Making Things Simple

Sermon Summary: This sermon explores Micah 6:8 as a foundational text that simplifies what God requires of believers: to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. The pastor emphasizes that these words are clear and uncomplicated, though not easy to live out. The sermon challenges both individuals and the congregation to examine their lives against this biblical mirror, recognizing that faith extends far beyond Sunday morning worship into every aspect of daily living. The message stresses that God desires our whole being and our entire lives, not merely religious rituals. The pastor addresses the difficulty of pursuing justice in a divided society where people operate from different sets of facts, and encourages the congregation to engage in humble conversations within small groups and relationships to discern God's will together. The sermon concludes with a prayer from Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey addressing recent events in Minnesota, calling the church to be instruments of peace, reconciliation, and justice.

Key Points:

- Justice is something people do through actions, not merely opinions or complaints

- Justice involves working for fairness and equality, especially for those with less power

- Loving kindness means acting from genuine care and pure motives, not just doing right things with wrong attitudes

- Walking humbly with God means living life as a pilgrimage with God as our constant companion

- Faith is about how we live every day, not just one hour on Sunday morning

- God wants our whole being and entire lives, not merely religious rituals

- Over half the congregation is actively involved in ministry beyond Sunday worship

- Pursuing justice is challenging because people operate from different sets of facts and news sources

- Conversations about current events and justice should happen in small groups and relationships where dialogue is possible

- The church is called to be a Micah 6:8 congregation that supports one another in doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God

Scripture Reference:

- Micah 6:1-8 (primary focus on verse 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")

Stories:

- The context of Micah 6:8 where God's people had received countless gifts and blessings from God yet complained about their situation and tried to bring a case against God

- The progression in the text from reasonable offerings (burnt offerings, calves) to absurd suggestions (thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil) to the egregious idea of sacrificing one's firstborn, illustrating that nothing we do can make us equal to God

- A recent discovery by staff members that over half the congregation is actively involved in church ministries beyond Sunday worship, including food pantry, backpack ministry, Bible studies, and fellowship groups

- Reference to recent events in Minnesota and the pain, fear, and unrest in communities, used as an example of contemporary justice issues the church must address