Attitudes and Requirements 1-29-23
Attitudes and Requirements
Mt 5:1-12; Micah 6:1-8
Mt 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Micah 6:1-8
Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.” “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Prayer – Holy God you are our deliverer, you walk with the meek and poor, the compassionate and those who mourn, and you call us, even expect us to walk humbly with you. When we are foolish, be our wisdom; when we are weak, be our strength; that as we learn to do justice and love mercy, your rule may come as a blessing – amen.
James Howell, a United Methodist minister in Charlotte, NC, was recently asked where Micah 6:8 ranked in popularity of scripture passages. His response, “Top 5, I’d imagine, and probably trending upward, as there is a rise in the notion that religion is about doing something, not merely thinking the right thoughts or beliefs.” I would have to agree with him as this passage is my favorite passage in all of scripture and was the passage for my ordination 25+ years ago. But as I was preparing for today’s worship, I was reminded of a couple of things that perhaps make it more poignant as we gather today to hear of justice, kindness and humbly walking with God.
What does the Lord require of you? Almost sounds like a test for gaining acceptance or even salvation doesn’t it? If I am honest with myself that word ‘require’ always made me a little uncomfortable; not enough to throw the passage out with the bath water, but a little like I was taking an ordination exam, or was my room picked up, or did I wipe my feet after taking Georgia for walk on a wet, muddy trail. It brings us some of those old ‘good enough’ audio tapes, maybe even demons that I suspect many of us have wrestled with over the course of my life. Yet, the Hebrew verb for require – darash – has subtle nuances that are fascinating and enlightening. The verb ‘darash’ has undertones of affection almost metaphorically like a child requires a mother’s love. There is a mood of seeking ‘darash’ as well, reflected in Hebrew Scripture passages where lovers who seek each other out and a shepherd seeks out lost sheep. So when the Lord requires justice, kindness and mercy, it isn’t that the Lord is insisting on or demands these things. Rather, God seeks them, yearns for them, and frankly desires them from us as intimate partners with God’s adventure on earth.
And still, as human beings, we know that life has requirements. Things that we have to do in order to achieve what we want, reach the destinations we desire, attain the societal status to which we aspire. And we learn this from an early age. There are requirements in school assignments that we need to complete in order to pass; tests we need to pass; skills we need to demonstrate to get to a higher level. At home, there are requirements at my house – expectations that we have to live in harmony like put the lid on the toothpaste, don’t leave the toilet seat up, taking the trash out, and ensuring that Georgia gets a couple of good walks in a day. Playing golf well means practicing – hitting all of the clubs in the bag so I know how far and what conditions to play what shot; working on the short game around the greens and putting for hours. And sometimes it means paying exorbitant amounts of money for the newest and best equipment, etc. And then I’ve got to look the part and have the correct golf attire.
Life is full of requirements and expectations. These requirements and expectations help keep us on track and provide boundaries. Requirements challenge us to do more, be more, and have more. Requirements help us to live with others, maintain good relationships, and ease tensions. Requirements and expectations invite our participation and our submission.
There are also consequences when we fail to meet requirements or expectations. What happens when expectations and commitments are unfulfilled? I can remember times as a kid or teenager being punished or grounded when I failed to follow the rules, requirements, expectations of my home life. When I have failed to meet requirements or expectations in relationships, people I have cared for have been hurt or disappointed and I can imagine the same has been true for you as well.
Our passage in Micah today offers us a metaphorical image of a courtroom Covenant lawsuit brought by God against His people Israel in order to settle a dispute between them. This Covenant which began with Abraham and continues even through today is that the Lord will be our God and we will be God’s people. In our passage from Micah, the Lord accuses Israel of not abiding by the Covenant, even though the Lord has remained steadfast when Israel has fallen short. Yes there have been consequences for the falling short, but even then, God’s grace and merciful attitude is redemptive and restorative.
In this case the Holy One is in the role of plaintiff rather than Judge and jury as most would assume. Though the trial-like discourse reads as if God is the plaintiff, it also infers a people rendering judgment upon their Sovereign. The covenantal requirements placed upon God, after all, are self-imposed. The covenant is a gift of God’s abiding presence that humankind appears to reject time and time again. That is the consistent message of the prophet – God is faithful and ever-present in all circumstances; yet, the beneficiaries of that covenant often cherry-pick their inheritance, settling for and seeking the material and political rewards while disengaging from the true gift of the covenant – God’s constant and abiding grace.
As is often the case when we fall short of expectations and requirements we frequently want to make amends. In ancient times and culture, sacrificial offerings were thought to be a prescribed remedy for breaking the requirements, expectations, the law as enumerated in Leviticus. And though the offerings and sacrifices were not intended to diffuse God’s wrath, it was hoped to bring restoration and repair to the covenantal relationship.
If you are like me, when I upset, irritate or frankly anger Valerie, I want to make amends as quickly and lovingly as possible in order to get back to ‘right relationship.’ I have been known to make profound promises of changed behavior that while thoughtful don’t actually address the root cause of the schism we may face. More than once she has expressed frustration that my ‘I’m sorry’, though an honest and loving response, sometimes feels like an empty attempt at reconciliation. And the same is true for her with me.
In our passage God attempts to cut through our tendency for empty reconciliation and perhaps disingenous motives in our relationship with God. God is seeking to get us to see that the core, the crux of our covenantal relationship is based on attitudes and requirements that are about loving our neighbor and loving God – seek justice, share loving kindness, and humbly walk with the God of grace who never gives up on us.
The Hebrew word for ‘justice’ – mishpat – isn’t about fairness or rewarding good and punishing misbehavior. Mishpat justice is ensuring that everyone has what they need; it is a society where EVERYONE BELONGS; and it is one that lifts up the neediest where no one goes hungry or is disenfranchised. The Lord is inviting us to be sharers, to build deeper, kinder and richer community – for all.
The Hebrew word for loving kindness – hesed – is a foundational word in Hebrew that has been around for over 2700 years. Hesed typically gets translated as grace, unconditional love, loving another loyally, what is important to note is that Micah urges us toward a significant kind of steadfast love that is a way of life and will never diminish. Our Lord is merciful and kind and sticks with us every step of the way through every circumstance in our lives and that is the kind of love God seeks from me and you, from all of us.
The third tenet that Micah offers to us to walk humbly with our God – to take seriously our faith and life journey. How do we do that in a culture and society that puts highest value on having it all, being it all, climbing the ladder of success, and knowing the right people? WE live in a society and culture that literally screams, ‘it’s all about me,’ but remember that we, you and me, all of us, even our enemies are created in God’s image. Our true value comes from being a beloved child of God – it has never been about how great we are rather about how great God is. Only in humility can we ask in wonder and perhaps even awe, “Who am I, who are we, that God knows us, loves us and cares for us?” Our value is being created in God’s image and being God’s beloved children. How do we walk in this sense of humility and belonging? We embrace the ways that Jesus walked in his short life on this earth. Jesus walked humbly with God, intentionally and with at attentiveness of that unbreakable connection, acknowledging God in everything. That is what Jesus did, it became part of who he was and if we can do that the same, then it becomes part of who we are as well.
Micah 6:8 is a pretty simple message to us of attitude and God’s seeking and as James Howell said, ‘it is about doing something and not just believing certain things.’ God desperately, yes desperately wants us to live covenantal life as if everyone belongs and has what they need to live in wholeness – or shalom. This vision of God stretches our minds and our hearts with this, and, frankly, when we really look at this vision of living, it is a challenge. I think we are created with this longing, this seeking to understand to do what God has shown us is good – making sure everyone is treated the same and has the same opportunities; steadfastly loving everyone with a deep sense of kindness and compassion; and then with humility, trusting that God has got it, got us and will always deliver. That is our challenge and opportunity and calling and our common hope – to embrace the way of Jesus – to seek justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God – may it be so for me as it is so for you while trusting that God’s love surrounds us each step of the way – thanks be to God – amen.