Worship is Not Enough

Another prophet, another person speaking doom and gloom, with just a hint of hope.

One thing I notice with Jeremiah is that he isn’t telling people to go to worship. Jeremiah is saying: God doesn’t want you to worship in the temple, and then go and live for yourself.

I remember a song when I was a young adult. It was called ‘To obey is better than sacrifice’, by Keith Green. In it he writes:

I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights

Cause if you can't come to Me every day

Then don't bother coming at all

What might it mean to come to God every day. To worship every day. It is important for our relationship with God through Jesus Christ to be nurtured, and as with all relationships that means regular time together.

I haven’t heard it for a while, but there is a saying that goes like this: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”[i]

One thing I think we hear through Jeremiah, is that worship alone will not save us from God’s judgement.

What Jeremiah was talking about, and the other prophets is summed up by Micah:

 Micah 6:8 (CEV)

The Lord God has told us

what is right

    and what he demands:

“See that justice is done,

let mercy be your first concern,

    and humbly obey your God.”

See that justice is done,

let mercy be your first concern,

and humbly obey your God.

God does not accept our hymns and prayers on Sunday morning, if the rest of the week

we hurt God’s creation,

we hurt people with our words and actions,

if we allow injustice to continue.

It seems to me injustice is everywhere.

·         violence against women, often at the hands of a partner or ex-partner

·         children, women and men languishing on Nauru

·         low prices paid to our farmers for their produce

·         a housing market that is distorted meaning people can’t afford to live in their own home.

·         The gap in life expectancy for indigenous and non-indigenous Australians

·         Conflict in many parts of the world

·         An increasing gap between rich and poor in our society

Add to this climate change, environmental degradation and animal extinctions.

Jeremiah could be speaking to us.

I hear talk about the way the church is under threat. Under threat from secularism, and apathy.

But I wonder if we need to take a long hard look at ourselves.

All through the prophets we have been hearing of the importance of justice,

compassion;

caring for the poor, the widows and orphans.

Right back in Genesis, in the first story of creation, God declares the world good, and makes people in the image of God.

I hear talk that this Parish is under threat, from reduced numbers and reduced giving and ageing members.

We are not here to keep the Parish going, we are here to worship God with our whole lives.

to be bearers of Good News,

to be people who offer hope and healing,

to show the mercy to others that God shows to us

to love

to live in peace with God, ourselves and the whole creation

Throughout the centuries, people have found it easier to be people of faith by meeting together, to worship, to pray, to learn, to share faith and food and dreams.

Do we want this Parish to continue so we can meet on Sunday morning?

Or do we have something else that drives us to maintain our buildings and our time together?

This Parish has much to offer the community around us.

To start with we have good news of God’s love and grace.

The group of people who have been to Mission Shaped Ministry workshops this year are about to do some dreaming of possible ways of connecting with the community, in ways that speak of good news and hope and grace. and the church council is looking at possibilities for the future, in terms of financial viability, and leadership into the future.

Another thing I hear is that we are too old to do anything, to try anything, to change anything. Well Jeremiah thought he was too young, Abraham and Sarah thought they were too old, Moses wasn’t a good speaker, David was the youngest, Elizabeth and Zechariah were too old. Seems like God doesn’t care about our age, or our status. God does care about us, and the whole world. And God expects us to care about the whole world.

On Friday evening we looked at this passage and wondered what gift God gave to us - …[name] God knows you and has given you gifts to do important things.  

That is true for each one of us. God knows you and has given you gifts to do important things. 

Just as Jeremiah was called to speak God’s word, each of us is given gifts to do important things, amazing things. And each of us is called to be a person of hope and faith, a person who shows love to others, who is kind, who works for social justice.

Are we people of God,

who live out compassion for the poor,

who stand against injustice,

who speak hope and mercy into people’s lives?

or will God judge us, for being people who worship, but do not live out our faith?

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[i] https://www.yourmodernfamily.com/if-you-were-arrested-for-being-a-christian-would-there-be-enough-evidence-to-convict-you/

Justice, Kindness and Humility

If you look in a Bible, most translations show the book of Micah written in verse. It is poetry.

Micah was a prophet in the time of the divided kingdom. Many prophets only spoke to either Israel or Judah, but Micah speaks to both nations. And his message, as with all the prophets is: God is judging you, and you are not living in ways that please God, watch out, because of your lack of faithfulness, something bad will happen. And like most prophets, Micah balances this message of judgement and consequences with a message of hope and God’s continuing faithfulness.

Micah spoke out about the injustice he saw. The book of Micah gives a message of judgement against the oppressors, who were the rich and powerful. He speaks of the punishment of God for both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Some thought Jerusalem would never fall, that the southern Kingdom would remain untouched by the turmoil that engulfed the Northern kingdom. The Northern Kingdom was invaded in 735 BCE and the people scattered in 721 BCE. Micah spoke of the judgement of God, even against the temple practices which had become self-serving. Micah also speaks of the salvation of a remnant of Israel.[i]

Micah was warning people of the consequences of their behaviour. When leaders do not live justly, or fairly. When some have more then enough, and others are starving.

In chapter 5, we hear of a new ruler who will come from Bethlehem, another country town of no importance, just like the one that Micah lived in. At that time the powerful and the religious leaders were based in Jerusalem, not some country outpost. A new ruler who will be the one of peace. For the people who first heard these words, Bethlehem was associated with David, the great King, the one who was King when Israel was undivided, when Israel was in its golden age. Bethlehem was also not part of the establishment in terms of the seat of power.  For the people who first heard this, both points would be important, the new ruler will come from the house of David, and the new ruler will not be part of the oppressive and corrupt regime that ruled from Jerusalem.

Then we get to chapter 6.

Sections of this book are written as a court case with God as the prosecutor and judge, with the creation as witnesses, against the people. God is challenging the way the leaders are treating the people. Here in chapter six, God is asking –
what have I done to you?
why do you treat me and my people like this?

and again, we hear of Gods activity in the history of the people, the foundational story of the exodus, and the saving action of God.

in verses 6-7, there is this cascading of sacrifices. will God be pleased with a burnt offering of a yearling? – this refers to the standard offering mentioned in Leviticus.

Or maybe to please God I need to be overly and impossibly extravagant – 1,000 rams?

10,000 rivers of oil?

my fist born?

One commentator suggests that this is sarcasm – God is having a go at people who are trying to outdo each other in their sacrifices. another suggests that God is pained by the excess. Either way, this is poetry and there is probably some poetic licence in here.  The people Micah was relating to, would also be aware of child sacrifice in nearby places – so these sacrifices or offerings to God may be outrageous, but not all are impossible.

But God isn’t interested in wealth, certainly not at the expense of the poor and the hungry, nor in child sacrifice.

Looking around the world today we can think of plenty of places where corruption flourishes, countries which require a payment or bribe to get approval for a project; countries where people are oppressed by a wealthy or powerful elite; places where life is cheap, expendable, where people are bought and sold in the open.

Micah wrote that the three things to please God are not sacrifices, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

What might that look like? It is such a simple sentence: do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

But it is not always easy to do.

I wonder what Micah would make of our modern times.

Where some people accessing help from agencies like Foodbank, are employed, but in low paying jobs.

I wonder what Micah would make of the way our politicians speak to each other, or broadcasters, or commentators.

I wonder what Micah would say about children being hungry, people being homeless, young people not being able to find steady work.

I wonder what Micah would say about our economic system that means those with money, or health insurance, get quicker treatment; or a nation that worships sport and sunshine; or a nation that wants to win at all costs.

I wonder what Micah would make of our modern times.

And I wonder who the Micahs of our time are.

Maybe it is the young people in the USA protesting for stronger gun control, so that they can go to school without fearing another mass murder.

Maybe it the environmentalists showing the world the effect of changing climate, particularly on Pacific Island Nations.

Maybe it is groups like Love Makes a Way, protesting to get asylum seekers off Nauru and Manus Island, many who have been assessed as refugees.

Maybe it is the group, including the Uniting Church, taking drug law reform to the Politicians, encouraging more places for people to be able to be treated for their addiction.

Who are the Micahs of our day? - speaking about the consequences of greed and self-centredness and apathy.

[the Message Micah 6: 8]

 “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbour,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously."

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[i] [i] Rev Dr Anna Grant-Henderson  http://otl.unitingchurch.org.au/index.php?page=micah-6-1-8