Instruments of God's Love and Mercy
In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah pronounced judgment on the people of Israel for their injustice and idolatry. The rich were ruthless and exploited the poor. They withheld compassion and were unfaithful in their covenant with God. In Micah 6, the people of Judah tried to assert their innocence by acting as if they didn't know what God expected of them. Our children do this sometimes, don't they (i.e., play dumb)? After being found to have done something wrong, they say "I didn't know." I think we all do this sometimes. It's human nature. But in Micah, God doesn't conceal His expectations. He makes clear what He wants from His people. In Micah 6:8, the prophet says "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." This is the theme verse for our Mercy & Justice ministry. While knowing the exact details of God's will for our lives is not always clear, as God's people, we never have to guess how we should live. God tells us in Micah and shows us through Jesus: we are to be just, to be merciful, and to walk humbly with our God.
In the past month, our church has had the opportunity to show God's love and mercy to others. In November, we participated in the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Project (run by the Missions ministry) in which shoeboxes were filled by church members with toys, school supplies, and other items to be given to poor children around the world for Christmas. The gospel message is also included in the shoeboxes so that these children would know of God's love for them and receive Him into their hearts. Wonderfully 175 shoeboxes were collected this year (exceeding our goal of 150) to extend the reach of the gospel. We also recently completed our Mercy & Justice - Shepherd's Pantry Toy Drive in which more than 50 toys were collected in November and December for needy families as Christmas gifts for their children.
Once again, our congregation gave generously to share God's love and blessing. In addition, 20 church members volunteered at the Shepherd's Pantry event last week helping to greet families, watch the kids, organize toys, run the book table, help with crafts, serve refreshments, and wrap presents. It has been beautiful to see our church members give generously and serve selflessly in these two projects.
Of course, there are many other ways God wants us to exercise justice and mercy to the poor and needy (during Christmas and throughout the year) but these are just a couple of recent examples where our church family has demonstrated these traits and exemplified Christ's spirit. While it's impossible to meet all of the material needs of those in our local and global community, as God gives us opportunity, let us be people who are determined to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.
Pastor Darren
