Tuesday, March 10

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 tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,  the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
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 6:6-8

As we approach Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season, some of us seriously consider giving up something. Many of us are reminded of this time-old ritual of sacrificing something we particularly enjoy - a special sweet, movies, that pizza treat, chewing gum, perhaps donating the money we spend on a daily Starbucks latte to a charity, etc. Some of our acquaintances and friends are extremely diligent about the decision and rigorously adhere to making a sacrifice for the forty-day period of Lent. It is a reminder of the temptation Jesus endured in the wilderness and of the sacrifice He was to make for humankind. Some of us think about this Lenten practice; we may, even with the best of intentions, try to observe the tradition as best we can, and others, though religiously inclined, may choose to ignore it. But...should this ritual be about giving up something we can live without for 40 days, or should it be about sacrificing something of ourselves for 365 days? What should it be?

In reading the Hebrew Testament, we learn of sacrifices that were brought by God's people. We read of the lambs brought to the altar, the burnt offerings, the precious oils, etc., all sacrificially impressive and dear to the donor. Yet, in spite of these offerings which the Lord accepted, we find that the prophet Micah asks the people if they know what God truly requires of them - what is ultimately important to God. Micah's answer is a very simple one. It is not just goods; it is an offering of ourselves to others, “...to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God.” It is a sacrifice of ourselves to speak for those whose voice is not heard, to treat others as God expects us to do, and to serve the Lord as His servants.

Dear Lord, May we do what you require of us not just this season but every day of our lives. Amen. 

Swid Kirchhofer

… and to walk humbly with your God