“That’s a great verse.”

Micah 6:1-8

February 2, 2020

Sermon by Rev. Caela Simmons Wood

First Congregational UCC of Manhattan, KS

Earlier this week I was listening to a few Biblical scholars talk to each other on a podcast. (I know, be very jealous of how glamorous my life is.) They told a funny story about the passage we just heard from the book of Micah: New Testament professor Matt Skinner called up his friend, Old Testament professor Rolf Jacobsen. Rolf was on his way out the door to teach class. Matt said, “Cool. What are you teaching about tonight?” Rolf explained he was lecturing on the Prophet Micah and Matt replied, “That’s a great verse.” [1] 

Most people don’t know much about the book of Micah….but if you’ve been around church for any amount of time, you’re probably familiar with THE VERSE that Matt was joking about. Micah 6:8 “God has told you, O mortal, what is good. What does God require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” 

If we look at what comes before this great verse we find we’re in the midst of “a divine lawsuit;”[2] God and the people arguing their case in some celestial court of law. God accuses: “My people, what have I done to you? Why are you tired of me? Listen and remember. I have showed you love in so many ways. I brought you out of Egypt when you were enslaved. I sent you Moses and Miriam and Aaron to teach you and care for you. Time and time again,” God says, “I have been good to you. I have loved you. Why don’t you return my love?”

The people, convicted by God’s opening argument, respond with remorse: “We want to worship you, God. We see what you’ve done for us. But how can return your love? Should we bow down? Burn offerings? Maybe you want us to give you thousands of rams or 10,000 rivers of oil. Do you need us to sacrifice our firstborn?”

The prophet Micah responds, “God has already told you what is good. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God.”

It’s short. It’s sweet. It’s easy to remember. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God. No wonder so many people think it’s a “great verse.” 

Of course, like some of the other “great verses” in our sacred texts, it can be a lot easier to APPRECIATE the verse than it is to LIVE the verse. Sometimes when I hear this verse I am thankful for the simplicity of its wisdom. Other times I feel overwhelmed by the immensity of what it asks from us. 

The good news is: God has been clear about what we’re supposed to do AND our salvation is not dependent on us doing it. God’s saving acts come first and THEN the people react with appreciation - not the other way around. 

(Side note because I know “salvation” can be a loaded terms for some folks. When I say salvation I’m talking about any of the myriad ways God heals. Not necessarily after we die. Salvation is here and now. It’s release for the captives, healing for those who suffer, food for those who are hungry, peace for those who live in violence, and more.)

A few weeks ago, several of us in the congregation went to see a movie about salvation. Maybe you’ve seen it to. The movie Just Mercy is based on a bestseller published in 2014 by the same title. It is Bryan Stevenson’s memoir of his work as one of the founders of the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal service that defends those without counsel and those who have been wrongly condemned. Much of their work has been with people sentenced to die. Stevenson’s writing is compelling, clear, and moving. It’s one of those books that makes you think, “What have I been doing with my life? The work this man has done is amazing.” 

Seeing the movie is on another level. The stories Stevenson tells in his book hit me in a much deeper way when they were portrayed on the big screen. In all that he does, Stevenson and many of the others in the film are truly living out Micah 6:8 on a daily basis. I left the theater with a profound remembrance of something I already knew but need to be reminded of often: we can only be in right relationship with God when we are in right relationship with our neighbors. Especially those neighbors who are alone, cast aside, pushed to the margins. 

Being in right relationship with our neighbors means that we have to be willing to run the whole gamut of love. Old Testament scholar Rolf Jacobsen reminds us that “do justice” and “love mercy” are polarities. The Hebrew for justice, mizpat, is at the other end of a continuum of care from the Hebrew mercy, chesed. [3]

When the Bible speaks of mizpat, justice, it is speaking of holding people and systems accountable. In fact, God’s justice often includes punishment. Biblical justice ensures everyone gets what they deserve. At the other end of the spectrum we have chesed, mercy, lovingkindness. This is when we stop thinking about what people deserve and simply act out of compassion and grace. 

Isn’t it fascinating that God doesn’t ask us to choose ONE but compels us to strive for BOTH?

It makes me wonder, of course, what justice and mercy look like in our own community. In our own lives. Few of us will be the next Bryan Stevenson but all of us are called to respond to God’s salvation by seeking justice and loving mercy. 

We often talk about the importance of charity AND advocacy. This is why we have a Board of Mission - which works to alleviate pain in tangible ways, inviting us all into the work of meeting basic needs. AND we have a Board of Justice & Witness - which works to shine a light on the systems that perpetuate pain, inviting us all into the work of advocating for systemic changes so that there will be fewer people whose basic needs are not met. 

Caring about justice AND mercy means that we give freely of our resources so those who are hungry have something to eat. It’s filling up the Blessing Box and volunteering at Second Helping. It’s also showing up at city council meetings or KIFA Advocacy Days in Topeka. It’s writing letters to legislators and checking in with school social workers to see how we can support them. It’s rummaging through the kitchen drawer on a Wednesday to find a can opener for someone who told me he had been using a screwdriver to open cans. It’s also showing up at the upcoming Poverty Simulation in March so we can understand what it’s like to live in poverty and hopefully figure out ways to be in solidarity with those who need whole systems altered so they can simply live. 

When I say all of these things aloud I start to feel the overwhelm creeping in. 

Because when someone tells me he’s homeless and all I offer him is a can opener and he’s so thankful for just that…..I won’t lie to you. I feel awful. Because my heart breaks at the injustice that exists in our world and I am frustrated that I haven’t done enough to end poverty, end homelessness, end food insecurity. 

When I start to feel that overwhelm creeping in, I am reminded that there’s a third part of Micah’s great verse. Walk humbly with God. 

Engaging in the work of justice and mercy on a daily basis...saying yes to God’s call to be in right relationship with our neighbors….it will surely humble us right down to our core. It’s enough to make us drop to our knees and beg God for solutions, confess our sins, complain about the unfairness of it all. Staying turned towards one another, seeking ways to be in right relationship with our neighbors is not easy. At times it can be excruciating as we fail again and again, falling short, feeling helpless. 

But this great verse is a three-legged stool. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God. All three are required in order for the stool to stay upright. It’s not enough to seek justice, we also must love mercy. It’s not enough to love mercy, we also have to intentionally walk with God each and every day in a spirit of humility. 

The good news is, this passage begins and ends with gratitude for who God is. God is the one who continues to turn towards us, holding out healing and hope and salvation even when we turn away. God is the one who rescued our ancestors and continues to save us today. God is the one who will not give up on us, even when we forget, even when we mess up, even when we’ve given up on ourselves. God keeps walking alongside us each and every day, speaking to us in ancient words and new songs….do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with me. 

May it be so. 

NOTES:

[1] WorkingPreacher.org weekly podcast 2/2/2020

[2] New Oxford Annotated Study Bible, notes for Micah 6. 

[3] WorkingPreacher.org weekly podcast for 2/2/2020