, the word Hessed is used. God’s loving kindness, mercy, faithfulness are described as hessed.  

God has been faithful to you: be faithful to those around you 

God has forgiven you: forgive those who hurt you. 

God has been patient with you: display patience toward those around you. 

God has not held anything back, loving you completely, passionately, love others completely, passionately. 

God has intervened for you in your time of need: show up for others in their time of need. 

Walk Humbly with your God The word humility has its roots in the word humus, which means from the earth. It has to do with staying grounded. Humility doesn’t insist on its own way When you walk humbly with God, when you are spiritually connected, you are more likely to be both just and kind   

This week's Gospel reading is The Beatitudes and as I read the line “Blessed are the peacemakers” my attention turned immediately to what is happening in Minnesota, and to Renee Good and Alex Pretti who were both killed by ICE agents leaving their families and community grieving. It is impossible to see the beatitudes in an abstract way in the light of this present and very disturbing reality. Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers” and that word is often misunderstood. It does not mean passivity; it does not mean silence. Peacemaking is what happens when you see suffering and refuse to look away. It’s what happens when you care about dignity more than power. It’s what happens when you believe that every single life matters.  

Peacemakers stand with the grieving; they are attentive to the wounded, and they challenge systems that cause harm. Jesus blesses people who work towards justice and dignity for all.  

Peacemakers stand with the grieving, they walk with the wounded, they ask hard questions about systems that cause harm because they care about life. When I look at the protestors in Minesota, I don’t see disruption, I don’t see violence, I see people who care deeply about their community; care enough to stand up for that community. I see people trying to protect human dignity. None of this is easy and none of it comes without fear, without risk. They choose love even when they don’t have all the answers. So maybe that is God’s invitation to us this week: to keep choosing care, to keep choosing love. To keep showing up for real people in the real world. In the words of Micah: to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. Amen.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

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