Micah 7:18-20

Micah 7:18-20 

English Standard Version 

  Any time I've been on a boat on a large body of water, it always amazing me to think about how much water is beneath the boat.  On a sailboat on the Pacific, it's hard to imagine how much is beneath the boat -- water and animals and way, way down, there's an ocean floor.  

  Scripture uses this depth to help us understand the love of God.  Our sins are cast into the depths of the sea, and the waves erase any memory of them.  All too often, we take on the role of deep-sea fishermen, going back to the depths and bringing up our own sins, remembering those things we have done.  When God casts them into the depths, they're meant to be forgotten, lost to the depths, never to be seen or mentioned again.  We are washed clean, like the beach after high tide.

  So forget your past sins.  Don't let the devil remind you of what was -- focus on what you are in Christ.   Listen to the affirmation of the God who delights in steadfast love, and move forward in hope.  

Micah 7:8-10

Micah 7:8-10 

English Standard Version 

  I probably think about death too often.  I don't know that I've had any more deaths around me than others, but there have been too many unexpected deaths, catching people too young, reminding me of the fragility of life.  Like so many others, I have spent too much time mourning, thinking of what might have been, in somber funeral homes where words seem to fall short and tears often fill the gap.  Standing in a cemetery on a summer day, feeling a chill that comes from the inside, leaves one with a lot of questions.

  When I read words like these in Micah 7, I think of death, that enemy that seeks to rejoice over us, to grasp us in icy fingers and drag us to the dark depths.  Micah tells us that when we fall, we will rise, that when we find ourselves in darkness, the Lord will bring light.  Micah does not hide the reality of sin, but notes that the Lord will execute judgment, and in this there is hope, there is vindication.  Earlier, we might have feared judgment, but knowing the Gospel teaches us that Christ takes our judgment upon himself, therefore enabling us to dwell in the light rather than darkness, granting us victory over death, that old foe.  Death will be trampled down like the mire of the streets, hands reaching but failing to grasp, for we are held by a stronger champion, and God shall not let us go. 

 I believe it was George Herbert who noted that death used to be an executioner, but the Gospel has made death into a gardener, planting souls only to see them spring up to new life.

Micah 6:6-8

Micah 6:6-8

English Standard Version 

  How do you earn God's love and favor?  

  There are any number of ideas.  In Micah's time, the right sacrifice might have been one idea, in the hopes that the Lord might smell the aroma wafting to the heavens and be pleased with the one who thought to give it.  Or perhaps the Lord might exact a higher toll, thinking that a better price would secure more favor from God.

  No, that's not the way to God's heart.  God's heart is reached because God opens that heart to us.  And because God does so freely, out of grace, we are freed to live not out of obligation but out of gratitude, choosing to love and serve one another because we have been graciously accepted by God.  You are defined by what God has done.  You have been accepted regardless of what you have done.  Therefore, treat one another with kindness, seeking justice, turning to God in humility and gratitude.  

  What else is there?

Micah 5:1-5

Micah 5:1-5 

English Standard Version 

  And they shall dwell secure, the prophet writes.  

  Secure.  

  That sounds wonderful.

  Throughout you'll life, I imagine you'll battle insecurity.  Some people fight against food insecurity.  Others fight against monetary insecurity or housing insecurity.  There's job insecurity, where you jump from job to job or live in anxiety of losing your current job.  There's mental insecurity, where you maybe feel like you're not good enough or don't have the resources to overcome what you need to overcome.  There's relationship insecurity.  

  I could go on.

  In God, you will dwell secure.  Every need will be met.  The strength of the Lord will be great to the ends of the earth, meaning that all opposing forces will have been banished from existence. 

  Security.

  And God will be your peace.

Micah 4:6-7

Micah 4:6-7 

English Standard Version 

  Imagine you're a kid, and you're picking kickball teams.  You pick the strongest and fastest first, right?  You want to win, so you figure out who the best athletes are, and those are the ones being picked first.  The weakest kids get picked last, because they have the least chance of helping the team win.  

  When God is picking the remnant, those who will be built into a strong nation, who does he pick?  The Lord gathers up the lame.  God collects those who have been driven away.  The Lord will reign over a kingdom comprised of the weak.

  From the world's perspective, this doesn't make any sense, but God doesn't work the same way the world does.  We fully realize the strength of God when we accept our own weaknesses.  We can't earn our way back to God through whatever strength we have, but when we look to God's strength, we realize that it doesn't matter how strong or weak we may be.  The strongest champion in the world is on the same level as the weakest beggar in the world -- this is the beauty of the Gospel.  None can brag about themselves or their own achievements or their brilliance or cunning or wisdom -- the Gospel is the great leveller, and we'd be wise to remember that we aren't any better than anyone else on this planet when it comes to earning God's love.  We're all weak, but God is building a kingdom rooted in God's strength.

  May this knowledge help us be more compassionate and gracious towards those who are weak in the  eyes of the world.  May we see the treasures in one another.  Look in the eyes of one another, from the powerful to the individual begging for money by the offramp on the freeway, and see the humanity in every eye, and remember that God's Kingdom will gather the weak.

Micah 4:4-5

Micah 4:4-5

English Standard Version

  I once visited a refugee resettlement organization near Atlanta.  The families there had to be convinced that there weren't any lions in the nearby forest, because they were accustomed to fearing lions in the woods.  That's one thing Atlanta doesn't have.

  Every person on this globe has a set of things they fear.  Some live in fear of their lives every day.  Some fear for their future, while others fear for their ability to provide for themselves or their family.  There are lots of fears we can set aside in America, but there are unique fears to living here as well, and the percentage of people on anti-anxiety medication is a testament to people living in fear.  

  One of the hallmarks of the Kingdom of God is that fear will be banished.  You'll be able to sit under your own tree and live in peace, true peace, lasting peace.  No one will make you afraid.  

  Imagine what that would be like for you.  What fears would disappear?  What could you set down?  How would you relax?  

  God wants to give that to you.  God's desire is for us to start living into that now.   The promises of God aren't meant simply for a brighter future -- they're intended to comfort us and give us the peace and joy of living into those promises in the present.  So close your eyes and rest under that fig tree for a moment.  Rest into God's peace.

Micah 4:1-3

Micah 4:1-3 

English Standard Version 

  One of the podcasts I'm hooked on is called Proof, by America's Test Kitchen.  They're always finding interesting food-related stories, and the most recent episode is all about a woman who dedicated her life to researching historical recipes.  They were talking about her love of source documents -- she always went to the source.  

  In today's modern age, we don't dig into source documents very often -- we don't look to authoritative sources.  As a kid, I remember going to the Cincinnati library to research my senior English essay.  We had to dig through obscure books to find research on the books we were researching.  It was hard work, but it connected me with the experts.  Now, we can go to Wikipedia, and we easily trust what we find there.  There are usually links to source documents, but we're often just relying on the idea that someone else did their homework.  It's why tweets can go viral even when they're not factually correct -- we have lost confidence in authority figures, and so everyone is an authority, and we trust anything and everything.

  Scripture reminds us that there is an ultimate authority figure.  As Christians, we bow the knee before the throne of grace, trusting in the God who will judge between peoples, who will beat swords into plowshares, who shall send forth God's word.  It is the Lord's house that will be established, and it is the Lord who will draw people from every nation into it.  We are subject to God's authority, and we can certainly rejoice that God comes to save and deliver us from sin and evil, but we must always remember that God, and God alone, has ultimate authority, and we should continually go back to Scripture, to the source documents, when we're looking for guidance and wisdom on how to live.

  

Micah 4:6-7

Micah 4:6-7 

English Standard Version 

  In Biblical times, there are stories of the lame who need someone to carry them on their litter.  They can't transport themselves, and so they depend upon the kindness of others to move them about.

  When we think about salvation, this is what the Gospel teaches us -- we who were dead and unable to walk were brought back to life and given hope because of what Christ did for us.  It was spoken about by the prophets long before Jesus came, and then we learned about how gracious God is in the person of Christ, who did what we could not so that we could have the everlasting life we did not deserve.  

  We have hope because of what God did -- God picked us up and moved us where we needed to be.  Paralyzed by sin, we are transported by love.

  The American Gospel will tell us that we are basically good on our own, we just need a little help over the finish line, as though it's just a limp and we need some correction.  The Gospel tells us that Christ gathers us up through his gracious and merciful love, healing the lame and giving us hope!

Micah 4:4-5

Micah 4:4-5 

English Standard Version 

  Last night, a thunderstorm rolled through Columbus, and the kids jumped at every lightning bolt.  Rachel and I try to encourage the kids to be calm in the face of the storm -- but the flash of lightning causes such a strong reaction in them.  It's pure fear, and I hate to see my children afraid.

  Each of us is controlled by some sort of fear.  Some of us are afraid of aging.  Some fear insecurity.  Some of us fear anonymity, while others fear a loss of honor or resources.  Some fear their past, while others fear the future.  Often, we have a strange mixture of fears, many of them things we didn't even realize we were afraid of until much later.  Parents fear for their children, while other have a fear of God (not the good kind).  

  I realize, at times, that if I long for my children not to be afraid, how much more does God long for us not to be afraid?  What does it mean for you to hear the prophet Micah say that we shall sit under a fig tree and not be afraid?  How wonderful that sounds... to lack fear.  The central truth of the resurrection is that Jesus conquered death and therefore should remove the fear of death for us.  It's a hard thing for us to realize, but when we look to God, we are looking to someone who can conquer every enemy, even death, and wants us to live without fear, trusting in the awesome grace of God.  

Micah 4:1-3

Micah 4:1-3 

English Standard Version 

  Some days, this vision sits heavily on my heart.  The vision of peace is so powerful, so potent -- people from all nations will stream to the mountain of the Lord, and swords will be handed over, beaten into tools of peace, and the best part is that they won't even learn war anymore!  There will be no need for it -- such will be the sense of peace and common humanity in that day.

  This is our dream, and it's not too much to imagine -- because one day it will be true.

  So let us hold onto this hope in the times of despair, and let us remember what is permanent.  This life is so short, and so precious, and it passes away -- let us savor each day, each moment, each precious loved one -- and not forget that our ultimate treasure rests on that mountain of the Lord.

Micah 6:6-8

Micah 6:6-8

English Standard Version (ESV) 

  It's the question we're all asking -- what can we bring to the Lord?  As we grow in faith, we should be growing in knowledge -- which makes us even more aware of how much God has done for us.  As we learn about God's perfection and our own sinfulness, we realize how great and awesome God is, and how sinfully and selfishly we have acted.  Our knowledge of our debt becomes even greater. 

  The joyous news of Christianity is that as our knowledge of our debt grows, so, too, does our awareness that no material item or gift can possibly repay God.  It's impossible.  And God doesn't want us to repay.  The price has been paid, so God has no need to collect.  What we can do is live in gratitude of the gift, allowing the joy of what God has done guide our thoughts, words, and actions.  How we treat ourselves and one another is our response to God.

  Spend some time this weekend thinking about all that God has done for you, and then take some time to think about things you'd like to do in response.  How can you show love for your community?  How can you work to bring justice to your town, to your neighborhood?  How can you humbly serve those around you?  You have tremendous gifts, and there are countless small ways you can share them with others, to spread the love of God and the light in the darkness.  Be a part of spreading hope and joy in the world -- we need it more than ever.

Micah 1:2-4

Micah 1:2-4
English Standard Version (ESV)

 The Bible talks about God in a lot of ways.  Some of them are familiar, even tender -- we get the image of God as a Mother Hen, God as a devoted Father, God as a dedicated and faithful friend.  We have the Suffering Servant, God offering himself on the cross.  We have God as the patient teacher, tending to the disciples and the crowds in the midst of their confusion. 
  Let us not forget the pure power of God.  Here in Micah, we have mountains melting under his feet, valleys splitting like wax before a fire and waters pouring down.  When we worship and when we pray, may we do so with humility, recognizing that we come before a mighty and magnificent God who hung the stars in the sky, loves us with incredible power and purpose, and yet can also dissolve the world with a word.  Let us humbly bow before this God, recognizing how small we are and being amazed at the fact that this God, this mighty and powerful God, loves us with patience and saves us through gentle grace.