Mi 6:1-8, Ps 15

Epiphany 4 | 29/01/2023 | Mi 6:1-8, Ps 15, 1 Cor 1:18-31, Mt 5:1-12 | Andrew F. Weisner |

Micah 6:1-8
Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2Hear, 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. 3“O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! 4For 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. 5O 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.” 6“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? 7Will 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?” 8He 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?

Psalm 15
1 LORD, who may dwell in your | tabernacle?* Who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right,* who speaks the truth | from his heart, 3 there is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil | to his friend;*
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected,* but he honors those who | fear the LORD.
5 He has sworn to | do no wrong* and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain,* nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. 7 Whoever does these things* shall never be | overthrown.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31
18For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. 26Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.

Matthew 5:1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

2
Homily

Money. Usually, congregations talk about money mainly (or perhaps only) during the autumn of the year (October or November), when they are engaged in „stewardship drives“ or „campaigns“ to encourage church-members to make financial pledges to the church as the church leaders are preparing to write the next year’s budget. But it is worthwhile to talk about money at other times of the year, too. And I prefer to refer to „resources,“ not simply money. „Money“ is one item among other resources that churches, and other organizations, use to achieve their goals. It can be helpful and instructive anytime of the year to talk about money, or shall we say, „resources.“
When I was in high school and college, opportunities for learning and enrichment would come my way and I would talk about these to my parents. Sometimes I would apologize because the price-tag may be fairly high; to which my father would reply quite matter-of-factly, „It’s ok. That’s what we work for.“ Probably my father did not realize the profundity of that statement. Thereby he was staking a claim about the purpose and importance of work; a purpose for earning money; and a claim about the use of money (i.e., what it is for).
Some years ago when I was the chaplain at a Church-related college and a member of the college’s administrative staff, the university president would, every

3

few months, offer an impromptu speech which later I called „the theology of resource management.“ He would wisely say: „The resources (e.g., dollars) are not ends in themselves. God gives them to us for us to manage in order to do good. The good we are able to do with the dollars is what’s important, not the dollars themselves!“ Clearly, that is not a „full-blown“ theology about money or materialism but, indeed it is a statement about God, God’s purpose for providing resources, and the purpose of resources (e.g., money).
So, why might a preacher, on this day, with this set of scripture readings, launch into the beginning of a sermon by talking about money? While preparing for this sermon, I read an introduction to the message of the prophet Micah, and therein found this line: „Micah scourges the moneyed capitalist, the inexorable usurer, the swindling tradesman, … avaricious priests and prophets, tyrants, and venal judges“ (New Jerusalem Bible 1985, „Introduction to the Prophets,“ p. 1182).
During the late 8th century before Christ (i.e., in the 700s B.C.), Micah, who is from the southern kingdom of Judah, addresses immoral, objectionable behaviors in both the southern and northern kingdoms. Statements from Micah: „Disaster for those who plot evil, who lie in bed planning mischief! No sooner is it dawn than they do it, since they have the power to do so, seizing the fields that they covet, they take over people’s houses as well, owner and house alike they seize“ (2:1-2). To the communities‘ rulers Micah says, „Surely you are the ones

4

who ought to know what is right, and yet you hate what is good and love what is evil…“ (3:1b-2); furthermore, he says, „listen to this, you leaders of the House of Jacob, you princes of the House of Israel who detest justice“ (3:9).
Micah’s contemporary, Judah native Amos, who addresses the northern kingdom Israel, gives more details. Regarding leaders of Israel he says „they have sold the upright for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals, because they have crushed the heads of the weak into the dust, and thrust the rights of the oppressed to one side…“ (Amos 2:6-7); „…[you] assemble on the hills of Samaria and observe the grave disorders inside her and the acts of oppression there… [you] who cram their palaces with violence and extortion. This is why an enemy will soon besiege this land…“ (3:9-11)… „Listen to this saying, [you] living on the hill of Samaria, exploiting the weak and ill-treating the poor…“ (4:1) ….“you oppressors of the upright, who hold people to ransom, and thrust the poor aside at the gates. … Seek good and not evil“ (5:12).
From the words of only these two prophets, not including Isaiah and Hosea who express in their oracles similar themes and details, apparently Israel’s leaders of the 8th century B.C. had a skewed perspective on God’s values and the value God has for his people, especially the poor. Israel’s leaders of that era, like leaders of every era and every place, and like human beings throughout history, forget experiences and an important lesson given to Israel and the Church in ages past:

5

God provides. It is an old and well-known story: as Israel departed from Egypt and traveled through the desert, God provided „bread from heaven“ falling like dew on the ground, meat (quail) flying into their camps, and water flowing from a desert rock. Abraham knew it and said it to his son, Isaac, upon the hill of sacrifice: „God himself will provide“ (Gen 22:8).
God provides resources we need. He also provides us with a call and a purpose, spoken early in Genesis to our ancestor in faith in Genesis 12. Abraham’s call and vocation, and that of his descendents, Israel and the Church, is to be a means of blessing (Gen 12:3; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 58:6-10; Matthew 5:16; James 1:27). Thus, God provides in this world opportunities for us to be a blessing, to provide blessings to others. Theologically and biblically, the purpose of resources is for us to use them to do good, to do good in the situations (needs, troubles, challenges) God provides for us.
At the time of the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, God could have, somehow, re-arranged, re-organized, re-established, the use of resources and order in this world. And he could have done so regarding civil authorities, corrupt political systems, armies, social stratification, and many other realities with which we live in this world. But he did not. God incarnate in Christ lived in and left us in a world with human intelligence and ingenuity, the gift of family and human community, resources and resource management, conflict, reconciliation, and so

6

much that is often considered simply „the human side of things.“ These realities of our lives, along with the promise of Christ’s abiding presence and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, create occasions for us to negotiate and figure out how to live in this world guided by the Spirit, opportunities to do what God requires: what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).
God provides to the world (and, of course, to the Church) resources needed for our survival and our flourishing. God provides; what we need will be available to us according to God’s will. Our call, our challenge, is to administer what God abundantly provides. What we „work for“, as my dad said years ago, is to have the resources and then use them for good, i.e., to „give them away!“
Many churches engage precisely in this way of providing for others. They do not need a sermon that scolds them, or pushes them, to give where there is a need. Already they are doing so. Actually, they need and deserve encouragement so that, as they manage resources and generously give to those in need, they know that they are fulfilling the work of God, as He lives and reigns in this world and eternity, now and forever. Amen

From: The Rev. Andrew F. Weisner, Ph.D., The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) Antioch Lutheran Church, Dallas, North Carolina