Foolish Ways

Epiphany

January 27, 2020

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.
O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised,
   what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
   that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.’ –Micah 6:3-5

How does God feel when we turn our backs on God? How does God discern between prayers offered by God’s children when they solicit opposing outcomes?  How can God’s people ignore God or create God in the image we desire rather than searching for the truth in God’s love? Micah writes words in God’s inspired voice that asked similar questions. What did God do to deserve such treatment? After raising this question, Micah then lists just some of the saving acts of the Lord over time.

Evil wins by dividing people. There is a lot of that going on in the USA. As people of faith, God calls us to overcome evil with good and show that love always wins over hate. Evil is very, very seductive, enticing us with those things sometimes that on the outside looks good but can still be divisive. I doubt we ever agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on quality health care, including access to safe, affordable, preventive birth control. The state of Colorado reduced its abortion rate by 40% in one year by guaranteeing free preventive birth control for anyone who needs it. We may not agree on the causes of climate change, but surely, we can agree to do all that is necessary to curb that which we see happening before us.

We need to open our hearts and minds to one another, trying to understand each other better and understand that we are all children of the same God who longs to bring us together under God’s wings.

Prayer:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper rev’rence, praise*. Amen.

*First verse of Dear Lord and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier see at https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Dear_Lord_and_Father_of_Mankind/

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.