Epiphany
January 23, 2017
Scripture Reading: Micah 6:1-8
O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And redeemed you from the house of slavery;
And I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam. –Micah 6:3-4
Micah muses on the thought processes of God looking on his people and wondering what he did wrong. In what have I wearied you? It is reminiscent of Jesus looking over Jerusalem from a hillside and saying, ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!’ (Matthew 23:37)
I heard on a news program a reporter describing an event he experienced at the inauguration where a man in the crowd accosted the reporter on the street upon seeing his press credentials calling him bad names he could not repeat on television. It seems all news is now considered fake if it does not report what we want to hear. What kind of world do we live in, if we can trust no one?
We need to take to heart our individual and collective civilities as citizens of a country built on government by the people. Such governance does not give us license to do whatever is right for only ourselves. To the contrary, it makes us responsible for the wellbeing of each of our citizens as we provide for the Common Good.
As followers of Christ, children of God, we are called to be change agents for a just world, a challenging task. One we cannot do alone but with the love of God, the example of Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is a challenge we must address.
Prayer: Lord, send your Spirit to guide us in doing justice in peace and love. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.