Micah 6:6-8
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
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 thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
We try so hard God
try to please you
try to make confession
and bring offerings that you desire
We hope that we can find favor
by what we offer
Money in the plate
Baptizing our children
Singing and praying
But you are a hard God
to figure out
be sure we know what you want
What can we give?
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
Justice
Kindness
Mercy
We know what you want
We always knew
Justice
Kindness
Mercy
Not any kind of justice
or kindness
or mercy
You want justice
that defends the poor and homeless
brings down the powerful
breaks the bows and spears
You desire kindness
that goes beyond charity to sacrifice
demands our talent and our time
and nurtures and empowers
You desire mercy
that forgives easily and often
shows compassion to the aged
and afflicted and the lonely
Justice
Kindness
Mercy
And
to walk humbly with your God?
To remember this is God's world
not ours
to know that God shapes it
to God's will
and to know that whatever we do
or wherever we go
you are there
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Give us the strength and courage
to do justice
act kindly
show mercy
and walk humbly with you
O God
Amen
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength
We know, O God
where our power lies
in Jesus
The crucified one
The crucified one stands
against all powers and principalities
against all the winds and storms
against every attack
every temptation
every foe
Though evil surrounds us
The crucified one prevails
Though destruction rains down upon us
The crucified one protects
Though death stalks us
The crucified one resurrects
No wisdom is greater
No intelligence is sharper
No brilliance is keener
No understanding is deeper
For in the crucified one
we know all we need
No strength is greater
No might can overcome
No arms can be victorious
No power is greater
For in the crucified one
We will prevail
So in our hour of need
in every moment
in every place
we will look to you
The crucified one
Lord Jesus
you who were faithful
to the pain of death
upon the cross
We praise you
and thank you
for this life and the next
and know that we will always
seek wisdom
and find our strength
in you
The crucified one
Amen
