What Does the Lord Require of Us? (repreach 1/27/17)

January 29, 2023 Micah 6:1-8 What does the Lord require of us? 4th Sunday after Epiphany Year A Prelude Gathering Words (Micah 6, Matthew 5, 1 Corinthians 1) Come and hear the good news. No matter what is happening in your life, God’s blessing and love is with you. Come and hear what God wants you to do: live lives of justice and love and truth. Come and get courage and strength to be fools for Christ, embracing Kingdom values rather than those of the world. We’re here, ready to listen, open to change, expecting to be blessed by our time together. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Joanne Carlson Brown) Unison Opening Prayer (Micah 6, Psalm 15, Matthew 5, 1 Corinthians 1) Loving God, we come this morning seeking to abide in your presence. Open our minds to your spirit of wisdom, that we may know how to live as your people. Open our hearts to your spirit of truth, that we may love all your people with a love that speaks of justice, kindness, and radical grace. May this time of worship be authentic and pleasing to you. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Joanne Carlson Brown) Song What Does the Lord Require of You TFWS 2174 Children’s Sermon Have three paper circles for each child. One should have “act justly” written on it; one should have “Love Kindness”, and the third should say “Walk Humbly with God.” There should be one set for each child. See directions at the end of the sermon. A man named “Micah” lived a long time ago; hundreds of years even before Jesus was born. Micah was one of the great prophets of Israel. A prophet is a person who loves God and sees clearly the times when the people do not follow God. Sometimes a prophet has to warn the people to stop what they are doing. Micah was a prophet. Sometimes prophets helped the people understand God. That is what Micah is doing today. He is helping the people understand what God wants them to do. In those ancient times, God’s people would bring certain things to the priests of Israel as gifts or “offerings” to God. Sometimes they brought wheat or barley or some other grain as a thank you to God for all the good things God had given them. Sometimes they brought sheep or bulls when the people wanted to tell God that they were sorry for something they had done. In today’s reading, the people are asking Micah how much is enough. If one basket of barley is good, would bringing two be better? Micah tells the people what God has said. God says that he doesn’t want any grain or sheep or bulls or anything like that. After all, God owns the whole world. God doesn’t need anything. Well, now the people were confused. What did God want from them? Micah gives the people God’s word. First, God wants them to be just; to act justly. Does anyone know what being just means? [Accept all answers.] Being just means being fair to everyone; using the same rules for everyone. At one time in our own country, there were places where some grown ups only had to sign their names and then they could vote for new leaders. But other people whose skin was a different color, had to read a lot of pages and take a test before they could vote. That was not just. They were using different rules for different people. How would you feel if you went to a friend’s house to play a game, but your friend made a rule that he would win if he got 10 points, but you couldn’t win unless you got 100 points? [Accept all answers]. You would be angry because something deep inside you is telling you that it’s not fair. It is not just. The first thing God wants from us is to treat every person fairly. Is that a good demand from God? I think so, too. The second thing God wants from us is for us to “love mercy”. Who can tell me what mercy is? [Thank the children for their answers]. When was a time you were merciful to some one? How about when someone was merciful to you. [Accept their answers]. God wants us to always be looking for the kind thing we can do––not just when someone is watching us but always. God wants us to love doing kind things. The third thing is to stay close to God. Remember every morning that God is with you, loving you. Remember that you belong to God. AND says God, remember also that you are not God. You and I don’t get to make the rules. We follow God’s rules. We don’t get to judge whom God loves or doesn’t love. That’s not our job. We don’t get to decide who deserves help and who doesn’t. God wants everyone to be treated kindly. The word “humble” means remembering that we are not God and we are no better than anyone else. That’s what God wants and everyone in this room should memorize these things: Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God. Let’s have everyone say these words after me, grown ups and teens, too. [Congregation repeats after each phrase]: “Act justly” …… “Love mercy”…….”Walk humbly with God”…… Scripture quotations from the World English Bible Copyright 2012, Richard Niell Donovan By Carol Miller Prayer for Transformation and New Life Holy Wisdom, you have expressed your hope for us and vision for life abundantly. Many times we settle for a temporary truce over real peace. We avoid confrontation and accountability that builds up and creates a more just world. We refuse to relentlessly pursue your will when discomforted by the cost of discipleship. Forgive us, O God, we pray. Words of Grace Receive the good news that each day presents a new opportunity to follow the way of Jesus–to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. The grace of the Holy One meets us. God embraces and supports us in the turning and will be faithful to strengthen us on the path of righteousness. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Welcoming New Members UMH 33 Scripture Micah 6:1-8 Sermon What does the Lord Require of Us? Remember law and order – I used to watch that show religiously for years. And to take it back even further, my grandmother never missed an episode of Perry Mason. We seem to be fascinated with shows about the courtroom. Imagine an episode where the lawyer walks in with the accuser and they take their seat. Then the jury walks in the listen to the case and determine guilt. The court reporter is there and ready to record all of the procedings. You wait patiently to see who is on trial in this courtroom. And you are surprised to find that the deputy is leading you to the front of the room. You are on trial. The lawyer is a young prophet named Micah, the accuser – God himself. The jury – the mountains, the hills, God’s creation. But what did I do you ask. God is suing you – a faithful Christian – for get this – forgetting your faith. Not being faithful to God. But the lawyer has prepared his case and is prepared to find you guilty. First he presents how God has been faithful to you. He reminds you that you would be no where without the help of God. Every step in your life, is a step that God has taken with you. Nothing that you have, belongs to you – it all belongs to God. Everything that you have, every things that you have done is a gift from God. If it was not for God – where would you be today? As you realize that the lawyer is right – God has always remembered you, but you are slacking off in remembering God. You are a good church goer, so what can you do to make it right? Should you light a candle? Or say a special prayer? Or spend 2 hours helping at the food pantry, or even be willing to sing solo on a special song. Or I know – put an extra offering in the plate. And just like in a famous Perry mason episode - the–prosecuter stands up and comes out to speak before the entire courttoom. What does the Lord require of you? Is the Lord impressed with your prayers, your special duties or even the amount of money that you put in the offering plate. None of that matters. God just wants 3 things. Just do three things, Israel: mishpat, hesed, and hasnea (Micah 6:8) Mishpat, hesed and hasnea? What does that mean? Those are the Hebrew words for justice, mercy and to walk humbly with God. Do justice, have mercy and to walk humble with God. To break it down even further. Justice is the call to moral excellence. Justice is what we do not just for one person but for all people. It is how we live out our faith in public. I don’t want to dwell on it one way or another way – but we as faithful Christians are in the midst of a justice challenge. If muslims are not welcome in this country, who will they come for next? If immigrants are not welcome in this country then who is? How do we react to this present issue? Whose side are we on? What does it have to do with us? What does God expect of us, God’s faithful people in his situation? There was a man who watched high level government officials doing the wrong thing. He told on them. The officials were fired, but the man and his family was ostracized in the community. Reporters asked the man if it was worth it to tell what he saw. I did what God expected me to do he replied. What does the Lord expect of you? The second requirement of God is Hesed, or mercy. Mercy is accountable kindness. Kindness with a sense of understanding of the other persons situation. A school teacher by the name of Miss Thompson found it difficult to like one of her students. His name was Teddy Stallard and he was not interested in school, school work, or anything connected to school. His attitude was so disagreeable that Miss Thompson almost found herself enjoying the Fs she wrote on his papers. Miss Thompson knew Teddy’s background. His school records indicated that in the first grade he had shown some promise. In the second grade, his mother fell seriously ill and Teddy was tabbed a slow learner. In the fourth grade he was far behind and his teacher noted that his father had no interest in Teddy’s progress. Christmas time came and the boys and girls in Miss Thompson’s room brought her some gifts. To her surprise, there was a very crudely wrapped present from Teddy. Opening the package, she discovered a gaudy rhinestone bracelet and a bottle of cheap perfume. Sensing that the other children were beginning to smirk and giggle at the gift, Miss Thompson put the bracelet on and opened the perfume. She put some perfume on her wrist and invited the children to smell by saying, "Doesn’t the perfume smell lovely?" "Isn’t the bracelet beautiful?" Taking their cue from Miss Thompson’s kindness, the children responded with "oohs" and "aahs." At the end of the school day, little Teddy went to Miss Thompson’s desk and said: "Miss Thompson ... Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother ... and her bracelet looks real pretty on you, too. I’m glad you like my presents." From that day forward, Miss Thompson began to show more kindness toward that little boy. And that little boy began to improve - both in grades and attitude. Many years later, Miss Thompson received a letter from Teddy telling her that he was graduating from high school - second in his class. Four years later, she received another letter from Teddy telling her that he was graduating from college first in his class. And four more years later, there was another letter to inform her that this young fellow who had given her a gaudy bracelet and a bottle of cheap perfume was now Theodore Stallard, M.D. Also, he was getting married and his father was now dead, too. Would Miss Thompson be willing to sit where his mother would sit for the wedding if she were alive? "You’re all the family I have left now," wrote Teddy. Miss Thompson sat proudly where Teddy’s mother would have sat for that wedding. That moment of kindness many years before had brought out the best in that young boy. Kindness may cost you something in time ... money ... in pride. But, kindness is what God expects you to show to other people. As Micah phrased it so poignantly: ... and what does the Lord require of you but ... to love kindness...? The last requirement is Hapnea – that is the hardest requirement of all- hard because it is two requirements in one. First to be humble – second to walk humbly with God. Christian humility is not cowardice. It is not a summons to be a doormat. Rather it is an invitation to work behind the scenes in an enterprise greater than any of us could ever accomplish on our own; it is an invitation to appreciate the simple blessings in life; and it is an invitation to trust God whose strength will never fail. It is being reminded that without God we are nothing, we have nothing, we could do nothing. It is not us, it is God’s light in us that makes a difference. So we have to put God first. We have to do what God would do in this situation. The Ancient Isrealites would have enjoyed Perry Mason just as much as we would. They thought that all of life was a courtroom drama. Micah was a young adult holding his community accountable for their relationship with God. He was asking everyone to remember - WWJD – what would Jesus Do. Where is the presence of God in everything that I face in my life. In order for us to do what God expects of us, we have to first be willing to walk humbly with God. To honor God in all that we do and to make sure that God is honored in who we are. To live in quiet fellowship of God. And after laying out the evidence and giving the order – the defense rest its case. It has said all that needs to be said. SERMON ILLUSTRATION Paul Simon: What God Requires In a Rolling Stone interview, musician Paul Simon offers his thoughts on what God requires of us: The only thing that God requires from us is to enjoy life—and love. It doesn't matter if you accomplish anything. You don't have to do anything but appreciate that you're alive. And love, that's the whole point. In contrast, Micah, the Old Testament prophet wrote, "And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Anthony DeCurtis, Rolling Stone (02-01-01), p. 50; submitted by David A. Slagle, Lawrenceville, Georgia I think that Paul Simon makes an important point. God call us into court – not to punish us but to love us. God lays out his requirements – not to punish us – but to help us to see clearly. God does not want us to be uptight – but to be happy, relaxed, and comfortable. God wants what is best for us – and the only way to do that is to do what the Lord required – Mishpat, hesed, hasnea. Do justice, show kindess, and to walk humbly with our God. Is it really that hard? Let us pray….. Amen Song Be Thou My Vision UMH 451 Pastoral Prayer A Prayer of Lament for Tyre Nichols and A Call for an End to Police Brutality God of Love and Justice, We cry out to you in anger, pain, grief, and desperation as we remember your beloved son Tyre Nichols, murdered by police officers in the city of Memphis. We strive to understand the stress which all such officers experience as they work to serve and protect their communities. We mourn for the mother of Tyre Nichols, who he called for as he was brutally beaten after a traffic stop. We mourn for his four-year-old son, who has been denied a life with his father. Pour out your spirit of peace and comfort over all who grieve his death, trusting that You who know what it is to lose a son stand in solidarity with them. Almighty God, we give you thanks for the protesters and advocates calling for an end to the sin of police brutality. Protect them and give them your strength. This is not the world that you desire for us, and we cannot passively shake our heads at the news as we move on to the next prayer. We condemn the systemic evil of white supremacy, a force so strong that it works within institutions through people of any race. We decry the way police violence has been normalized, knowing there is pain for oppressor and oppressed. You created each and every person good, in Your image. Call us again to live up to Your dreams for us. Empower us with Your righteous anger, moral courage, and holy strength to change racist and violent systems that cause harm to Your beloved Black children, and to all of us. Let the reactions of our communities move from "thoughts and prayers are not enough" to "thank God the church turned their prayers into action and transformed the world." Even in our lament, we are people of hope. Amen. Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, clearly identifies the believers’ call as a call directed to those who were not powerful, wise or strong. Rather, the people in that congregation might be a lot like we are! We have no basis on which to boast except to boast in the Lord. When we face ourselves in a mirror, we recognize God is the source of all we have and all we know. We are God’s beloved creatures, and have been given the honor of serving as stewards (managers) of this world and all that is within it. Once we recognize ourselves as stewards, then we instinctively know we’re responsible for the best use of all the resources we’ve been given. We have this moment in worship to offer back a portion of what we’ve been given. What will you offer? Because it all belongs to God, perhaps you’re ready to offer your time. Because God has endowed you with particular talents, perhaps this is the day to offer some of your talent. Because God makes financial resources a symbol of your life, surely this is your moment to offer financial support for the use of this congregation. As you prepare your offering, may you find joy in boasting in the God who has given you time, talent and treasure. What a mighty God we serve! Prayer of Thanksgiving God, you are mighty! We pray you will accept our boasting in you, and receive these gifts, freely offered. Help us cheerfully give, and fill us with clarity about how we can best use these gifts to expand your Kin-dom on earth, as it is in heaven. AMEN (Disciples of Christ, Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook (Micah 6, Psalm 15, Matthew 5) Those who live lives pleasing to God shall not be moved. Go now to embrace the kingdom values— values of love, justice, and truth. Go now with God’s blessing, to live those values through the power of our challenging, faithful, loving, empowering God. Amen. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Joanne Carlson Brown) Community Time Benediction As you go in the world, hold the blessings of peace. Be the good news to a world shrouded in brokenness, pain, and despair. Show the world the kindom that lives in you. Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay) Additional Illustrations