Most of us, at least most of the time, really do want to be faithful in the ways we go about living our lives. The fact that you have found your way to a worship service in a church on a Sunday morning is a pretty good indication of at least some interest in matters of faith. The question, then, is not about whether to take faith seriously. The question is rather about what it looks like when we do. That question has been framed in a variety of ways down through the years. "What must I do to be saved?" "What does it mean to be a Christian?" "What is God's will for my life?" And from the prophet Micah, "What does the Lord require...?" (Micah 6:8)

And there have been a great many answers to such questions. For many people, from the dawn of history through even this very moment, there has been a belief that what God wants is appeasement. This has, of course, varied widely in terms of specifics, but the general principle remains the same. Whether it takes the form of human sacrifice, or a burnt offering, or a cash donation, the idea is that something which is important to us must be given to God, to insure God's blessing, or at least to avoid God's wrath. And while guilt and fear can be powerful motivators in the short run, there are more helpful perspectives for the long haul.

The answer which Micah offers stands in direct contrast with the appeasement theory. First he presents a rhetorical list of possibilities. "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? Will 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?" (Micah 6:6-7) And then he rejects them out of hand. God has neither need nor desire for our "stuff." What God desires is for us to be in covenantal relationship -- with God and with each other. "God 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?" We respond to the transformative power and gracious intervention of God by refocusing our lives towards relating to God and others in positive and life-affirming ways. "Doing justice" is being actively engaged in the redistribution of power in the world and correcting the systemic inequalities which marginalize some while elevating others far out of proportion. To do justice is to take seriously the concept that we are all children of God, bound together in the love of Christ. "Loving kindness" is far more than merely being nice to each other. It might better be translated as "loving covenant loyalty." It means reordering life into a community of enduring relationships of fidelity -- genuinely caring about and for each other. And "walking humbly with God" is to abandon all pretense of self-sufficiency -- to admit that we cannot do it on our own. It is to acknowledge in both our attitudes and our actions that life is indeed a gift from God which is completely rooted in and dependent upon God.

What God wants for us is life lived in harmonious connection with all those around us and in humble partnership with God. It is how life was created to be. When we allow it to become unbalanced, through hatred, greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, then it becomes broken and painful and incomplete, not only for us but for the whole world. Justice, kindness and walking with God are not merely a set of arbitrary rules laid down by a heartless dictator for the purpose of spoiling our fun. They are how life works best. Ultimately what God wants for us is rich, full, complete lives. And Micah offers a pretty good clue about how to make that happen.

It is important to keep that in mind when we read the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew's Gospel, because at first glance it appears to present a different view of how God works and what God wants from us. The temptation is to read the list of "blessed are.." passages and see in them another list of "oughts and shoulds." "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." becomes "You should be poor in spirit." "Blessed are the meek..." becomes "You should be meek." Viewed this way, it becomes just one more example of earning God's favor, if we can only get it right. There is, however, another approach to the beatitudes which recognizes that they are first and foremost a blessing promised by God to those people who already are what the beatitude describes. They represent a word of encouragement and reassurance to the meek, the mourning, the merciful. These qualities are not always prized or rewarded in our world, but God is a God who cares about the poor in spirit, the humble, those yearning for right to be done, the merciful, the single-minded, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. God will not abandon such people or leave them hopeless.

And what makes this view particularly interesting is that in the very act of shifting the focus away from who we ought to be and towards who God is, we are brought face to face with a vision of life in God's realm. Our attitudes and consciousness become shaped by the nature of the God whose blessings are presented in the beatitudes. And we find ourselves right back with Micah. It isn't about a list of things we have to do or be or give. It is about being most fully ourselves in loving, caring relationship with all those who share life on this planet. We can't experience that kind of life by making lists. It is only possible when we choose to open our lives to the God who calls us to such abundant living. Imagine what the world could be like if we allowed God to move us towards justice, kindness and humble faithfulness. Let's find out!