YEAR A Epiphany IV Micah 6:1-8 Matthew 5:1-12

What is arrogance, other than a word we hear applied to many personalities today? The dictionary defines “arrogant” as having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities. Hat sounds simple enough, but in life, it can be hard to recognize arrogance, because it doesn’t always manifest itself clearly. Not every arrogant person can be pinpointed as being, haughty, conceited, and self-important, so we aren’t always able to indulge our sinful, judgmental side, point at someone and say that they are arrogant. Arrogance can hide itself well in others, so while we may not at first perceive it in “them”, we have even less success in recognizing arrogance within ourselves.

"Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice."

Today’s first reading from Micah is a courtroom drama. Yes – as strange as it may seem to us, in our Old Testament God and God’s people often argue with each other. In today’s first lesson, at a date somewhere in antiquity, Micah records a trial between God and God's people.

After a brief introduction, Micah calls the jury (called “Judges” in the Hebrew Bible) to hear the controversy, and then God opens the proceedings by pleading the Divine case. "I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage." Or put another way, "What is wrong with you people? Have you forgotten our covenant, and how I brought you out of slavery? We made promises to each other, and you're not living up to them."

For the Jews, truth is everything, and so they look for something that shows the unfolding of God's truth. In today’s reading, God does that for them. In laying out some of what has already happened, God is pointing to many signs of Divine power and truth which have already occurred in Israel’s history. God is hoping in this way to remind the rebellious nation of their covenant relationship, and in the light of this, force them to confront both His love for them and their sin, and bring them back in line.

Does this work? Do the people, thus confronted, cower and beg for forgiveness for their recent rash and sinful actions? Do they promise to lead upright and righteous lives? No! These folks are involved in some shady economic practices that, while they are in flagrant violation of their covenant with God, are bringing in good money. So, as my husband would say "blinded by dollar signs", they get sarcastic! Far from being intimidated and terrified by the Almighty, they start a long harangue with God about burnt offerings and human sacrifice. They are being what we sometimes refer to as "clever", but not in a way that displays intelligence on their part.

What would possess a people to think they can outwit God'? Stupidity, undoubtedly, arrogance, definitely! When we think of arrogance, what comes to mind is one or two strutting fools, all puffed up with their own self-importance, clearly visible to others of a more reasonable mind. Yet the arrogance recorded in Micah has gripped not just one individual, but a nation. These folks honestly think that because they're making good money and life is pleasant and easy, God ought to drop out and leave them alone. They have forgotten what their covenant is about. The Nation of Israel has breached their contract, and they don't win their case with God.

But God is always reaching out for those He loves. Despite Israel’s sarcasm, at the very end of the reading, God, through Micah, tells Israel what is required of them, what having a relationship with Him is all about.

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?

So simple: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God.

But on closer inspection, are these instructions, while simple, actually easy? How can we be sure we are seeking God’s justice and not our own? How are we to love kindness and not merely like niceness? How do we walk in humility and sometimes deal with the fact that to be humiliated is part of the way God teaches us this virtue? If you ever think, for a moment, that you have no arrogance in you, or, perhaps, if you wonder if you do, think about how well you accept humiliation. At our core we are all about ourselves. We are all arrogant people.

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

The crowds, of course, followed, sitting on the grass and the dirt, and Jesus taught them all. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And in-between is a list of disenfranchised, sad, disappointed, and struggling folks, from those who mourn to the meek. To all these people, Jesus promises, "Great is your reward in heaven." But that doesn't sound like much to us. As one of my friends once said, "Yeah, yeah, but that won't put bread on the table now.”

Perhaps the problem for us, when we hear what we call The Sermon on the Mount, is the tense in which Jesus’ teachings are quoted. Everything sounds like it will only happen at some later time. But, as we heard in last week’s Gospel, at the very beginning of His ministry Jesus us assures us the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand – now.

If the Kingdom is truly at hand, then all the blessings Jesus mentions are not afterlife consolation prizes, but are present realities, now, this day. Listen to what happens when we put the Beatitudes into present tense:

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they have the kingdom of heaven. • Blessed are those who mourn, for they are being comforted. • Blessed are the meek, for they are inheriting the earth. • Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they are being filled. • Blessed are the merciful, for they are receiving mercy.

In this light, the blessings become both strength and guidance for doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God.

Justice in our earthly kingdoms typically uses the tools of punishment and reparations. Applied well, our justice systems protect the innocent, shield the vulnerable, and ensure equity. Applied poorly, they protect the powerful and disproportionately condemn the weak.

Justice in the kingdom of heaven relies on the mercy and righteousness of God. Our tools for this heavenly justice system are mercy and righteousness and peacemaking. If we use these tools to do justice, look at the blessings that follow – as spelled out by Jesus they are - receiving mercy, being filled, being called children of God!

Better yet, the blessings are not only a reward to us, but also a source of motivation and guidance. Because we have received God’s mercy, we have a model for being merciful. Because we have been forgiven and restored to peace with God, we are strengthened to forgive others and work for peace and reconciliation. Because we are filled with God’s Spirit, we hunger and thirst more and more to see righteousness in the world.

But what about the times when it’s hard to see righteousness in the world, when we ourselves are persecuted, or when we are in mourning, or when we feel empty in our own spirit? Jesus assures us that blessings are present even in the midst of these times. Perhaps He’s even teaching us that at such moments we are most open to perceiving the grace of God.

In the midst of persecution and slander, Jesus calls us to rejoice and be glad – for we are walking in the Kingdom of Heaven as well as in an unjust world. Walking in the Kingdom of Heaven means learning more and more how close God is to us when we are in need. Jesus even assures us that we have the Kingdom of Heaven just when we feel poorest in spirit. When we are grieving, or angry, when we feel emptiest, He says, keep reaching out to the Kingdom that is at hand. In other words, walk humbly with your God.

Humility is all about letting go of our need to know and to control. When we can finally let go of asking why we must grieve, why we must feel alone, why we must witness and experience evil in the world – when we are given the blessing of letting go and keeping silence – then we find anew that God is walking by our side. To be meek is to set aside the sense of our own power; when we stop trying to control our surroundings, we rediscover our own freedom to enjoy the gifts God has given us in the world.

The Beatitudes call us above all else to a sense of openness before God. We don’t see God until we see the face of Christ in others – we learn to do that by pursuing justice and kindness toward all people. We don’t see God until we stop trying to control, and begin learning to walk humbly in God’s presence. But when we practice doing justice and loving kindness and walking in humility, the Spirit continues to work in our hearts, purifying us. And blessed are the pure in heart, for they are seeing God.

So it may never be easy, but perhaps it is simple after all. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. Walk in the kingdom of heaven, be comforted, inherit the earth, be filled with righteousness, receive mercy, see God, be God’s children, rejoice and be glad. Be blessed.

Let us pray:

Almighty and everlasting God, whose strength is made perfect in our weakness, give to us increase of faith, hope, and charity: and that we may obtain what you have promised us, make us love that which you command us to do; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.