Micah 5 & 6

***Micah 5***

"O Little Town of Bethlehem..."

We often read from this chapter at Christmas, because the birth of Jesus fulfills Micah's prophecy.

But I think we lose out on the significance of Jesus being born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a small clan, it wasn't a power player in the political realm of Israel. One would expect that the Savior would be born in Jerusalem, right down the street from the temple. And the Savior would be the child of religious leaders who were wealthy and powerful.

Nope, that's not the way it happened and that's not the way God works. God works in the most unlikely places and uses the most unlikely people... The son a virgin who was raised by a carpenter.

And yet creation was redeemed through him.

Maybe we need to start focusing on the unlikely places in our lives to see what God is doing.

Stop focusing on Jerusalem and start focusing on Bethlehem.
Stop focusing on the past and start focusing on the future.
Stop focusing on our church and start focusing on God's church.
Stop focusing on us and start focusing on others.
Stop focusing on celebrities and start focusing on those in need.
Stop focusing on fear and start focusing on love.
Stop focusing on our differences and start focusing on what we have in common.

Maybe you haven't seen Jesus working... maybe you're looking for him in the wrong place.

***Micah 6***

In Micah 6 we have what I believe is the Old Testament equivalent to Jesus' greatest commandment. "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

The first two are pretty hard.

Acting justly means to treat other people right. To strive for justice in the world. But who defines what justice means? The definition of justice changes all the time. 25 years ago my cousin Billy was killed by a drunk driver... it was a tragedy that effected many people that I love. But the punishment for the driver would be a lot different if it had happened today. Our understanding of justice has changed.

How are we supposed to hit a moving target? We love.

I once heard a pastor say that mercy is a shield God uses to protect us from the punishment we deserve. I like that. God's mercy is a result of God's love, therefore I believe that to love mercy means to love God back. I met someone for lunch today that wanted to talk theology. It was a great meeting, he asked many great questions and had some insightful thoughts. He said that we can not accept God, we can only stop trying to deny Him. Once we give up the charade, then God's love flows in and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I really think this is a powerful statement. Once we stop running from God and accept the fact that God's love for us is not an option, then we understand mercy... how can we not love God back?

But the truth is that we screw up on both every day, which is why the third is so comforting. God understands that life is a journey, but we aren't expected to journey alone. God is there with us, every step of the way. And no matter how many times we screw up, God never leaves us to journey alone.

The humility comes in the realization that God is not with us because of who we are, but because of who God is. We haven't done anything to deserve His companionship.