Tag Archives: injustice

God’s Way

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“God’s Way”

Micah 6:1-8 (6:8) – January 29, 2023

            My son Peter is taking several college classes this semester, including Speech. One of the first assignments he needs to do is to formulate a speech on a topic of injustice in society. Since he is a thoughtful, articulate young man, he is taking this assignment very much to heart and considering well what topic he ought to research and prepare this speech on.

            If you and I think about our society today, I suspect we all can think of several major topics off the top of our heads that might be suitable for this class’s speech. I am serious: can you think of some topic that would be an injustice if it continues? And, these sad and difficult situations often do continue to happen. Over and over, time after time after time.

            Let us see what the prophet Micah had to say about this very topic. He begins with a firm statement of condemnation for the nation and people of Israel. “6 Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say.

2 “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people; God is lodging a charge against Israel.” 

            This prophetic book of Micah shows us the judgment side of God. The Lord is love, absolutely. Yet, the Lord is also a God of justice and judgment. The prophets warned Israel over and over again what would surely happen if Israel continued on the path away from God.

In our reading today, God certainly had condemnation for the nation of Israel, several centuries before Christ was born. We can see God’s condemnation come down against other nations, too. I wonder: does the Lord have a case against us in our world today? Against the people in the United States? Are we all determined to continue on the path away from God?

            Even when faithful church attenders, believers in God, are confronted by God’s justice and condemnation, they often try to wiggle out of it. Does this sound familiar? Can you recognize anyone you might know in these words or actions?

            So often, people try to placate God, or give God things or sacrifices to defend themselves from God’s accusations! Listen to what Micah says: “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

            Today, we may not offer these kinds of sacrifices, but people certainly bring offerings to placate God for their wandering, transgressing hearts and actions! Does this sound familiar? How about giving enough money to fund a new roof for the church, or a new wing for the building? Working so hard for the church, Sunday school, senior ministry and food pantry? Even convincing your children to become preachers, missionaries or other church workers?

            “This response only reinforces the pattern of showy religiosity that Micah has already condemned, especially from [religious] leaders who look to their own interests (3: 11). Micah would expect such false leaders to turn first to conspicuous acts of sacrifice, as though the problem is appeasing God rather than changing their own behavior.” [1]

            God is coming down pretty hard, indeed! Finally, after all of this condemnation and judgment and even threats of fire and brimstone, Micah clearly states what God does indeed want from God’s followers. “God has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humblywith your God.”

            As anyone can see from Micah’s plain words, this deep-down problem with wrong-headed thoughts, weasely words and mean-spirited actions cannot be simply solved by writing a check to the church of your choice. The attempt to appease God through a form of score-keeping or quid pro quo, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours, is not to be tolerated. We humans cannot put a worldly price tag on God’s heavenly mercy and grace!

            When I was in my 20’s and 30’s, popular Christian books had a strong focus on “finding God’s will for my life.” Popular books, bible studies, study guides, all kinds of Bible helps. However, this statement from Micah could not be clearer. “We need to stop waiting for God to tell us what to do – we already know what the expectations are, so we should stop looking for an easy way out and get on and do what we have been told.” [2] We have our marching orders. Micah has several active verbs here in this command: act, love, walk with.

When we think a thought, or consider a comment or action, we can weigh it in this balance of Micah 6:8. Is this thought just? Is this comment loving or merciful? If I say or do this, am I walking humbly with God? We cannot give lip service in church on Sunday morning, when we continue to be unforgiving or racially unjust or hold petty grudges on Monday, or the rest of the week, either.

Each of us see people who have plenty of everything, while others beg for scraps. People working 50 or 60 hours a week at minimum wage, and barely able to get by. People who are disabled, or disadvantaged, or mentally ill. If we are not sure about this Micah 6:8 balance (or scale), I have another. The famous rabbi Hillel was once asked to explain the Torah. “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” he said, “all the rest is commentary.” Here’s a suggestion: pray for all those who work for God’s justice, and truly live to love their neighbors.

How can we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly when interacting with all of these? Perhaps “Love thy neighbor as thyself” is another good way to live: living life God’s way. Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly. A humble suggestion? Let us take these words to heart, and go and do them.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fourth-sunday-after-epiphany/commentary-on-micah-61-8  

[2] https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/weekly-worship/monthly/january-2023/29-january-4th-sunday-after-epiphany

Hope as a Way of Life

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“Hope as a Way of Life”

Habakkuk 1:1-5; 2:1-4 (1:5) –November 27, 2022

            At the end of October, we celebrated Halloween, the day of scary stories, haunted houses, dressing up in all kinds of scary costumes like monsters, ghosts, and other frightening creatures.

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the church year. Our Scripture reading comes from the Hebrew prophet Habakkuk, on the look out for God’s response to all kinds of scary and frightening things that were going on in the lives of the people of Israel at that time. Long time ago, at the beginning of the 6th century before Christ was born.

Every October, we observe the season of scary things, and every year, many people truly enjoy being scared down to their shoes. Because – isn’t it true that scary things or frightening places are not so scary after all? Especially when we consider that many scary monsters and creatures turn out to be just like us? And, just like the people in Habakkuk’s day, too?

However, Habakkuk talks about not only scary and frightening stuff, but about violence and injustice, causing so much pain in the world. This was not only true many centuries ago. It’s even more true today, with all the fear, uncertainty, anxiety and dread people encounter each day, In our neighborhoods and towns, as well as nationally and internationally.

How about you? How about me? Don’t we regularly see fear, uncertainty, and anxiety in our individual lives? And what about violence? What about injustice? The world just had several instances of shocking, horrible events. Significant recent disasters include mass shootings of multiple people in the past weeks around our country, and the massive earthquake in Indonesia.

Quite different events, but comparable to the many different kinds of situations that the nation of Israel was dealing with during the time of Habakkuk. And, similar to many different kinds of things going on today, like regional wars, famine, drought, rampant inflation and unemployment! What is a person to do, in the face of all this happening? Where is God in the midst of all these tragedies, no matter what their size, big, medium and small? Where is God in your life, or in mine, or in the lives of our beloved relatives and friends?

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. At first glance, this is a different Scripture reading for the beginning of the Advent season! Or, is it? Advent is the season at the beginning of the church year where we – the Church – prepare for the coming of the Christ child, the Baby born in Bethlehem. The prophet Habakkuk’s “message of waiting with hope in the midst of despair offers a powerful word for both the Advent season and for the world we live in today.” [1]

It’s true that the first words of this prophecy are a personal lament. This cry sounds so familiar to us from the Psalms! “O LORD, how long?” This is the opening of a dozen psalms, and repeated again and again in the books of the prophets! I hear this lament from relatives, loved ones, and hospice patients themselves. “O LORD, how long?” People agonize over dire circumstances, and cry out to the Lord again and again. This has happened for millenia, too.

What we can learn from our reading today is – it is okay to complain to God! And, just like Habakkuk, it is okay for us to call God to account. Just like Habakkuk, we too can give voice to what we perceive as God’s refusal to respond to cries for help. Almost as if God is forgetful, or if the Lord has gone on a journey or is asleep.

“That in and of itself is an important reminder for congregations: that being angry at God, or feeling that God seems absent, is “allowed,” and in fact has biblical precedents—and yet those feelings of despair are never the end of the story.” [2]

The things we really fear – that bullies at school or at work will go after us, that something bad will happen to someone we love, that we will lose our jobs, that there will be a war where we live, that we will never be able to do what we want most to do….   If the thinking about fears leads to talking about real, actual fears and anxiety about jobs, the economy, world conflicts, and more, we all can learn that fear is a very real part of life. [3]

Let’s talk straight. In this fallen, imperfect world, people have been fearful and anxious for millenia. But, God promises that fear, anxiety, violence and evil will not be the final word! We can hold this real fear and anxiety in tension with the blessed fact that our God brings hope! Our God is present with us! We can be ready to hear God’s promise to Habakkuk and us in Habakkuk 1:5. ““Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”  

Do you hear? Do you understand what God is telling us here? “God’s goal in asking Habakkuk to write the message so big was that God wanted everyone to read it and know that God was on the side of the faithful [that’s us!] and against the evil [violence and fear so rampant in the world today].” [4] The Lord wants us to read this message of hope and faith on billboards, or even to have skywriting planes write this hopeful message in the sky above!

God brings hope! As Habakkuk said, God will be with us through the dark valleys and disappointments and tragedies of life, just as God is right beside us through sickness, poverty, conflict, disaster, and whatever other negative things may try to creep in and surround us.

The great good news is our God will not allow these bad things to overcome. God will have the final word, and will prevail. The Lord has promised, and God’s word is sure!

Alleluia, Amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/narrative-lectionary/faith-as-a-way-of-life-2/commentary-on-habakkuk-11-4-22-4-33b-6-17-19-2

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2013/10/year-c-proper-26-31st-sunday-in.html

[4] Ibid.