Wednesday Message

January 28, 2026

 

What God Requires

“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?” – Micah 6:8

Micah paints a picture of religion that is surprisingly simple.  No rituals to master.  No theological loopholes to exploit.  No long list of rules to memorize.  Just three things to do:

1. Do justice

2. Love kindness

3. Walk humbly with God.

And yet, we often try to make faith far more complicated than that.

Micah is speaking to a people who are deeply religious.  They worship regularly.  They make sacrifices.  They know the language of faith.  And still, God is unimpressed.  Not because worship doesn’t matter, but because worship that never shows up as justice is empty.  Faith that doesn’t produce kindness is hollow.  Religion that never produces humility is just noise.

“Do justice” isn’t about having the right opinions.  It’s about action.  And it’s about systems, not just individuals.  It’s about noticing who is being crushed, excluded, silenced, or discarded and refusing to accept that as normal.  Justice, in Scripture, is love applied to the political and economic systems of a society.

“Love kindness” goes even deeper.  Not just practice kindness when convenient.  Not just tolerate neighbors who are different, but deeply love them.  Delight in mercy.  Choose compassion, even when cynicism feels easier.  Especially when cynicism feels easier.

And then there’s humility.  Not self-deprecation.  Not making yourself small.  Not being anything less than a fearfully and wonderfully made child of God.  But walking with the awareness that we don’t see the whole picture, that we still have learning to do, and that God is always a few steps ahead of us—inviting, nudging, correcting, and guiding.

Micah 6:8 reminds us that faith is not meant to be showy or impressive.  It’s meant to be, well, faithful.  It’s meant to show up in how we treat people, how we use power, and how we respond to those in need through small, everyday acts of love.

What does the Lord require of you?  Thankfully, you don’t have to guess.  God has already answered that question.

Prayer:
God of justice, mercy, and humility, strip away everything that distracts us from what truly matters.  Teach us to live our faith with courage, compassion, and honesty.  Help us do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly—not just in church, but every day of our lives.  Amen.

  

Sign up in the narthex if you would like to volunteer to serve coffee on Sunday mornings.

Join us upstairs before church and downstairs in the Fellowship Hall following the worship service

on Sunday mornings for coffee and treats, everyone is always welcome.  

Bible Study, the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month at 3pm with Pastor Dustin, everyone is always welcome to join us.

 

Every other Thursday of the month Kimmie Schmieg will have her Girl Scout meeting in the

Fellowship Hall from 6 pm to 7pm.

 

 

              Money Counters:     

              Feb. 01      Tina Harte

         Feb. 08      _________                         

         Feb. 15     --------------