from the Companion Directors Team
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow before God most high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriad streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my crime, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? You have been told, O mortal, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:6-8).
As Ash Wednesday approaches, many are contemplating what their Lenten sacrifice will be. What can I do that will express my love for Jesus, the One who gave his life for me? How can my offering reflect the enormity of my gratitude for our God who poured out his blood to free humanity from the bondage of sin? How can my meager gift be sanctified?
We are not alone. People have long pondered their return to the Lord. The passage from Micah continues to give insight into the heart of God. The customary Old Testament sacrifice was not what God was looking for when the people were guilty of crimes against their neighbor. These crimes continue today as is evidenced by a world filled with violence, poverty, war, oppression, and exploitation. God is counting on each one of us to do our part to right the wrongs that plague his world. Tucked within Scripture is God’s answer to the big question of the season: What should I do for Lent?
Perhaps the question we should be asking is what can I do to contribute to the fulfillment of the ideal that our Creator describes in Michah 6:8. How will my Lenten activities promote justice and goodness within my realm of influence? Who am I being called to love tenderly? How do I walk humbly with my God? Undoubtedly, God has placed the answer deep within each one of us. May it surface as we prayerfully discern our Lenten offering.
