Scott Meador First UMC Micah 6:1-8 May 3, 2017

“Some Things to Do” (Baccalaureate)

Some here we are, Baccalaureate 2017, Independence, Iowa. As seniors in high school, you are about to graduate. You are about to move on to new endeavors . . . college, trade school, military, travel, work. New doors are being opened for each of you.

I remember Baccalaureate during my senior year of high school. It was 1986, Naperville, Illinois. Our baccalaureate service took place in the school gymnasium. The speaker was a local episcopal priest. I don’t remember anything he said, but I remember the time together with other students. I remember that time, 1986.

Now the 1986 was a year in which our country saw the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, the Iran-Contra hearings with President Reagan on the hot seat, and re-opening of the Statue of Liberty after a long renovation. In regards to pop culture, Madonna, Van Halen, and Bon Jovi were the top musical performers, and a popular movie was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Many of you might know the movie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I know your parents are familiar with the movie. The movie involves a high school student in suburban Chicago, Ferris Bueller, who decides to spend a day off from school and head to downtown Chicago. With a couple of buddies, he makes a list of all things he wants to do. One by one, he and his friends go down the list. They visit Art Institute, Sears Tower, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and Wrigley Field. They then go to a French restaurant and eventually join a parade float during the Von Steuben Day parade. There, Ferris Bueller lip-syncs The Beatles’ song, “Twist and Shout,” and gets the crowd dancing.

It is quite a day off for Ferris Bueller. He and his buddies checked off everything on their list. They did it all. Now I would never recommend any of you taking a day off from school. That is never a good idea. But, I would recommend each of you to “make lists.” Making a list is good.

Truth is, many of you are swamped with list making right now. You have a list of everyone you need to invite to your graduation parties. You have a list of everything you need for your graduation party. Maybe you have a list of everything you need to do to graduate from high school. Maybe you have a few loose ends. And of course, you have a list of everything you need to do as you embark on your next stage of life. And perhaps, on top of all this, you have a list of the goals you have for life.

1 Well, no matter your list for goals in the life, I ask you to add three extra goals on your list. They are “doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.”

Now these goals, this list, is not arbitrary. I am not making this up. The goals, the list, come from the Bible. The words come from the prophet, Micah. It was the latter part of the Eighth Century BC that Micah, a minor prophet, spoke these major words. He spoke these words to people living in the city of Jerusalem, the country of Israel. He saw the city folks were taking advantage of the country folks, the judges were taking bribes, and the priests were corrupt. Micah tells the folks in Jerusalem to get their act together and reconnect with God their special calling. He goes on to say the Lord requires them to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.” These words were spoken many years ago. They still speak volumes in our world today.

III

Let’s take a look at each of these commands separately. The first command is to Do Justice. In the strictest sense, justice means fair play. It’s fighting for what’s right. It means making sure that all God’s children inherit their fair share of God’s good gifts. And if they don’t, because someone has swindled them out of their birthright or because they were not strong enough to hold on to it, justice means doing whatever is necessary to sort out what belongs to whom and return it to them.

To put it another way, justice means working hard to make sure everyone has a level playing field. If someone does have some of the natural advantages we do, then we have to work for them. We need to give those who don’t have a voice a voice. We need to stand up for those who are at a disadvantage. We need to have a heart for the “underdog.”

Someone had a heart for the underdog was Dietrich Bonhoeffer. My family knows I speak a lot about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer grew a rich kid in Germany in the early 1900’s. To his family’s surprise, he says he wants to become a theologian. He wants to become a college professor and study the mysteries of God.

He follows up on these plans. His studies take him all the way from Germany to New York City. In New York City, he sees racism up close. He sees the difficult living conditions of African-Americans. His heart goes out to those who are denied opportunities to live a happy, healthy life.

He goes back to Germany a different person. Now at the time he goes back, it is the early 1930’s. Adolf Hitler comes to power. Nazi Germany is on the rise. Hitler’s wants the churches to pledge their allegiance to him as he mistreats and the Jewish people. Bonhoeffer says “no” to all this. He has a heart for the underdog. His heart goes out to the Jewish people. As a German Lutheran, he doesn’t have to support the Jewish people, but he does. He speaks out against Hitler and supports those who are treated poorly.

2 Bonhoeffer’s actions end up putting him in prison and later a concentration camp. He ends up dying in 1945, at the age of 39. He could had a nice, cozy teaching position in New York City, but he wanted to suffer with those who were suffering. His life was a model and inspiration for standing up for what you believe in. He did justice. As graduating seniors, I invite you to seek out hero’s and role models who can help you do justice. These people might include Dorothy Day, Desmond Tutu, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And you might add Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the list. I invite you study more about him.

A list that might include goals in life should consider doing justice. A list should also include Loving Kindness. These words connect to relationships. We need to adhere to the Golden Rule to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” We need to give our best self and put our best foot forward. I truly believe the meaning of life is to ‘build up the lives of others.” This all connects with loving kindness.

Now we like to think of ourselves as kind people, but we do so much more than we do. Yes, we help those in need and give to those who don’t have much, but we tend to give out of our abundance, what we do not really need. In short, we are kind, whenever it is convenient or we gain from our kindness.. Safe to say, Micah would push us to do more.

A story is told about a famous businessman who came to the college he attended to speak about feeding the poor people of India. He listed several good reasons for doing so . . . more people would be employed, friendlier relations with other countries would be established. In addition, he mentioned the public relations would be good for all involved. During the informal discussion which followed, the oldest and most revered professor at the college asked, “But, Doctor, don’t you think maybe we ought to feed them just because they’re hungry?” That is the question that highlights kindness. We are to be kind not for our own personal gain, but just because it’s the right thing to do.

Another story I like to share that brings out the specific kindness Micah commands involves children in an Elementary School setting. As the story goes, a little boy has to go to the bathroom in school. He is waiting and counting down the minutes until he can leave the room. All of sudden, the teacher calls on him. And what do you know, he wets his pants. He then wonders, “How am I going to get through this?” So he prays big time. And as he prays, something unexpected happens. A little girl shifts around her desk and chair and drops a bowl of fish on him. She had brought the bowl and fish for “show and tell.” He is now completely soaked. His prayer is answered.

Now at recess the girl is ridiculed. People tell her she is clumsy. The boy is given sympathy. Everyone feels bad for him. His classmates treat him very well. After school, the boy speaks to the girl. He says, “You did that on purpose didn’t you.” The girl replies, “Yes, I wet my pants once too. I know how it feels.” That is loving kindness. It is not giving out of our abundance or so we can get something back in return. It is doing the something incredibly nice just because it’s the right thing to do. This is how we

3 should live. As you make a list of things to do in life, make sure add loving. We are to do justice, love kindness. But there’s one more thing I want to add. We need to “walk humbly with God.”

It is the daily walk with God that energizes the commitment to do justice and go even beyond that, to treat people (even the undeserving) with loving kindness. In Walking Humbly with God, we make time to be with God each and every day. We spend time in meditation and prayer. Furthermore, we ponder “who we are” and “whose we are.” We need to walk hand in hand with God, with God taking a slight step forward. We are co- creators with God with God taking a slight lead.

I think of the words from country singer, Tim McGraw, and his big song from last year, Humble and Kind. McGraw sings, “Don’t expect a free ride from no one/Don’t hold a grudge and here’s why . . . always stay humble and kind.” We need to be humble in all we do. Confidence yes . . . but always stay humble and kind.

Now in walking humbly with God, we need to be open to taking on something bigger than ourselves. I would challenge each of you to be open to taking on a project, or initiative, so big, you have no choice but to turn to God to accomplish it.

Samuel Morse was a famous inventor from the 1800’s. At one point he was asked if he ever encountered situations where he didn’t know what to do. Morse responded, “More than once, and whenever I could not see my way clearly, I knelt down and prayed to God for light and understanding.”

Morse received many honors from his invention of the “telegraph” but felt underserving. He would say, “I have made a valuable application of electricity not because I was superior to other people but solely because God, who meant it for everyone, must reveal it to someone and he was pleased to reveal it to me.”

The call is clear. We are to take on challenges larger than ourselves. In doing this, we will have no choice but to turn to God. It’s only with God’s help than we can do what we do. With God we can do anything. It will be us and God together, with God just a few steps ahead of us. Another way to see this is, “What Would Jesus Do, WWJD.”

On this day of Baccalaureate then, I invite you to make your lists for life. Make a list of the more immediate matters that need attention as well as the big dreams . . . work, family, community. But through it all, make sure you never forget to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God!” Happy Graduation and God bless! Amen.