Lent Day 18: March 13

Lenten Reflection for Day 18

Date: Tuesday March 13, 2012

Author: Pastor Pat Harris

Bible Passage: Micah 6:8 (NRSV)

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?

Reflection:

In a new conference room that was built at Camp Calumet in the late 90s; the second half of this Bible verse is written in script across the top of one of the walls. I have had many occasions to sit in this conference room for Bible studies, worship, conferences and planning meetings. Whenever I find my mind wandering, while I am in this room, it is always drawn to this verse.

It seems to me that you can’t get into too much trouble, if you are doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God. This verse seems apropos for a church camp where relationships with both God and other people are nurtured. In her writing on this verse, Kathleen Norris quotes Evelyn Underhill: “This spiritual life of individuals has to be extended both vertically to God and horizontally to other souls.” This verse from Micah captures both the horizontal relationships (loving neighbor) and the vertical one (loving God). If you do justice and love kindness, undoubtedly you are showing love and respect for your neighbor. Likewise, if you are walking humbly with God, your own wants, desires and ego are not getting in the way of hearing and obeying God.

The idea of horizontal and vertical relationships reminds me of something that was taught to me by my confirmation pastor, yea so many years ago. He said that the vertical stave of the cross reminds us how much God loves us, while the horizontal one reminds us to reach out to our neighbors in the same way that Jesus reached out his arms on the cross to us. In this Lenten season, this verse from Micah is another way to help us “make sense of the cross.”

Prayer:

Gracious and loving God, may your love for us help us to walk humbly with you, and in your love, may you show us what justice and kindness look like. Help us to view the world through our neighbors’ eyes, ears, and heart, so that we might feel the impact of our own words and actions. Amen