South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge

                                                                              What Does the Lord Require of You?

Greetings Beloved. As the season of light continues, we are invited to two among some of my favorite biblical passages to engage in this week. Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, and the prophet Micah offers a way of living that honours God and all of Creation.  (Micah 6: 1 – 8)

Micah wrote in the eighth century BCE, when Israel and Judah were both seriously threatened by the Assyrian army. Micah sees this threat as the consequence of the people’s failure to live justly and to worship properly.                                                       

In the reading, a court room scene is described, with God as the prosecutor and the mountains as the judge. When God speaks (vs. 1-5) there is a note of frustration and anguish; God is upset that after doing so much for the people they have turned away to other things or have worshiped in other ways. In verses 6-9, someone responds in an attempt to re-establish the relationship. Here it becomes clear that what God requires is not what traditional wisdom would expect. Instead of strictly following religious rituals, God wants the people to live differently: to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God.

The loyalty to the covenant with God requires justice, kindness, and humility. Micah is reminding the community of the covenant obligations and is offering a fresh take on our response to the covenant, one that is engaging, performative and active.

Micah’s words also speak to us today in the midst of all that challenges and blesses us. He maintains that outward expressions of religiosity are valueless unless they are matched by everyday living that does justice and loves kindness. If we truly want to worship God and follow Jesus it must show in our lives, as we take care of ourselves, our neighbours and the neighbourhood.

Then, imagine, as we seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly we might give birth to an emerging world where people can find their inner peace at will, where all children grow up learning to solve their problems in peaceful, cooperative ways, where we honour the diversity of our human family and build roadways and bridges of understanding instead of walls of separation, where non-violence replaces violence as a core value of all cultures, where social and economic justice and human rights are honoured through right relations and just institutional systems and structures throughout all societies…. Hmm… imagine….and then, ponder,                                                                                                                                    What does the Lord require of you?

May light, love and peace shine brighter than ever before in you, and in the world around us.

 With love,                               PT.

                                                                                   CONTACTS FOR CEMETERY BOARDS

COURTLAND UNITED CEMETERY:        Wayne Cadman   519-688-2345      

CULTUS  CEMETERY:                 Linda Millen  519-875-4657     

South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge...We Are Linked In LOVE!!

CULTUS UNITED CHURCH: Located at  748-6th Concession Road ENR, Cultus, Ontario     WORSHIPS on Sundays at  9:00am        

COURTLAND UNITED CHURCH: Located at 133 Talbot Street, Courtland, Ontario            WORSHIPS on SUNDAYS AT 10:30am           

Our Mission Statement:   The South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge is called to be a Christian community empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit and to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

CONTACT US:   EMAIL: swnpc@yahoo.ca                  Office Phone: 519-688-4050

**** FOR ALL PASTORAL EMERGENCIES  PASTOR TED can be reached at  519-861-9273 ****

OUR MAILING ADDRESS:  South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge, P.O.Box 129, 119 Talbot Road, Courtland, On., N0J1E0

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