A Sermon to Live By

I know I’ve shared this before, but it is close to my heart. I still have my grandfather’s Bible—or at least the one he had with him on the day he passed away in early March of 1996. That morning, it lay open to the book of Micah, chapter 6, with verses 6–8 underlined:

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?

Next to that verse, he had penned the words: “Live by this…”

My grandfather served as a minister his entire adult life, even well into retirement. Though my grandmother would be the first to tell you he was far from perfect, his life truly did reflect the imperative of that verse.

His deep compassion for others and humility before God often led him to take action that left the world a little better than he found it.

At first, I thought the note in his Bible was just a reminder to himself. But I now realize it was his final sermon to our family. And today, it is a sermon for you.

Three simple—but profound—imperatives: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with the Lord your God.

Let us pray: Loving God, we want to live in a world that is kind and not arrogant; Where compassion and love flow freely; And where all your children, across the globe, are able to live with dignity. Grant us your grace that we might work with you in this endeavor. We lift up to you today those carrying heavy burdens, those who have lost loved ones, those who are lonely, and those searching for answers. Rest your loving Spirit upon them—and upon us—even now. Amen.