Do. Love. Walk. These were the three words we heard many times over during the Middle School Gathering a couple of weekends ago. Logan, Becca, Grace, Ann and I along with over 200 other youth and adults spent the day that Saturday learning about, and actually practicing the words of our Old Testament text for this week from the prophet Micah. “He has told you O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” It’s one of my favorite texts in the Bible and the song we sang at the beginning of the service – “We Are Called” is one of my favorite hymns. Why? Because the words of the song and the words of Micah’s prophecy are the heart of what it is to follow Jesus.
This morning I would like to share three stories each one speaks to one of these three things that God requires of us.
Do Justice.
There is a story about a man who was caught and taken to court because he had stolen a loaf of bread. When the judge investigated, he found out that the man had no job, and his family was hungry. He had tried unsuccessfully to get work and finally, to feed his family, he had stolen a loaf of bread. Although recognizing the extenuating circumstances, the judge said, "I'm sorry, but the law can make no exceptions. You stole the bread, and therefore I have to punish you. I order you to pay a fine of ten dollars."
And then the judge continued, "But I want to pay your fine myself." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a ten-dollar bill, and handed it to the man.
As soon as the man took the money, the judge said, "Now I also want to cancel the fine and remit the sentence to time served." That is, the man could keep the money and go free. "Furthermore, I am going to instruct the bailiff to pass around a hat to everyone in this courtroom, and I am fining everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a city where a man has to steal in order to have bread to eat."
Love Kindness.
A class of theological students were taking their final examination on the topic: Kant’s Moral Imperative. The final examination for this class gave the students two hours to write their philosophy with a ten minute break in the middle. The students wrote furiously for fifty five minutes. Then the bell rang; the students all took a break and went out into the hallway. There in the hallway was another student, not part of their class, sitting humped up on the floor, disheveled, looking like a mess. The theological students were busy in conversation with each other, getting a drink of water, taking a bathroom break, and into the classroom they returned for the second hour of writing their philosophy of what it meant to be a moral human being. Weeks later, the theological students received their test results: they had all failed. That is, all the students thought that their test was what they wrote for two hours in the classroom. The professor meanwhile was standing out in the hallway during the ten minute break and grading them on who approached the man humped down on the floor and spoke a kind word. Nobody did.
Walk Humbly with Our God
Actor Tom Selleck says, "Whenever I get full of myself, I remember the nice, elderly couple who approached me with a camera on a street in Honolulu one day. When I struck a pose for them, the man said, 'No, no, we want you to take a picture of US.'"
Is that what Walking Humbly with Our God is all about? Is it just about being humble, not taking ourselves too seriously like Tom Selleck?
At the MSG for the “Walk” section of our learning we broke into small groups and were given several tasks that required us to work together to complete the task at hand. We had to listen to each other’s input on how to complete the task at hand and we had to listen to each other throughout the process providing feedback and encouragement. One of the activities was to get our entire group across an imaginary pit of chocolate chip cookie dough. All we had were small rubber circles to get us across the pit. Someone in the group had to be touching the circle at all times and we all had to hold hands the entire time. At one point I had to ask the lead person to slow down because those of us near the end were being rushed. The clear intent was to teach the kids that it’s not about one person’s accomplishments but rather about what the group could achieve when everybody looked out for each other and worked together. Walking Humbly with our God is a cooperative effort. It is about not taking ourselves too seriously but it’s also about so much more. It’s about putting ourselves and our own needs behind the needs of others. It about encouraging the work of those with whom we serve.
“Do. Love. Walk.” Isn’t just a catchy three-word phrase it’s a way of life. It’s the Way that Jesus showed us – it’s the way that Jesus invites us to when he says “Come and Follow Me.” What does the Lord require of us? Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with our God. Amen.