#Wordle 1,346 3/6*
β¬β¬β¬π©β¬ β¬β¬π©π©π© π©π©π©π©π©
The #OldGal also birdied today with a 3 of her own. Hopefully, we score a lucky 2 by a #YoungPup.
This morningβs sermon is already uploaded! I began teaching Micah today.
Shattered Idols - Micah's Vision of Reckoning
We look around at a world rife with hardship, a world that often feels chaotic and unfair. And then, we look at our own lives. Maybe they're comfortable, maybe even good. A nagging question arises: what do we do with this dissonance? Do we turn a blind eye, dismissing the suffering as "not my problem"? Or does something stir within us, a sense that we should, perhaps even must, do something?
This internal struggle, this tension between comfort and conscience, is not unique to our time. The prophet Micah, speaking during the prosperous reign of King Uzziah in Judah, confronted a similar reality. Judah was booming. Wealth was abundant. But beneath the surface, a rot was festering.
Micah's message, like a jarring alarm, cuts through the complacency. He doesn't sugarcoat. He doesn't offer easy answers. He delivers a stark warning: doom and hope, doom and hope. This is the rhythm of his prophecy, a constant oscillation between judgment and redemption.
The Problem of Prosperity
Micah exposes the dark side of Judah's prosperity. Unprecedented wealth had led to unchecked greed. The powerful exploited the vulnerable, seizing land and disregarding God's laws of justice and compassion. The year of Jubilee, designed to restore equity, was ignored.
Sound familiar?
We too live in a world where the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. Where the powerful often prioritize their own interests over the well-being of others.
The Plague of False Worship
But Micah doesn't just address economic injustice. He goes deeper, diagnosing the root cause: idolatry. The people of Judah, despite having the temple in Jerusalem, had turned it into a "high place," a center of false worship. They had replaced the true God with idols of their own making.
This indictment hits hard. What are our idols? What are we worshipping in our daily lives? Is it power, wealth, comfort, entertainment, or even our own opinions? Are we truly worshipping God in spirit and truth, or have we crafted a god in our own image?
Micah doesn't shy away from confronting the religious leaders either. He condemns the false prophets who offered soothing words of prosperity and ignored the cries of the oppressed. They prioritized comfort over truth, echoing a pattern we see in our own time.
The Call to Repentance and Hope
Micah's message is uncomfortable, even painful. He challenges our "sacred cows," forcing us to confront our own complacency and idolatry. But amidst the doom, there is a glimmer of hope.
Micah proclaims that God will gather a remnant, a faithful people who will return to Him. He paints a vivid picture of joy and liberation, like sheep bursting into a wide-open pasture. This hope is not based on human merit but on God's faithfulness to His covenant.
A Challenge for Today
Micah's words resonate with our contemporary issues. We, too, must confront the dissonance between our comfort and the suffering around us. We must ask ourselves:
- What are we worshipping?
- Are we living justly and compassionately?
- Are we listening to the true voice of God, or the soothing whispers of false prophets?
Micah's message is not meant to make us comfortable. It is meant to heal our souls. It is a call to repentance, a call to return to the true God, and a call to be part of the remnant that will experience the joy of His redemption.
Let us heed Micah's warning and embrace his hope. Let us examine our hearts, confront our idols, and strive to live as a people who truly worship God in spirit and truth.
If you think George Orwell had something right in his book 1984, wait until you read Aldous Huxleyβs A Brave New World.

My wife, Amy, loves the moon. I am becoming more and more enthralled with the sunrise. Looking about my kitchen window this morning I am overwhelmed with the beauty of the cotton candy sky.
#Wordle 1,345 4/6*
β¬π¨β¬β¬π¨ β¬π©π¨π¨π¨ π©π©β¬π©π© π©π©π©π©π©
The #OldGal scored a 3 today! I wonder if there is a #YoungPup 2?
#Wordle 1,344 3/6*
π©β¬β¬β¬β¬ π©β¬π©π©π¨ π©π©π©π©π©
The #OldGal posted a 4. Victory is ours #YoungPups!
May we not forget that de-humanizing those who de-humanize means we have set aside our own integrity and lost our own moral standing.
#Wordle 1,343 3/6*
π©π¨β¬β¬β¬ π©π©π©β¬β¬ π©π©π©π©π©
The #OldGal showed with a three today as well. Back to the drawing board!
Wow! @manton the new long post previews are FANTASTIC!!! Great addition.
Jesus in Conversation - The Sales People
When was the last time you walked into a space and thought, βThis is not at all what I was expectingβ? I grew up going to a historic Presbyterian church in Pontiac, MI. It is one of the oldest churches in the state. The building is magnificent. It is a gothic style church with a massive pipe organ and gorgeous stained glass at the corner of the two main roads in the downtown of the city. Any time I walk into First Presbyterian Church of Pontiac I am left with a sense of wonder and reverence.
It was a magical place to grow up in my faith.
#Wordle 1,342 3/6*
π¨π©β¬β¬β¬ β¬π©π©π©π© π©π©π©π©π©
The #OldGal also posted a 3 today. Sheβs one tough cookie.
#Wordle 1,341 5/6*
β¬β¬β¬β¬β¬ β¬π©β¬β¬β¬ β¬π©π¨β¬β¬ β¬π©π¨π¨π© π©π©π©π©π©
The #OldGal also posted a 5 today. I am seeing loads of 4s already from team #YoungPup. She once again been vanquished.
I am tired of the deconstruction conversation. I am grateful for deconstruction. I am tired of well meaning people trying to figure out βwhyβ it is going on. The thing is, it seems to me almost very page of the Bible has stories of deconstruction.
It is the spiritual life.
If you have subscribed to my newsletter at The Pastor Next Door can you let me know if you received it today? Or even last week? Thanks!