Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly with God!

Micah, of Moresheth, was a prophet of social justice “in the days of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah."   He spoke “the word of the Lord” boldly to “Samaria and Jerusalem.”  (see Micah 1:1)  Micah spoke out against the oppression of common people by both political and religious leaders.  He was a contemporary of Isaiah and their prophecies seem quite similar.  However Micah, coming from a rural area, seemed to have a greater interest in the poor than Isaiah did.  

This week’s lectionary passage, Micah 6:1-8, echoes other portions of scripture that interpret God’s interest in who a person is rather than what a person does … in contemporary terms.    That message is highlighted in one of scripture’s most famous verses, Micah 6:8, through which God says “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?”

John Wesley, in his explanatory notes to the scriptures, unpacks this verse for us.  He says, “God has already told you with what you ought to come …

• To do justly - To render to everyone their due, superiors, equals, inferiors, to be equal to all, and oppress none, in body, goods or name; in all your dealings with men carry a chancery in your own beasts, and do according to equity.  
• To love mercy - To be kind, merciful and compassionate to all, not using severity towards any. 
• Walk humbly with thy God - Keep up a constant fellowship with God, by humble, holy faith.”

As sweet and easy as this verse sounds, I find God’s message through Micah’s words quite daunting.  What does justice and mercy look like today?  What does a humble, holy, and faithful life look like? 

When you are ready to lean into our passage for lectio divina and pray with me, take a few moments to center yourself by engaging in a simple breath prayer like this one (or one that emerges from within yourself) until you are focused on God.

Breathe in ... God of Justice and Mercy 

 Breathe out ... Let me Walk with You 

Then pray for illumination of the text:  God of Justice and Mercy, how often do I wander through life not certain which way to go?  You call me to rise, to listen, and to act on what I hear from you.  So be it.  Amen.

Step 1: Lectio/Reading … Reading
Read Micah 6:1-8 slowly and reverently, letting the words steep in your mind. Perhaps you might imagine yourself listening to a prophetic voice who knows God through his or her own deep prayer life.  Know that you can trust the person who speaks these words to you.  Listen for a word or phrase that catches your attention.  Gently focus on that word or phrase.  Repeat it several times and allow it to be sifted through your heart and mind all the way to your soul.

Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.  Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel.  "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."  "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?  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?"  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?

Step 2: Meditatio/Meditation … Receiving
Read the passage a 2nd time ...
Continue to focus on just a word or a phrase (it may be different on this reading)
Pay attention to the thoughts and feelings the passage evokes within you.
What images emerge in your imagination?  What memories come to your mind?
Ask God to continue to speak to you through the word or phrase you've been drawn to.
Listen for God’s voice deepening the message as you move through your day

Step 3: Oratio/Prayer … Responding
Consider any thoughts or feelings or desires that have been awakened.
Perhaps you have found an area of your life that needs attention.
Do not rush ... how are you drawn to respond to God?

Step 4: Contempatio/Contemplative Silence … Resting
Allow yourself to rest in the silence.
Allow your mind to settle into the silence.
Allow your heart and breathe with the silence.
When you feel the time to move on ... pray: 

God of Justice, Mercy, Mountains, and Hills ... speak to my heart and guide me as I listen to your voice and walk with you.  Amen.  

If music is a pathway for you, listen to "Walk Humbly with Your God" sung by Marilla Ness.

A Parable about Humility in Prayer

Today's focal passage is the second of 2 parables that Jesus told about prayer.  Last week the parable was about patience and persistence in prayer.  Today's parable is about humility, not just in prayer but in all of life.  Jesus directed this parable to a certain type of person, self-righteous and judgmental.  Of course I don't know anyone like that but ... maybe you do :)

This week we are going to do something different ... Take a moment to read Luke 18:9-14 (CEB)

Jesus told this parable to certain people who had convinced themselves that they were righteous and who looked on everyone else with disgust:  “Two people went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself with these words, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like everyone else—crooks, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of everything I receive.’  But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn’t even lift his eyes to look toward heaven. Rather, he struck his chest and said, ‘God, show mercy to me, a sinner.’  I tell you, this person went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.”

Tax collectors were notorious cheats and sinners, they took advantage of the poor, and they were outcast from the community.  Here we see the conversion of the tax collector through this humble prayer, ‘God, show mercy to me, a sinner.’   And I don't mean to say that the prayer had the power to convert, what I am saying is that the prayer is a sign that conversion (change/transformation) had happened within the man.

Have you ever heard of the Jesus Prayer?  The Jesus Prayer emerged around the 6th century as a way of reaching inner stillness.  The classic Jesus Prayer is, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner," but there are many ways to adapt the words to suit your own breathing pattern.   The Jesus Prayer is actually the most famous breath prayer in history but it is a little too long for me to breathe in the classic form so after a few minutes I usually shorten it to "Lord, have mercy. Christ have mercy" and then simply "Lord, have mercy" and finally it fades into simply, "Lord, Lord, Lord."   As I breathe with these words on my lips, I often travel through fire but eventually I am overcome with peace ... that peace that surpasses my understanding.

Many days I sit down to pray and I am distracted.  I have a need to focus.  This is when I pick up my prayer beads ...

 Since the earliest of times,
people have used pebbles or a string of knots or beads
on a cord to keep track of prayers offered to God.
Virtually every major religious tradition in the world
uses some form of prayer beads.

Source:  http://www.kingofpeace.org/prayerbeads.htm

3 different kinds of Prayer Beads from my personal prayer altar: 

Here is my way of praying with Anglican Prayer Beads (see above, the black beaded one) and below is a diagram of how the prayer beads are constructed.  If you don't have prayer beads and don't want to make your own you can use small rocks, buttons, or pennies in a mandala style.  You can also take a string and tie knots in it.  You can adapt your prayer beads to your needs and the prayers you want to say.  In the photo above on the right hand side I created this small set of prayer beads which contains only 1 set of weeks but it is portable and able to fit nicely around my thumb.  I just continue to circle around the beads as long as I want to until I am ready to emerge.  However, adaptations do lessen the rich symbolism.  You can take the Link above to King of Peace for a good read about the symbolism found in Anglican Prayer Beads.  The diagram below is my drawing of the diagram on the King of Peace Website. 

And now, let us pray:  

 

Hold and Pray the Cross:  In the Name of God my Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer

Hold and Pray the "Invitatory" Bead:  Come Holy Spirit

Hold and Pray the "Cruciform" Bead:  Light of Christ, Shine on my Path

Move to the right (or the left if that seems more intuitive:) around the circle.  

on each of the 7 smaller beads, pray "God, show mercy to me, a sinner" 
which is the verse which emerged in our passage ... 
OR pray whatever form emerges from within you as you breathe!

Each time you reach the cruciform beads, repeat your cruciform prayer,

When you reach the Invitatory Bead at the end, repeat "Come Holy Spirit."

Finally, when you arrive home at the Cross, repeat the Names of God.  Say Amen.

Sit in the stillness ... and be grateful!

Sit in the stillness ...

Be grateful ... 

Sit ... Be

Be ...

Amen.