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At our church we've been discussing the book of Micah over the past few weeks, culminating in a dramatic portrayal of the entire book taking the place of the sermon today. Old testament scholar I'm not...actually, I'm not much of a scholarly type person, period. So...a lot of stuff goes flying over my head and through my head via my quite spacious ear canals.
However, I've caught enough to know that in the book of Micah this prophet is trying to get through to some people that God is NOT very well pleased with them. Actually, Micah is fairly accomplished at getting his point across. And...God uses some pretty strong language too...things like, "In raging anger, I'll make a clean sweep of godless nations who haven't listened," and "I have some plans of my own: Disaster because of this interbreeding evil! Your necks are on the line. You're not walking away from this. It's doomsday for you."
Oh my... (picture me, standing in the worshp service, suddenly grabbing at my throat and circling to the floor in a heap of despair).
As I am continuing on my journey of truly discovering who God is and finally realizing that part of this Truth is the truth of mercy and grace (which has been a relatively new concept in my life), the "Micah" images of God are a bit disturbing, to say the least.
But all is not lost. There is more to this complex God than just these images. And...as Pastor Gregg reminded us this morning, God is much bigger than we are able to assimilate. He is more complex than our human minds can comprehend. So...we continue our journey through Micah, and we find that God indeed is gracious and loving and willing to restore these wayward people as they turn back to Him.
As I grapple with these disturbing images, I must grasp tightly to the things I do know...
- God loves me...more than I could ever possibly imagine
- God hates sin.
- God made a way for me to be completely "clean" before him when I accept the fact that He took the punishment for my sins and by trusting my life to Him and seeking to follow Him.
- God doesn't like it when we ignore those who are needy and oppressed.
- As I trust in God, I will exhibit the qualities of kindness, compassion, justice, and humility, as He breathes His life through me.
What does the Lord require of me? 1) to act justly; 2) to love mercy; and 3) to walk humbly with my God. (Micah 6:8).
Oh God, may this be true in my life. May I turn my face always to you and your truth, becoming more and more like you and less and less like the world. I want to be more willing to give up pieces of the world that take the place of you in my life. You are a just God...and you are a merciful God. Thank you for being my loving Father....even when I am a rambunctious child.
By the way, at the end of our service today there was a time of prayer in which Gregg encouraged us to speak out loud the God-characteristics we are thankful for. Many people spoke..."grace"..."mercy"..."love"..."forgiveness"...but then at the end, my dear sister Julie's voice rang out from the back of the sanctuary..."IN CHRIST THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION." Thank you, Julie.
