What the Lord Requires
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For February 1, 2026:
What the Lord Requires
by Dean Feldmeyer
Micah 6:1-8
When you become a big celebrity with the ability to pull in millions of dollars in ticket sales, you can make some pretty wild demands on concert promoters and sponsors. Those demands are called “riders” because they are usually tacked onto the contract after the important things (read: money) have been hammered out. Some riders are extravagant and absurd; others are fairly simple.
Christina Aguilera requires a police escort to and from the concert venue so that “under no circumstances are her vehicles to be allowed to encounter any delays due to traffic.”
Taylor Swift requires Starbucks. Specifically, 1 Grande ICED Caramel Latte with 2 Sweet-N-Lows, 1 Grande ICED Americano with 2 Sweet-N-Lows and soy milk, and 1 slice of Pumpkin loaf. All delivered by 11am.
Rihanna requires one large fur rug (preferably animal-printed) for her to walk on barefoot.
Jay-Z requires seven dressing rooms and some “good quality peanut butter and good quality jelly” for making his favorite PBJ sandwiches.
Cher requires a separate hotel room for her wigs.
According to the prophet, Micah, God’s covenant has only three, simple riders.
In the News
Bon Jovi requires bowls of M&Ms with all the green ones removed.
Beyonce requires that her dressing room be kept at a constant temperature of 78 degrees.
Adele requires a pack of Marlboro Lights and a lighter plus two bottles of “the best quality Californian red wine and one bottle of the best quality Californian Sauvignon Blanc white wine (chilled). AND NO CHARDONNAY!”
Justin Bieber requires ten luxury sedans, a massage table, and a private jet on standby for any of his travel desires.
Guy Fieri requires a restaurant to close for two to four days to film a 15 minute segment on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
It’s not just celebrities whose requirements are often absurd.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller claims local and state police in Minneapolis have been required to “stand down and surrender” to the feds despite the fact that under the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution, the federal government doesn’t have the authority to order local law enforcement officers to “stand down.”
Federal prosecutors under the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi are requiring Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, to provide evidence that they did not obstruct federal law enforcement during immigration operations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
President Donald Trump requires nothing less than absolute fealty, unquestioning loyalty, and total obedience from his fellow Republicans. When his former supporter Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced that she was not going to run for re-election because she could no longer support MAGA’s role in the government shutdown, the refusal of the Republican party to come up with a plan to help people who were losing health care because of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” and the lack of Republican support for releasing the Epstein files, he attacked in social media with barrages of insults and half-truths.
Even I, your humble contributor to this column, have certain requirements for my study and writing space: a 3"x4" bulletin board, my HP laptop computer, yellow Post-its, No. 2 pencils, manilla file folders. I love to cook, but to work my culinary magic I require a good quality, nonstick, 10-inch skillet. It’s non-negotiable.
That’s the world we live in, where requirements are sometimes reasonable but more often complex and difficult, and sometimes vague and just plain absurd.
Micah says that God’s requirements on the other hand, are simple and easy: Do what is just. Love what is kind. Walk humbly with God.
Okay, simple, maybe. Easy-peasy? Sometimes not.
In the Scripture
The prophet, Micah, is one of the twelve “minor” prophets, so called because the books they provide are all relatively short. That does not mean that their witnesses are unimportant, however.
Micah prophesied in Judah from roughly 730-701 BCE, making him a younger contemporary of First Isaiah (of Jerusalem). His home was in Moresheth, a village just southwest of the capital city. Other than that, little is known about him except what we can infer from his preaching. He identified with the plight of the poor; he was called by YHWH to prophesy; he was angry with the Judean leaders, whose selfishness and lack of compassion was leading to what he predicted would be the destruction of Jerusalem.
He, or perhaps he and Isaiah together, must have been effective preachers because the record shows that King Hezekiah heeded their preaching and turned to the Lord, thus averting the disaster(s) they predicted.
While the little book of Micah contains much meat for the theologically hungry mind, selections from it appear only three times in the three-year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary:
Everybody loves a good courtroom drama and the prophet offers us one in today’s reading.
Verses 1-2
The setting is a courtroom. The mountains and hills who have been around for thousands of years and seen it all are the jury. YHWH has brought suit against his people. They have accused God of being unjust, but they have broken the covenant and have suffered the consequences that were expressly stated in the contract, so God, therefore, cannot be judged to be unjust. (Q.E.D.)
The people argue, however, that, to paraphrase Gilbert and Sullivan, the punishment does not fit the crime. Other neighboring nations are even more reprehensible than Judah, they argue, but God does nothing to them. They flourish. They live comfortably and well while God’s people suffer. Therefore, God is unjust.
Verses 3-5
Now God makes God’s case. Listen to the emotional pleading in God’s voice: What have I done to you that is so unjust? How have I burdened you? Answer if you can, if you dare.
I delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians, out of slavery, and gave you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam as your leaders and examples. Is that it? Is the freedom I gave you too burdensome? Is the leadership of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam too long ago for you to remember? Do I overtax your memory by asking you to remember them?
When King Balak hired the magician Balaam to speak a curse against you, I turned it into a blessing. Would you have preferred the curse instead?
When you crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land between Shittim and Gilgal, was the crossing too difficult for you? The water too cold, the current too strong? Would you rather go back in the other direction?
Have you forgotten all my acts of saving grace? Have all these things just slipped your mind?
Verses 6-7
The people respond that God is unjust because God asks too much of the people in return for these admittedly nice things God has done. It’s just that there’s no pleasing God. The demands are too great. What’s it going to take, they ask, to satisfy YHWY? What is required so God will get off our backs and stop punishing us for every little infraction?
They resort to hyperbole: Will burnt offerings and calves a year old suffice? (A common sacrifice.) Apparently not because we already do that and God isn’t satisfied. So how about a few thousand rams or ten thousand rivers of precious oil?
And now they really ratchet it up. They throw down and insult by comparing God to the false gods of neighboring nations, gods who require human sacrifice. Are you just like all those other Gods, they ask, selfish and cruel and false?
Verse 8
Now, Micah, the judge steps forth and renders his judgement: He. Has. Told. You. What. Is. Required. Not rituals and ceremonies and expensive sacrifices and expansive prayers. No! This is what God requires: Three simple things, three things that have been spoken by the prophets for centuries and ignored by you, God’s people. So let us reiterate them, here.
In the Sermon
Every once in a while, we come across a biblical text that cries out for an exegetical sermon, one that leads the listener on a walk through the verses, unfolding and unpacking each one as they come. Micah 6:1-8 is such a passage.
Then, when the journey nears its completion, to a conclusion that brings the point soundly home:
So, which comes first, God’s salvific acts or the righteousness of the people who are saved? The passage makes it clear that God is the first actor in salvation history.
It was YHWH who brought the people up out of Egypt and delivered them from slavery. It was YHWH who saved them from the curse of Balaam. It was YHWH who brought them through the Red Sea and across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.
And only then did God say what God expected in return. Daniel J. Simundson, in his commentary on the book of Micah (The New Interpreter’s Bible) concludes his comments beautifully: “These key verses from Micah are about lifestyle, one’s total outlook on life, and one’s ethical values. They reject the simplistic notion that there is one thing Israel [or we] can do (ritually or otherwise) to make things right between God and the people.”
The eternally authentic life is constructed of three simple, though not always easy things: Justice. Kindness. Humility.
General concepts to be sure. God leaves the details to be figured out, worked out by us in whatever context we find ourselves. And it is in that working out that we find ourselves on the road to God’s kingdom.
SECOND THOUGHTS
Resisting The Storms of Winter
by Chris Keating
Matthew 5:1-12,Psalm 15
Frigid storms have raced across the United States, resulting in deaths, historic disruptions, and public safety concerns.
But before we get to politics, can we talk about the weather?
Last week’s big chill swept across the United States. It caused at least 21 deaths along a 1,300-mile swath from Arkansas to New England. Almost every state east of the Rocky Mountains was impacted by heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures. It disrupted nearly every part of life — cancelling church, closing schools, and sending thousands off in a panic-buying spree for the quintessential snow day French Toast ingredients.
It’s the sort of storm kids will be talking about for decades.
Meanwhile, however, another prolonged winter storm has gripped the attention of America. As federal agents continue to storm through large cities, bands of resistance have begun to form. Hundreds of clergy staged a sit-in at the Minneapolis airport, while others marched in protest. As temperatures sank well below zero, another person was killed by ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis.
The Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement actions have propelled the country into a realm of fear encased by icy-cold disruptions and even death. American citizens have been detained and denied legal representation. Enforcement actions included detaining a five-year-old child as officers circle school grounds. While the polar winds of winter will soon abate, the storm over immigration and unchecked executive power shows few signs of weakening.
“They’re causing chaos, and unfortunately it’s costing lives,” said Oscar Hagelsieb, a former career immigration officer and special agent, who supported Trump in the 2024 election. He says he now feels anger and despair at the administration’s hard-edged approach to immigration enforcement.
Among those forecasting this year’s winter of discontent was Episcopalian Bishop Mariann Budde. Her sermon at last year’s presidential inauguration prayer service implored President Trump to choose mercy over retribution. She later described her sermon as her obligation to fulfil her pastoral duty. Her duty to speak the “kind of truth that makes us all uncomfortable” evoked Jesus’ proclamation of a topsy-turvy kingdom at odds with the empires of the world.
It is that sort of vision that is at the heart of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These first words of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel form the foundation from which the rest of the narrative flows. Matthew sets the stage for a community of disciples empowered to withstand the chilly blasts of empire. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer described it, the sermon sets forth a vision of the “extraordinary life” of Christian community.
Decades ago, popular television evangelist Robert Schuller gathered these sayings into a bestselling self-help book designed to provide the answer to the ever-elusive question of human happiness. Schuller’s “turn your scars into stars” philosophy offered encouragement to the discontented. Released in 1985, Schuller’s Be (Happy) Attitudes offered his winsome counsel on remaining positive in the face of persecution.
The sales helped secure Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral — for a time. Though Schuller’s ministry collapsed, the building itself became the spiritual home for California’s Orange County Roman Catholics.
Matthew reminds us that discipleship involves more than applying rosy hued cosmetics. Tuning the Beatitudes to sing the power of positivity misses the point. Instead, Jesus offers a reminder that the kingdom of God has drawn near. He speaks to those whose lives are surrounded by fear and pain. He chooses to have a sit down conversation with disciples who are yearning for more than cheery optimism. Up on the mountain, he speaks directly to those fatigued by the struggle against empire.
Warren Carter notes that the common interpretation of “blessed” as “how happy” confers a misleading emotion-centered purpose to Jesus’ words (See Carter, Matthew and the Margins.) Instead, beatitudes declare God’s transformation of oppression and injustice. Jesus conveys God’s blessing upon the persecuted, the merciful, the pure in heart, and all who embody the peace God offers.
In other words, don’t mistake these assurances of God’s comfort for insulating blankets designed to warm our hearts. He’s not just saying, “Bless their hearts,” to borrow from Richard Newman’s poem.
Instead, Jesus offers the assurances of God’s presence that empowers those haunted by evil to resist. His words create community, weaving together a diverse fellowship created to resist the onslaught of human tyranny and oppression. Matthew 5 spells out the rudimentary form of blessed community. The rest of the gospel will continue to build that community, which will eventually be commissioned into the world.
Last year, an administrative judge in the New York City office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission noticed emails ordering judges to compile lists of cases involving LGBTQ discrimination. The emails were prompted by the Trump administration’s decision to only recognize two sexes, and ordered that all cases must be reviewed first by the EEOC’s office in Washington.
Judge Karen Ortiz was outraged. She responded by sending an email to the entire New York City office. “THIS IS NOT NORMAL,” read the subject line. “Please RESIST. DO NOT COMPLY WITH THEIR ILLEGAL MANDATES,” she wrote, “It’s time for us to embody the civil rights work we were hired to do and honor the oath to the Constitution that we all took.”
She was surprised that no one responded to her email, only to learn that her account had been turned off. Ortiz kept working, however, unafraid of the consequences. She later told The New York Times, “The unknown was not as scary as being complicit and not speaking up. I can exist on cornflakes and community at the end of the day if it means that my soul is intact.”
That’s what it takes — cornflakes and community, though many will scoff at the simplicity of God’s provision. Yet all throughout the gospel the call to resist will be declared by the testimony of those who have been fed by bread and wine and bathed in the baptism of community. Such simple things, transformed by the Spirit. Rejoice, and be glad, for the springtime of faith shall endure.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Silly Socks
True wisdom looks silly at first, as Paul writes here. Ellen Hendriksen tells the story of eighteen-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then still Lewis Alcindor, as he sat on a bench awaiting the start of his first practice of his first year at UCLA. “Everyone was buzzing with excitement. The greatest freshman squad in the history of basketball — Abdul-Jabbar, the most heavily recruited high school player in the nation, plus five high school all-Americans from across the country — was combining forces with the best collegiate basketball program in the world, headed by esteemed coach John Wooden.”
The team waited for Coach Wooden. “Anticipation filled the air. What would come next? A rousing pep talk? Pearls of wisdom? The team leaned forward, straining with excitement. Coach Wooden cleared his throat. “Today, we are going to learn how to put on our sneakers and socks correctly.” Abdul-Jabbar blinked. Wait, what? Everyone exchanged glances. “We are going to talk about tug and snug,” he said. He repeated himself slowly, driving the point home: “Tug. And. Snug.” Coach Wooden stripped his own feet of his shoes and socks.”
This was the advice from their coach? “Each member of the team had come to UCLA as if on a pilgrimage, from all corners of the country. Some, including Abdul-Jabbar, had turned down full scholarships to be there. They had all come to learn at the feet of the great Coach Wooden, though they didn’t realize the experience would be quite so literal. “If you do not pull your socks on tightly, you’re likely to get wrinkles in them. Wrinkles cause blisters. Blisters force players to sit on the sideline. And players sitting on the sideline lose games. So we are not just going to tug. We are going to also make it snug.” He demonstrated, pulling on his own socks. The team copied his demonstration, tugging until their socks were snug. Unbeknownst to them, the team had been introduced to Coach Wooden’s signature style.”
Still ahead were ten national championships in twelve years, “including seven in a row, an untouched record to this day. Individually, Abdul-Jabbar would hold the NBA’s all-time scoring record for thirty-nine years, be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and, as an activist and humanitarian, receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” It all started with the socks. (from How to be Enough)
Wisdom? Foolishness? Hard to know at first.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Wisdom is Chasing You
Writing to the churches in Corinth, Paul reminds them that human wisdom is faulty, and God offers a different kind of wisdom. It’s so hard to recognize this wisdom that Kaji Dousa recalls a proverb that says: “Wisdom is chasing you, but you are faster.” We outrun the wisdom of God, failing to see it. Dousa writes, “Jesus grows frustrated with how much we miss the gifts God is offering. The people were scandalized by him, rejecting the healing right in front of them because it didn’t fit their expectations. They tripped over their own assumptions, outrunning the wisdom of his truth. Have you ever outrun your blessing? Wisdom was chasing you, but you were faster. The healing you needed was offered, but you resisted. So what do you do when you find yourself running? You stop. Running from your blessing is exhausting. It puts distance between you and the healing you need.”
Paul is urging the believers to stop running from God’s wisdom. Dousa says, “Here’s the good news: Try as you might, you’ll never outrun God. God is behind you, but God is also before you. God is even within you. You will never outrun God. Stop. Just for a moment. And watch what God will do.”
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Loneliness and Wisdom
God’s wisdom doesn’t make sense by the world’s measure, as Paul tells the people in Corinth. One curious part of wisdom is that it thrives on connection. Author Julia Biard says, “Lonely people are more likely to cheat, think worse of others, and suffer from a range of physical and mental health issues — even moderate loneliness can make us sick. And, curiously, the lonelier we are, the less wise we are. Researchers compared loneliness in two starkly different populations, one in Cilento, in rural southern Italy, and one in San Diego, in the United States. In both groups, they found that the more wisdom an individual had, the less lonely they felt.”
Wisdom is connected to faith and grace in mysterious ways. Baird says, “The study defined wisdom as having several components — all of which stoke grace — including empathy, compassion, self-reflection, and emotional regulation or discipline, with the first two having the strongest inverse correlation with loneliness. Be kind to people, listen to people, try to understand their point of view, and you will be wiser and less lonely.
Wisdom also meant people slept better and were healthier. The designer of the study, Dr. Dilip Jeste, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, says wisdom and loneliness do not seem to coexist: “In other words, wiser people don’t feel lonely and vice versa. Obviously, this doesn’t prove that increasing wisdom will reduce loneliness, but it certainly points in that direction…It is logical to expect that wisdom will counter loneliness.” (from Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything)
As Paul says, that looks like foolishness to the world.
* * *
Mathew 5:1-12
Strange Blessings
Jesus is giving the people listening a reset on the sorrows in their lives, reminding them of God’s presence in all the hardships we would never choose for ourselves. Melody Beattie shares the story of a similar reset in her own life, in a time when she was ready to give up.
At first, stuck in her misery, she says, “I returned to my nightly ritual of sitting on the living room floor not counting my blessings. The more I focused on what I hated and despised about my life, the more miserable I felt. One evening, while contemplating how much I hated this house and my life, another idea occurred. I had been practicing misery every night by focusing on everything I hated. I’ve practiced misery with discipline, I thought. Did a good job of it, too. But all it did was make everything worse. What if instead of griping, I practiced gratitude? Not the “count my blessings” thing. What if I practiced gratitude for everything just as it is — for what I hated and disliked? What if I practiced gratitude for how much I despised that ugly orange carpet, the holes in the walls, and all the wallpaper that soaked up the paint? What would happen if I plastered gratitude over every negative thought and emotion? Instead of just counting my blessings, I’d be grateful for everything, especially what I didn’t appreciate. It sounded crazy, but except for my misery, I had nothing to lose.”
She adds, “I didn’t expect myself to feel grateful or feel gratitude. This time, I’d let myself feel whatever I felt.” (from Make Miracles in Forty Days: Turning What You Have into What You Want) To her surprise, things began to shift, bit by bit, as she gave thanks for what was already there in her life, even with all of the pain.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Micah 6:1-8
Only twenty of the book of the Micah’s 105 verses appear during the three-year Revised Common Lectionary. Four of those verses foretell Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah (5:2-5). Eight of those verses are judgment against false prophets (3:5-12). Eight of those verses are today’s lection, by far the most familiar and quoted passage from Micah (6:1-8).
There are few more concise passages that offer guidance for life than Micah 6:8:
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?
Perhaps an examination of the other parts of Micah, the parts that are not cherry-picked to use as prooftexts is in order.
Micah, מיקה , in Hebrew is a rhetorical question: “Who is like Yah(weh)?” and the answer is, of course, no one. He was a contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos. He was from rural, southwest Judah. The lectionary reading from chapter 3 is a prophecy of destruction to Jerusalem because of its corruption. Their leaders had taken bribes and neglected the poor. The prophecy concludes with words that the prophet Jeremiah will cite 70-100 years later, against King Hezekiah:
Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins…
(Micah 3:12 & Jeremiah 26:18)
* * *
Psalm 15
Okay, David, the righteous, blameless ones can abide in God’s tent and dwell on the Holy Hill. The righteous and blameless ones, that is, the innocent, they do not slander, they are not despised by the Lord. Well, good for you, David. Now about Uriah, your military commander, husband of Bathsheba… You may want to read 2 Samuel 11:1-27 for an account of how very virtuous King David was.
And another thing: the righteous do not lend money at interest. Hmm, does this apply to us? My church was able to balance its budget last year because interest income was stronger than expected. Surely we’re not unrighteous for benefitting from interest, are we? I mean, our hands are clean and we could dwell on the Holy Hill, couldn’t we?
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Paul sets up a contrast for the Corinthian Christians. After admonishing them for being divided in last week’s lection from 1 Corinthians, he puts them in two broad camps: Jews wanted signs and Greeks wanted wisdom; both were disappointed by the cross. It was an illogical display of weakness! That’s crazy talk, Paul! The irony of the cross was a way to make both camps recognize that God is beyond their understanding, certainly their control.
We know this is true from the songs we sing. Fifty years age I sang, “they will know we are Christians by our love.” We didn’t sing “they will know we are Christians by our erudite explication of the Trinity.” Knowledge thinks for itself, it puffs up, Paul writes elsewhere; love thinks of others. That’ll preach.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
Ooh, the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount. I have always found this a very difficult text to preach. After all, what can I add to make it clearer and more concise? Scholars contend that the Sermon on the Mount was never delivered as it appears in Matthew 5:1--7:27. It is, rather, a collection of Jesus’ sayings compiled here in three short chapters.
I have heard two preachers imagine reading the Sermon on the Mount as their sermon some Sunday. Maybe when they’ve had a full week, and not time to prepare a sermon, they’ve dreamed about entering the pulpit and reciting the Sermon on the Mount. Would the people recognize it? Would it inspire and challenge them? Would they see through the guise of homiletic laziness? Could one be accused of plagiarism for preaching it? What if it was appropriately cited?
While not part of today’s lection, you may want reference Matthew 5:43-44 about loving one’s enemies. Jesus told his followers to do this. The President, at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, said he hates his enemies. I cannot remember a clearer denial of the gospel.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:
Micah 6:1-8
God, who is immortal, stands in contrast to the mortals asking if we are weary of God. Are we weary of God? Are we tired of God’s immortality? Are we weary of divine help? Are we weary of worship? In a world where empathy is publicized as a sin, perhaps we would prefer a God who makes material demands of us, instead of emotional ones. Yet God confronts us, and our mortality, making it clear that the material goods that we value fall by the wayside against the justice, kindness, and mercy God requests.
* * *
Corinthians 1:18-31
Why do we keep trying to evaluate God by human standards? God is not measuring us that way. God’s power is not human power. When God chooses the meek and lowly, God is not reduced, but becomes more powerful. God’s power is not dependent upon us succeeding. This may be the most mind-blowing thing of all.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
I’m trying to imagine what it’s like to have Jesus say the beatitudes in the US today — with a voice full of teaching and compassion.
Blessed are the immigrants — for they will have a home in heaven.
Blessed are the imprisoned — for they will be the liberators.
Blessed are those who ache for justice — for they will become healers.
Blessed are the elders and teacher of the movement — for you have the ear of the Lord.
Blessed are you who cry and rage — the Holy Spirit will provide consolation.
Blessed are the protestors — or they will be the creators of joy.
Blessed are those are hurt in defense of those who are persecuted — yours is the path to heaven. You will be dancing with the saints.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O God, who may abide in your tent or dwell on your holy hill?
All: Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right.
One: Those who speak the truth from their heart;
All: Those who do not slander with their tongue.
One: Those who do no evil to their friends nor shame their neighbors;
All: Those who do these things shall never be moved.
OR
One: God comes to transform our hearts and lives in love.
All: We are in need of God’s redeeming work in us.
One: Open your hearts to God’s love which makes all things new.
All: We open our hearts and lives to God’s renewing love.
One: Transformed we will seek justice, kindness, and humility.
All: With God’s help we will seek these in all our lives.
Hymns and Songs
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
GTG: 12
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
God of the Sparrow God of the Whale
UMH: 122
PH: 272
GTG: 22
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELW: 740
W&P: 29
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
GTG: 734
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
Jesus Calls Us
UMH: 398
H82: 549/550
GTG: 720
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171/172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELW: 696
W&P: 345
AMEC: 238
Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
UMH: 402
PH: 372
GTG: 729
AAHH: 463
NNBH: 156
NCH: 454
CH: 589
W&P: 457
AMEC: 282
Renew: 174
The Gift of Love
UMH: 408
GTG: 693
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 51
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
GTG: 343
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELW: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
Let There Be Peace of Earth
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
UMH: 629
PH: 521
GTG: 523
CH: 429
ELW: 484
W&P: 705
Una Espiga (Sheaves of Summer)
UMH: 637
PH: 518
GTG: 532
NCH: 338
CH: 396
Make Me a Servant
CCB: 90
Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord
CCB: 72
Renew: 188
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is ever striving to redeem and renew your creation:
Grant us the grace to allow you to renew our hearts
so that we may practice justice, kindness, and humility;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who comes to redeem and renew us. In your love you show us the way to a life that is full and abundant. Help us to allow you to renew us today. Give us hearts for justice, kindness, and humility. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we overlook injustice, mean spiritedness, and haughtiness.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are more concerned about singing the proper hymn than having our hearts transformed by your love. We are more concerned about the state of our investments that we are poverty and homelessness. We are more concerned about our standing in the community that about dignity of others. Renew your Spirit within us and transform our hearts to be like your heart so that we may love like you. Amen.
One: God’s heart of love yearns for us to be transformed into love. Receive God’s blessed Spirit and share God’s love with all.
Prayers of the People
We lift our hearts and our voices in praise to you, O God, who constantly seeks to redeem your people. Your love is the constant in the midst of an ever changing cosmos.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are more concerned about singing the proper hymn than having our hearts transformed by your love. We are more concerned about the state of our investments that we are poverty and homelessness. We are more concerned about our standing in the community that about dignity of others. Renew your Spirit within us and transform our hearts to be like your heart so that we may love like you.
We give you thanks for your great love which sustains all of creation. Your love is the power through which all things exist. We thank you for those who have allowed you to transform their hearts and lives with your loving kindness. We thank you for those who placed themselves in dangerous places to ensure that justice and kindness was available for others. We thank you for the kindness that people have shown us. We have been blessed to be able to share you loving kindness with others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who are being deprived of justice and kindness by those who do not know humility. We pray for those who live in fear in the midst of violence and chaos. We pray for those who risk everything to correct the wrongs in this world. We pray for courage for those of us who are afraid to speak your truth.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN’S SERMONS
Silly Socks and God's Wisdom
by Nazish Naseem
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Opening
Visual Aid: Hold up a pair of silly socks. Make sure they are colorful with fun patterns.
Good morning, everyone! Today, I want to share something that shows how loved and important God’s wisdom makes us feel. Have you ever worn funny or mismatched socks? (Pause for kids to respond.) Just as these silly socks can make us smile, God’s wisdom tells us that we are special to him because he chooses us!
Scripture Reading
Today, we’re going to learn about 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. In this passage, the Apostle Paul tells us that God’s wisdom is very different from what we might expect. Some people think they are clever and wise, but God’s surprising ways can fill us with wonder and excitement about his love!
The Message
God's Upside-Down Wisdom
Paul says that the message of the cross might seem foolish — like something that doesn't make sense at first — to some people. Imagine if someone told you that a king would save the world by being humble and dying on a cross! That sounds silly or confusing, right? But that’s exactly what Jesus did! His actions showed us what real love means, and they turned the world upside down. Just like sharing your toys or helping a friend can seem small but are actually big acts of love, God’s wisdom works in surprising and wonderful ways.
The Strong Made Weak
Some people believe they are strong because of their knowledge, money, or status. But God chose the weak and simple things to show his greatness. Just like these colorful socks may seem silly, God can use us, no matter how young or small we feel. Maybe you think you’re too little to help, but God can use your kindness to make a big difference — like sharing your toys or helping a friend — because his wisdom transforms our small acts into something wonderful!
God Chooses Us
Paul reminds us that God chooses those who are not considered wise or important by the world. You may feel like just a kid, but God sees you as someone very special. He loves you and wants to use you to show his love to others. So, don’t be afraid to be a little silly or different! Embrace who you are, just like I love wearing these silly socks!
Conclusion
So, the next time you see someone wearing silly socks, remember this message. God’s ways may seem foolish to some, but they are filled with power and love! You don’t have to be perfect or the strongest to follow God — just be yourself and trust in his wisdom.
Prayer
Let's fold our hands (fold your hands so children can copy you) and pray together. Dear God, thank you for your wonderful and surprising wisdom. Help us to remember that it’s okay to be different and that you can use us in amazing ways. Keep us joyful and open to your plans. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, February 1, 2026 issue.
Copyright 2026 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- What the Lord Requires by Dean Feldmeyer. The world’s requirements are often complex and difficult. God’s requirements are simple and easy. Kinda.
- Second Thoughts: Resisting The Storms of Winter by Chris Keating. Jesus does not offer a cheery optimism to those enduring the cold blasts of injustice. More than an insulating blanket of hope, the Beatitudes create communities of resistance.
- Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, and Katy Stenta.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children’s sermons: Silly Socks and God's Wisdom by Nazish Naseem based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.
What the Lord Requiresby Dean Feldmeyer
Micah 6:1-8
When you become a big celebrity with the ability to pull in millions of dollars in ticket sales, you can make some pretty wild demands on concert promoters and sponsors. Those demands are called “riders” because they are usually tacked onto the contract after the important things (read: money) have been hammered out. Some riders are extravagant and absurd; others are fairly simple.
Christina Aguilera requires a police escort to and from the concert venue so that “under no circumstances are her vehicles to be allowed to encounter any delays due to traffic.”
Taylor Swift requires Starbucks. Specifically, 1 Grande ICED Caramel Latte with 2 Sweet-N-Lows, 1 Grande ICED Americano with 2 Sweet-N-Lows and soy milk, and 1 slice of Pumpkin loaf. All delivered by 11am.
Rihanna requires one large fur rug (preferably animal-printed) for her to walk on barefoot.
Jay-Z requires seven dressing rooms and some “good quality peanut butter and good quality jelly” for making his favorite PBJ sandwiches.
Cher requires a separate hotel room for her wigs.
According to the prophet, Micah, God’s covenant has only three, simple riders.
In the News
Bon Jovi requires bowls of M&Ms with all the green ones removed.
Beyonce requires that her dressing room be kept at a constant temperature of 78 degrees.
Adele requires a pack of Marlboro Lights and a lighter plus two bottles of “the best quality Californian red wine and one bottle of the best quality Californian Sauvignon Blanc white wine (chilled). AND NO CHARDONNAY!”
Justin Bieber requires ten luxury sedans, a massage table, and a private jet on standby for any of his travel desires.
Guy Fieri requires a restaurant to close for two to four days to film a 15 minute segment on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
It’s not just celebrities whose requirements are often absurd.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller claims local and state police in Minneapolis have been required to “stand down and surrender” to the feds despite the fact that under the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution, the federal government doesn’t have the authority to order local law enforcement officers to “stand down.”
Federal prosecutors under the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi are requiring Minnesota officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, to provide evidence that they did not obstruct federal law enforcement during immigration operations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
President Donald Trump requires nothing less than absolute fealty, unquestioning loyalty, and total obedience from his fellow Republicans. When his former supporter Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced that she was not going to run for re-election because she could no longer support MAGA’s role in the government shutdown, the refusal of the Republican party to come up with a plan to help people who were losing health care because of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” and the lack of Republican support for releasing the Epstein files, he attacked in social media with barrages of insults and half-truths.
Even I, your humble contributor to this column, have certain requirements for my study and writing space: a 3"x4" bulletin board, my HP laptop computer, yellow Post-its, No. 2 pencils, manilla file folders. I love to cook, but to work my culinary magic I require a good quality, nonstick, 10-inch skillet. It’s non-negotiable.
That’s the world we live in, where requirements are sometimes reasonable but more often complex and difficult, and sometimes vague and just plain absurd.
Micah says that God’s requirements on the other hand, are simple and easy: Do what is just. Love what is kind. Walk humbly with God.
Okay, simple, maybe. Easy-peasy? Sometimes not.
In the Scripture
The prophet, Micah, is one of the twelve “minor” prophets, so called because the books they provide are all relatively short. That does not mean that their witnesses are unimportant, however.
Micah prophesied in Judah from roughly 730-701 BCE, making him a younger contemporary of First Isaiah (of Jerusalem). His home was in Moresheth, a village just southwest of the capital city. Other than that, little is known about him except what we can infer from his preaching. He identified with the plight of the poor; he was called by YHWH to prophesy; he was angry with the Judean leaders, whose selfishness and lack of compassion was leading to what he predicted would be the destruction of Jerusalem.
He, or perhaps he and Isaiah together, must have been effective preachers because the record shows that King Hezekiah heeded their preaching and turned to the Lord, thus averting the disaster(s) they predicted.
While the little book of Micah contains much meat for the theologically hungry mind, selections from it appear only three times in the three-year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary:
- Year A, Epiphany 4, Micah 6:1-8 -- our present reading.
- Year B, Advent 4 (Alternate OT Reading) Micah 5:2–5a
- Year C, Advent 1 (Alternate OT Reading) Micah 4:1–5 and Micah 6:1-8.
Everybody loves a good courtroom drama and the prophet offers us one in today’s reading.
Verses 1-2
The setting is a courtroom. The mountains and hills who have been around for thousands of years and seen it all are the jury. YHWH has brought suit against his people. They have accused God of being unjust, but they have broken the covenant and have suffered the consequences that were expressly stated in the contract, so God, therefore, cannot be judged to be unjust. (Q.E.D.)
The people argue, however, that, to paraphrase Gilbert and Sullivan, the punishment does not fit the crime. Other neighboring nations are even more reprehensible than Judah, they argue, but God does nothing to them. They flourish. They live comfortably and well while God’s people suffer. Therefore, God is unjust.
Verses 3-5
Now God makes God’s case. Listen to the emotional pleading in God’s voice: What have I done to you that is so unjust? How have I burdened you? Answer if you can, if you dare.
I delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians, out of slavery, and gave you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam as your leaders and examples. Is that it? Is the freedom I gave you too burdensome? Is the leadership of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam too long ago for you to remember? Do I overtax your memory by asking you to remember them?
When King Balak hired the magician Balaam to speak a curse against you, I turned it into a blessing. Would you have preferred the curse instead?
When you crossed the River Jordan into the Promised Land between Shittim and Gilgal, was the crossing too difficult for you? The water too cold, the current too strong? Would you rather go back in the other direction?
Have you forgotten all my acts of saving grace? Have all these things just slipped your mind?
Verses 6-7
The people respond that God is unjust because God asks too much of the people in return for these admittedly nice things God has done. It’s just that there’s no pleasing God. The demands are too great. What’s it going to take, they ask, to satisfy YHWY? What is required so God will get off our backs and stop punishing us for every little infraction?
They resort to hyperbole: Will burnt offerings and calves a year old suffice? (A common sacrifice.) Apparently not because we already do that and God isn’t satisfied. So how about a few thousand rams or ten thousand rivers of precious oil?
And now they really ratchet it up. They throw down and insult by comparing God to the false gods of neighboring nations, gods who require human sacrifice. Are you just like all those other Gods, they ask, selfish and cruel and false?
Verse 8
Now, Micah, the judge steps forth and renders his judgement: He. Has. Told. You. What. Is. Required. Not rituals and ceremonies and expensive sacrifices and expansive prayers. No! This is what God requires: Three simple things, three things that have been spoken by the prophets for centuries and ignored by you, God’s people. So let us reiterate them, here.
- Justice
- Kindness
- Humility
In the Sermon
Every once in a while, we come across a biblical text that cries out for an exegetical sermon, one that leads the listener on a walk through the verses, unfolding and unpacking each one as they come. Micah 6:1-8 is such a passage.
Then, when the journey nears its completion, to a conclusion that brings the point soundly home:
So, which comes first, God’s salvific acts or the righteousness of the people who are saved? The passage makes it clear that God is the first actor in salvation history.
It was YHWH who brought the people up out of Egypt and delivered them from slavery. It was YHWH who saved them from the curse of Balaam. It was YHWH who brought them through the Red Sea and across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.
And only then did God say what God expected in return. Daniel J. Simundson, in his commentary on the book of Micah (The New Interpreter’s Bible) concludes his comments beautifully: “These key verses from Micah are about lifestyle, one’s total outlook on life, and one’s ethical values. They reject the simplistic notion that there is one thing Israel [or we] can do (ritually or otherwise) to make things right between God and the people.”
The eternally authentic life is constructed of three simple, though not always easy things: Justice. Kindness. Humility.
General concepts to be sure. God leaves the details to be figured out, worked out by us in whatever context we find ourselves. And it is in that working out that we find ourselves on the road to God’s kingdom.
SECOND THOUGHTSResisting The Storms of Winter
by Chris Keating
Matthew 5:1-12,Psalm 15
Frigid storms have raced across the United States, resulting in deaths, historic disruptions, and public safety concerns.
But before we get to politics, can we talk about the weather?
Last week’s big chill swept across the United States. It caused at least 21 deaths along a 1,300-mile swath from Arkansas to New England. Almost every state east of the Rocky Mountains was impacted by heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures. It disrupted nearly every part of life — cancelling church, closing schools, and sending thousands off in a panic-buying spree for the quintessential snow day French Toast ingredients.
It’s the sort of storm kids will be talking about for decades.
Meanwhile, however, another prolonged winter storm has gripped the attention of America. As federal agents continue to storm through large cities, bands of resistance have begun to form. Hundreds of clergy staged a sit-in at the Minneapolis airport, while others marched in protest. As temperatures sank well below zero, another person was killed by ICE agents on the streets of Minneapolis.
The Trump administration’s expanded immigration enforcement actions have propelled the country into a realm of fear encased by icy-cold disruptions and even death. American citizens have been detained and denied legal representation. Enforcement actions included detaining a five-year-old child as officers circle school grounds. While the polar winds of winter will soon abate, the storm over immigration and unchecked executive power shows few signs of weakening.
“They’re causing chaos, and unfortunately it’s costing lives,” said Oscar Hagelsieb, a former career immigration officer and special agent, who supported Trump in the 2024 election. He says he now feels anger and despair at the administration’s hard-edged approach to immigration enforcement.
Among those forecasting this year’s winter of discontent was Episcopalian Bishop Mariann Budde. Her sermon at last year’s presidential inauguration prayer service implored President Trump to choose mercy over retribution. She later described her sermon as her obligation to fulfil her pastoral duty. Her duty to speak the “kind of truth that makes us all uncomfortable” evoked Jesus’ proclamation of a topsy-turvy kingdom at odds with the empires of the world.
It is that sort of vision that is at the heart of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These first words of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel form the foundation from which the rest of the narrative flows. Matthew sets the stage for a community of disciples empowered to withstand the chilly blasts of empire. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer described it, the sermon sets forth a vision of the “extraordinary life” of Christian community.
Decades ago, popular television evangelist Robert Schuller gathered these sayings into a bestselling self-help book designed to provide the answer to the ever-elusive question of human happiness. Schuller’s “turn your scars into stars” philosophy offered encouragement to the discontented. Released in 1985, Schuller’s Be (Happy) Attitudes offered his winsome counsel on remaining positive in the face of persecution.
The sales helped secure Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral — for a time. Though Schuller’s ministry collapsed, the building itself became the spiritual home for California’s Orange County Roman Catholics.
Matthew reminds us that discipleship involves more than applying rosy hued cosmetics. Tuning the Beatitudes to sing the power of positivity misses the point. Instead, Jesus offers a reminder that the kingdom of God has drawn near. He speaks to those whose lives are surrounded by fear and pain. He chooses to have a sit down conversation with disciples who are yearning for more than cheery optimism. Up on the mountain, he speaks directly to those fatigued by the struggle against empire.
Warren Carter notes that the common interpretation of “blessed” as “how happy” confers a misleading emotion-centered purpose to Jesus’ words (See Carter, Matthew and the Margins.) Instead, beatitudes declare God’s transformation of oppression and injustice. Jesus conveys God’s blessing upon the persecuted, the merciful, the pure in heart, and all who embody the peace God offers.
In other words, don’t mistake these assurances of God’s comfort for insulating blankets designed to warm our hearts. He’s not just saying, “Bless their hearts,” to borrow from Richard Newman’s poem.
Instead, Jesus offers the assurances of God’s presence that empowers those haunted by evil to resist. His words create community, weaving together a diverse fellowship created to resist the onslaught of human tyranny and oppression. Matthew 5 spells out the rudimentary form of blessed community. The rest of the gospel will continue to build that community, which will eventually be commissioned into the world.
Last year, an administrative judge in the New York City office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission noticed emails ordering judges to compile lists of cases involving LGBTQ discrimination. The emails were prompted by the Trump administration’s decision to only recognize two sexes, and ordered that all cases must be reviewed first by the EEOC’s office in Washington.
Judge Karen Ortiz was outraged. She responded by sending an email to the entire New York City office. “THIS IS NOT NORMAL,” read the subject line. “Please RESIST. DO NOT COMPLY WITH THEIR ILLEGAL MANDATES,” she wrote, “It’s time for us to embody the civil rights work we were hired to do and honor the oath to the Constitution that we all took.”
She was surprised that no one responded to her email, only to learn that her account had been turned off. Ortiz kept working, however, unafraid of the consequences. She later told The New York Times, “The unknown was not as scary as being complicit and not speaking up. I can exist on cornflakes and community at the end of the day if it means that my soul is intact.”
That’s what it takes — cornflakes and community, though many will scoff at the simplicity of God’s provision. Yet all throughout the gospel the call to resist will be declared by the testimony of those who have been fed by bread and wine and bathed in the baptism of community. Such simple things, transformed by the Spirit. Rejoice, and be glad, for the springtime of faith shall endure.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Mary Austin:1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Silly Socks
True wisdom looks silly at first, as Paul writes here. Ellen Hendriksen tells the story of eighteen-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then still Lewis Alcindor, as he sat on a bench awaiting the start of his first practice of his first year at UCLA. “Everyone was buzzing with excitement. The greatest freshman squad in the history of basketball — Abdul-Jabbar, the most heavily recruited high school player in the nation, plus five high school all-Americans from across the country — was combining forces with the best collegiate basketball program in the world, headed by esteemed coach John Wooden.”
The team waited for Coach Wooden. “Anticipation filled the air. What would come next? A rousing pep talk? Pearls of wisdom? The team leaned forward, straining with excitement. Coach Wooden cleared his throat. “Today, we are going to learn how to put on our sneakers and socks correctly.” Abdul-Jabbar blinked. Wait, what? Everyone exchanged glances. “We are going to talk about tug and snug,” he said. He repeated himself slowly, driving the point home: “Tug. And. Snug.” Coach Wooden stripped his own feet of his shoes and socks.”
This was the advice from their coach? “Each member of the team had come to UCLA as if on a pilgrimage, from all corners of the country. Some, including Abdul-Jabbar, had turned down full scholarships to be there. They had all come to learn at the feet of the great Coach Wooden, though they didn’t realize the experience would be quite so literal. “If you do not pull your socks on tightly, you’re likely to get wrinkles in them. Wrinkles cause blisters. Blisters force players to sit on the sideline. And players sitting on the sideline lose games. So we are not just going to tug. We are going to also make it snug.” He demonstrated, pulling on his own socks. The team copied his demonstration, tugging until their socks were snug. Unbeknownst to them, the team had been introduced to Coach Wooden’s signature style.”
Still ahead were ten national championships in twelve years, “including seven in a row, an untouched record to this day. Individually, Abdul-Jabbar would hold the NBA’s all-time scoring record for thirty-nine years, be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and, as an activist and humanitarian, receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” It all started with the socks. (from How to be Enough)
Wisdom? Foolishness? Hard to know at first.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Wisdom is Chasing You
Writing to the churches in Corinth, Paul reminds them that human wisdom is faulty, and God offers a different kind of wisdom. It’s so hard to recognize this wisdom that Kaji Dousa recalls a proverb that says: “Wisdom is chasing you, but you are faster.” We outrun the wisdom of God, failing to see it. Dousa writes, “Jesus grows frustrated with how much we miss the gifts God is offering. The people were scandalized by him, rejecting the healing right in front of them because it didn’t fit their expectations. They tripped over their own assumptions, outrunning the wisdom of his truth. Have you ever outrun your blessing? Wisdom was chasing you, but you were faster. The healing you needed was offered, but you resisted. So what do you do when you find yourself running? You stop. Running from your blessing is exhausting. It puts distance between you and the healing you need.”
Paul is urging the believers to stop running from God’s wisdom. Dousa says, “Here’s the good news: Try as you might, you’ll never outrun God. God is behind you, but God is also before you. God is even within you. You will never outrun God. Stop. Just for a moment. And watch what God will do.”
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Loneliness and Wisdom
God’s wisdom doesn’t make sense by the world’s measure, as Paul tells the people in Corinth. One curious part of wisdom is that it thrives on connection. Author Julia Biard says, “Lonely people are more likely to cheat, think worse of others, and suffer from a range of physical and mental health issues — even moderate loneliness can make us sick. And, curiously, the lonelier we are, the less wise we are. Researchers compared loneliness in two starkly different populations, one in Cilento, in rural southern Italy, and one in San Diego, in the United States. In both groups, they found that the more wisdom an individual had, the less lonely they felt.”
Wisdom is connected to faith and grace in mysterious ways. Baird says, “The study defined wisdom as having several components — all of which stoke grace — including empathy, compassion, self-reflection, and emotional regulation or discipline, with the first two having the strongest inverse correlation with loneliness. Be kind to people, listen to people, try to understand their point of view, and you will be wiser and less lonely.
Wisdom also meant people slept better and were healthier. The designer of the study, Dr. Dilip Jeste, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, says wisdom and loneliness do not seem to coexist: “In other words, wiser people don’t feel lonely and vice versa. Obviously, this doesn’t prove that increasing wisdom will reduce loneliness, but it certainly points in that direction…It is logical to expect that wisdom will counter loneliness.” (from Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything)
As Paul says, that looks like foolishness to the world.
* * *
Mathew 5:1-12
Strange Blessings
Jesus is giving the people listening a reset on the sorrows in their lives, reminding them of God’s presence in all the hardships we would never choose for ourselves. Melody Beattie shares the story of a similar reset in her own life, in a time when she was ready to give up.
At first, stuck in her misery, she says, “I returned to my nightly ritual of sitting on the living room floor not counting my blessings. The more I focused on what I hated and despised about my life, the more miserable I felt. One evening, while contemplating how much I hated this house and my life, another idea occurred. I had been practicing misery every night by focusing on everything I hated. I’ve practiced misery with discipline, I thought. Did a good job of it, too. But all it did was make everything worse. What if instead of griping, I practiced gratitude? Not the “count my blessings” thing. What if I practiced gratitude for everything just as it is — for what I hated and disliked? What if I practiced gratitude for how much I despised that ugly orange carpet, the holes in the walls, and all the wallpaper that soaked up the paint? What would happen if I plastered gratitude over every negative thought and emotion? Instead of just counting my blessings, I’d be grateful for everything, especially what I didn’t appreciate. It sounded crazy, but except for my misery, I had nothing to lose.”
She adds, “I didn’t expect myself to feel grateful or feel gratitude. This time, I’d let myself feel whatever I felt.” (from Make Miracles in Forty Days: Turning What You Have into What You Want) To her surprise, things began to shift, bit by bit, as she gave thanks for what was already there in her life, even with all of the pain.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:Micah 6:1-8
Only twenty of the book of the Micah’s 105 verses appear during the three-year Revised Common Lectionary. Four of those verses foretell Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah (5:2-5). Eight of those verses are judgment against false prophets (3:5-12). Eight of those verses are today’s lection, by far the most familiar and quoted passage from Micah (6:1-8).
There are few more concise passages that offer guidance for life than Micah 6:8:
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?
Perhaps an examination of the other parts of Micah, the parts that are not cherry-picked to use as prooftexts is in order.
Micah, מיקה , in Hebrew is a rhetorical question: “Who is like Yah(weh)?” and the answer is, of course, no one. He was a contemporary of Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos. He was from rural, southwest Judah. The lectionary reading from chapter 3 is a prophecy of destruction to Jerusalem because of its corruption. Their leaders had taken bribes and neglected the poor. The prophecy concludes with words that the prophet Jeremiah will cite 70-100 years later, against King Hezekiah:
Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins…
(Micah 3:12 & Jeremiah 26:18)
* * *
Psalm 15
Okay, David, the righteous, blameless ones can abide in God’s tent and dwell on the Holy Hill. The righteous and blameless ones, that is, the innocent, they do not slander, they are not despised by the Lord. Well, good for you, David. Now about Uriah, your military commander, husband of Bathsheba… You may want to read 2 Samuel 11:1-27 for an account of how very virtuous King David was.
And another thing: the righteous do not lend money at interest. Hmm, does this apply to us? My church was able to balance its budget last year because interest income was stronger than expected. Surely we’re not unrighteous for benefitting from interest, are we? I mean, our hands are clean and we could dwell on the Holy Hill, couldn’t we?
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Paul sets up a contrast for the Corinthian Christians. After admonishing them for being divided in last week’s lection from 1 Corinthians, he puts them in two broad camps: Jews wanted signs and Greeks wanted wisdom; both were disappointed by the cross. It was an illogical display of weakness! That’s crazy talk, Paul! The irony of the cross was a way to make both camps recognize that God is beyond their understanding, certainly their control.
We know this is true from the songs we sing. Fifty years age I sang, “they will know we are Christians by our love.” We didn’t sing “they will know we are Christians by our erudite explication of the Trinity.” Knowledge thinks for itself, it puffs up, Paul writes elsewhere; love thinks of others. That’ll preach.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
Ooh, the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount. I have always found this a very difficult text to preach. After all, what can I add to make it clearer and more concise? Scholars contend that the Sermon on the Mount was never delivered as it appears in Matthew 5:1--7:27. It is, rather, a collection of Jesus’ sayings compiled here in three short chapters.
I have heard two preachers imagine reading the Sermon on the Mount as their sermon some Sunday. Maybe when they’ve had a full week, and not time to prepare a sermon, they’ve dreamed about entering the pulpit and reciting the Sermon on the Mount. Would the people recognize it? Would it inspire and challenge them? Would they see through the guise of homiletic laziness? Could one be accused of plagiarism for preaching it? What if it was appropriately cited?
While not part of today’s lection, you may want reference Matthew 5:43-44 about loving one’s enemies. Jesus told his followers to do this. The President, at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, said he hates his enemies. I cannot remember a clearer denial of the gospel.
* * * * * *
From team member Katy Stenta:Micah 6:1-8
God, who is immortal, stands in contrast to the mortals asking if we are weary of God. Are we weary of God? Are we tired of God’s immortality? Are we weary of divine help? Are we weary of worship? In a world where empathy is publicized as a sin, perhaps we would prefer a God who makes material demands of us, instead of emotional ones. Yet God confronts us, and our mortality, making it clear that the material goods that we value fall by the wayside against the justice, kindness, and mercy God requests.
* * *
Corinthians 1:18-31
Why do we keep trying to evaluate God by human standards? God is not measuring us that way. God’s power is not human power. When God chooses the meek and lowly, God is not reduced, but becomes more powerful. God’s power is not dependent upon us succeeding. This may be the most mind-blowing thing of all.
* * *
Matthew 5:1-12
I’m trying to imagine what it’s like to have Jesus say the beatitudes in the US today — with a voice full of teaching and compassion.
Blessed are the immigrants — for they will have a home in heaven.
Blessed are the imprisoned — for they will be the liberators.
Blessed are those who ache for justice — for they will become healers.
Blessed are the elders and teacher of the movement — for you have the ear of the Lord.
Blessed are you who cry and rage — the Holy Spirit will provide consolation.
Blessed are the protestors — or they will be the creators of joy.
Blessed are those are hurt in defense of those who are persecuted — yours is the path to heaven. You will be dancing with the saints.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: O God, who may abide in your tent or dwell on your holy hill?
All: Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right.
One: Those who speak the truth from their heart;
All: Those who do not slander with their tongue.
One: Those who do no evil to their friends nor shame their neighbors;
All: Those who do these things shall never be moved.
OR
One: God comes to transform our hearts and lives in love.
All: We are in need of God’s redeeming work in us.
One: Open your hearts to God’s love which makes all things new.
All: We open our hearts and lives to God’s renewing love.
One: Transformed we will seek justice, kindness, and humility.
All: With God’s help we will seek these in all our lives.
Hymns and Songs
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH: 103
H82: 423
PH: 263
GTG: 12
NCH: 1
CH: 66
LBW: 526
ELW: 834
W&P: 48
AMEC: 71
STLT: 273
Renew: 46
God of the Sparrow God of the Whale
UMH: 122
PH: 272
GTG: 22
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELW: 740
W&P: 29
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
GTG: 734
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
Jesus Calls Us
UMH: 398
H82: 549/550
GTG: 720
NNBH: 183
NCH: 171/172
CH: 337
LBW: 494
ELW: 696
W&P: 345
AMEC: 238
Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
UMH: 402
PH: 372
GTG: 729
AAHH: 463
NNBH: 156
NCH: 454
CH: 589
W&P: 457
AMEC: 282
Renew: 174
The Gift of Love
UMH: 408
GTG: 693
AAHH: 522
CH: 526
W&P: 397
Renew: 51
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life
UMH: 427
H82: 609
PH: 408
GTG: 343
NCH: 543
CH: 665
LBW: 429
ELW: 719
W&P: 591
AMEC: 561
Let There Be Peace of Earth
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
UMH: 629
PH: 521
GTG: 523
CH: 429
ELW: 484
W&P: 705
Una Espiga (Sheaves of Summer)
UMH: 637
PH: 518
GTG: 532
NCH: 338
CH: 396
Make Me a Servant
CCB: 90
Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord
CCB: 72
Renew: 188
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is ever striving to redeem and renew your creation:
Grant us the grace to allow you to renew our hearts
so that we may practice justice, kindness, and humility;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who comes to redeem and renew us. In your love you show us the way to a life that is full and abundant. Help us to allow you to renew us today. Give us hearts for justice, kindness, and humility. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we overlook injustice, mean spiritedness, and haughtiness.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are more concerned about singing the proper hymn than having our hearts transformed by your love. We are more concerned about the state of our investments that we are poverty and homelessness. We are more concerned about our standing in the community that about dignity of others. Renew your Spirit within us and transform our hearts to be like your heart so that we may love like you. Amen.
One: God’s heart of love yearns for us to be transformed into love. Receive God’s blessed Spirit and share God’s love with all.
Prayers of the People
We lift our hearts and our voices in praise to you, O God, who constantly seeks to redeem your people. Your love is the constant in the midst of an ever changing cosmos.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are more concerned about singing the proper hymn than having our hearts transformed by your love. We are more concerned about the state of our investments that we are poverty and homelessness. We are more concerned about our standing in the community that about dignity of others. Renew your Spirit within us and transform our hearts to be like your heart so that we may love like you.
We give you thanks for your great love which sustains all of creation. Your love is the power through which all things exist. We thank you for those who have allowed you to transform their hearts and lives with your loving kindness. We thank you for those who placed themselves in dangerous places to ensure that justice and kindness was available for others. We thank you for the kindness that people have shown us. We have been blessed to be able to share you loving kindness with others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who are being deprived of justice and kindness by those who do not know humility. We pray for those who live in fear in the midst of violence and chaos. We pray for those who risk everything to correct the wrongs in this world. We pray for courage for those of us who are afraid to speak your truth.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * *
CHILDREN’S SERMONSSilly Socks and God's Wisdom
by Nazish Naseem
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Opening
Visual Aid: Hold up a pair of silly socks. Make sure they are colorful with fun patterns.
Good morning, everyone! Today, I want to share something that shows how loved and important God’s wisdom makes us feel. Have you ever worn funny or mismatched socks? (Pause for kids to respond.) Just as these silly socks can make us smile, God’s wisdom tells us that we are special to him because he chooses us!
Scripture Reading
Today, we’re going to learn about 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. In this passage, the Apostle Paul tells us that God’s wisdom is very different from what we might expect. Some people think they are clever and wise, but God’s surprising ways can fill us with wonder and excitement about his love!
The Message
God's Upside-Down Wisdom
Paul says that the message of the cross might seem foolish — like something that doesn't make sense at first — to some people. Imagine if someone told you that a king would save the world by being humble and dying on a cross! That sounds silly or confusing, right? But that’s exactly what Jesus did! His actions showed us what real love means, and they turned the world upside down. Just like sharing your toys or helping a friend can seem small but are actually big acts of love, God’s wisdom works in surprising and wonderful ways.
The Strong Made Weak
Some people believe they are strong because of their knowledge, money, or status. But God chose the weak and simple things to show his greatness. Just like these colorful socks may seem silly, God can use us, no matter how young or small we feel. Maybe you think you’re too little to help, but God can use your kindness to make a big difference — like sharing your toys or helping a friend — because his wisdom transforms our small acts into something wonderful!
God Chooses Us
Paul reminds us that God chooses those who are not considered wise or important by the world. You may feel like just a kid, but God sees you as someone very special. He loves you and wants to use you to show his love to others. So, don’t be afraid to be a little silly or different! Embrace who you are, just like I love wearing these silly socks!
Conclusion
So, the next time you see someone wearing silly socks, remember this message. God’s ways may seem foolish to some, but they are filled with power and love! You don’t have to be perfect or the strongest to follow God — just be yourself and trust in his wisdom.
Prayer
Let's fold our hands (fold your hands so children can copy you) and pray together. Dear God, thank you for your wonderful and surprising wisdom. Help us to remember that it’s okay to be different and that you can use us in amazing ways. Keep us joyful and open to your plans. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, February 1, 2026 issue.
Copyright 2026 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
