God's One Message to the World

A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Randy Hammer, September 15, 2019

Micah 6:1-2, 8; Matthew 22:35-40 ESV

 So, the world has a host of major religions, and many of those major religions are divided into a plethora of denominations (as in the Christian religion) or sub groups or sects or factions or independent congregations. And every one of these religious groups, no matter how large or small, believes and may proclaim that their beliefs, teachings, and doctrines constitute the absolute truth of God.  Many religious groups may go so far as to say, “Thus says the Lord!” or “THIS is God’s Word!”

And it is a tenet of most sacred texts of these different religions that the words contained within them were either dictated by God or that God divinely inspired the writers.

The problem is that religious group A’s “thus says the Lord” or “this is God’s Word” may be in direct opposition to religious group B’s “thus says the Lord” or “this is God’s Word.”

Indeed, the fact that there are so many different splinter groups in so many different religions is indicative of the fact that each one feels they have a hold on the truth and speak on God’s behalf.  Sometimes the splitting in churches or other religious groups comes down to personality clashes within the group’s leadership, or something as trivial as what paint color will be used to paint the sanctuary or fellowship hall.  But many times church splits result because one group feels they have been enlightened by God and are God’s chosen vessel for the truth, so they split away from the mother church or larger religious group in order to establish down the road a new, more perfect, more enlightened church or religious group.

To cite just two examples, such is why we have so many different Presbyterian denominations in America and why we have so many different Baptist groups as well.  Each one feels that they have a better understanding and interpretation of God’s Word and will to the world than all the others.  And so it is with other denominations as well.

And such also accounts for many of the religious wars down through history.  How many times have religious zealots gone to battle against another religious group over beliefs about God, dogma, and doctrine?

Well, here is the big question: If God actually has spoken to the world, then why did God impart so many different, contradictory messages to the world?  If God did actually convey God’s Word to humankind, then why are there a thousand or more different versions of God’s Word being proclaimed throughout the world as the Word or truth of God?  What do we make of it all?  Is the situation such that God had a hard time getting the message straight from one group or one time period to another?  Or that the mind of God keeps changing?  I think not.

Or could the fault be within us, within humanity, and the fact that we don’t hear correctly, or that we choose to hear what we want to hear, or that we are tempted to devise a message and convince ourselves that this constitutes God’s Word and will to us and to the whole world as well?

Well, what got me to thinking about this was listening to a podcast in which Oprah interviewed Joan Chittister.  And I listened to that podcast because one of the United Church New Horizon Book Club members loaned me a recent book by Joan Chittister that they have just read and discussed titled The Time Is Now: A Call for Uncommon Courage.  She suggested that I listen to the podcast as a good background before reading the book. 

Joan Chittister is a Benedictine Sister and director of a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality, and an internationally known lecturer and writer, having authored 50 books.

And the statement that Sister Joan made in that podcast that got me to thinking had to do with so many different religious groups in the world, and all of them claiming to know and proclaim the truth.  And the question that surfaced in that podcast was, “Why wouldn’t we understand that this one God would have one message for humankind?”

If, indeed, the voice of God were to blast forth from the sky as from a giant emergency system megaphone to speak one simple, pure, universal message to the world, what would that message be?  Well, Sister Joan’s answer, in one word, is compassion.  “That one message would be compassion,” she says.  And Oprah quickly adds, “or love.”  She goes on in the podcast to elaborate that compassion is to be found in all major religious traditions and can be found, if we look for it, in their religious texts.  This is true for Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and so on.

Well, in searching the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures for what I feel comes closest to what might constitute “God’s one message to the world,” I first turned to the iconic passage in Micah.  Micah 6:8 is one of the few Bible verses written on the walls in the US Library of Congress.  “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with thy God (Micah 6:8).”  It seems to me that in this one verse the prophet summed up the heart and soul of the Jewish religion.  But the verse could also serve as a blanket rule for living for those of all religions and all peoples in general, it seems to me. 

First, do justly, or do justice.  Justice is an action verb.  It is not just well wishes or empathy for those who are in need, who are victims of oppression, and so on.  Micah’s call is for people “to work for fairness and equality for all, particularly the weak and the powerless who are exploited by others.”¹  The import here is the injunction to not only be concerned about, but to do whatever we can do – no matter how small we may think it to be – to work for the just thing, the right thing for every one of God’s children, not just those who look and live like we do.  And so, in whatever way we can, we stand up for the rights of the handicapped and disabled, minorities, immigrants, migrant farm workers, children, sexually exploited, and so on.  Do justice.

Second, love mercy (KJV), or love kindness (as many more modern translations render it).  The Hebrew word used in the original text is hesed, the closest meaning of which is “loving kindness;” hence, the reason that many translations render the word “love kindness” or “loving kindness.”  The injunction is to daily live a life of kindness toward others – toward all others in our circle of acquaintances, as well as anyone else we encounter.  A cardinal rule for living should be living a life of kindness to ALL people,  all creatures, and to be kind to creation or the earth itself.  In so many ways, we have failed, and we are failing, to be kind to other peoples in the world, to the creatures of the world, and to the earth itself.

One of the two universal, cardinal rules of living, according to Jesus, is love for neighbor and living a life of compassion (as exemplified in the Parable of the Good Samaritan).

Third, walk humbly with God.  The meaning of the original is to “go with,” as in daily walking with God in fellowship and companionship and doing in our lives what God would have us do.  It is to walk in integrity, in faithfulness, in harmony, as we would do with that closest friend. 

Again, the other cardinal rule for living, according to Jesus, is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, which is very similar in practice.

As one biblical commentator has put it, “These key verses from Micah are about lifestyle, one’s total outlook on life, and one’s ethical values.”²  

Now, I realize that my interpretation of what God’s one message to the world would be – to do justice, love kindness or mercy, and to love and walk humbly with God – is somewhat subjective, coming from my own tradition.  But as suggested earlier, we find these same teachings in other world religions.

From the Buddhist tradition, we read these words from the Dali Lama: “Just as we take for granted the need to acquire proficiency in the basic academic subjects, I am hopeful that a time will come when we can take it for granted that children will learn, as part of the curriculum, the indispensability of inner values: love, compassion, justice, and forgiveness.”   And “All religions try to benefit people, with the same basic message of the need for love and compassion, for justice and honesty, for contentment.”

From Islam we read these words: “Show integrity . . . bearing witness with justice.  Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just.  Be just.”  And “Kindness is a mark of faith.  And whoever is not kind has no faith.”

From the Hindu tradition we read, “It is impossible that God, who is the God of Justice, could have made the distinctions that men observe today in the name of religion.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Does it not make sense to you that if the one God has, indeed, communicated to the world, that there would be one common message to all humanity, and not a mixed message or contradictory messages?  I believe there is.  And if that is so, shouldn’t we be inquisitive enough and diligent enough to discover it and then to abide by it?

Micah’s one sentence sermon issuing the call to do justice and to love mercy or kindness, and Jesus’ emphasis upon compassion and love for God and neighbor seems to me to be a good starting place and a good foundation upon which to build our lives and, it seems to me, comes about as close as anything as being God’s one message to the world.  Amen.

^{1 and 2}Daniel J. Simundson, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. VII.  Nashville: Abingdon, 1996.  P. 580.