This Sunday we’ll be continuing our study in Micah and we will be reading chapter 5:1-5a.

The prophecy in these verses points directly to Jesus and his birth in Bethlehem and paints a beautiful picture of hope and peace. Up to this point, many words have been given by God in desperation and frustration regarding how the Israelites had been ignoring God. The people, the kings, the rich, and even the religious leaders were determined to go their own way and they were cruel in how they treated the poor, widows, and immigrants.

Verse 1 shows us what hardships are coming their way when God’s protection is removed. They are like people in a submarine desperate to open the door underwater and God is no longer stopping them from doing so. The consequences of their actions will be catastrophic.

However, God in his goodness refuses to let that be the end of the story for the Israelites. God in his goodness refuses to give up on us, even when we try to give up on Him. The prophecy we will read on Sunday points to something greater and something stronger. The prophecy points to a future king who is 2,000 years in our past. It points to a king who arrives in a small insignificant town like Bethlehem to rescue his broken people and set things right. 

We invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we study these verses together.

This Sunday we’ll be reading Micah 4:1-5 during our Bible study. Micah has been a fairly gloomy book, with a lot of forecasting judgement on God’s unfaithful people – but the first part of chapter 4 presents a sharp and short pivot. Suddenly, the oracle looks to a future where God will set all things right again.

As the prophecy begins, the language is reminiscent of what the writer in Hebrews 12 said – indicating that the early Christians saw that Jesus was the fulfillment of this hoped for restoration.

As I read this section, I see “now” and “still to come” aspects of what is forecast. In what ways might we imagine that Jesus has already begun fulfilling the restoration aspect of this promise? How have you seen God’s restorative purposes being revealed in your own life? What are some aspects of this prophecy that seem to be something for a future time? Knowing what God’s intent is for our lives and this world, how can we intentionally partner with God’s work here and now?

This will be a deeply encouraging study to dig into together – I hope you can join us this Sunday. We’ll also be hearing a Missions Update from Suzy Zechman about the ongoing work of In Deed and Truth ministries in South Sudan!

In the 21st Century the analysis of power dynamics became more intentional and far more scrutinized. That scrutiny often revealed that there are both overt and covert forms of power that affect our daily lives, which just underlines the importance of critical thinking and awareness of how power is being used if we want to promote an environment where all lives can flourish. The clinical definition of the power we’re talking about here is the ability to influence or direct the actions of others, usually to achieve some goal. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, in fact, it is usually quite necessary. But, like with many things, it is only a neutral concept until it comes to its application and use.

Power and authority are subjects that come up a LOT in the Biblical narrative – usually spoken of negatively and correctively because we fallen humans are, typically, not good stewards of power.

This Sunday we’ll be reading Micah chapter 3, and God has a lot to say to those who were holding power in Israel and Judah at that time. I’ll warn you, the language is pretty graphically violent. Not gratuitously, but in order to make a point, which we’ll dig into on Sunday.

As you read it, how does God characterize the misuse of power and authority? Whose side does God seem to take, those who hold the power or those affected by its use? How does God say he will respond to the spiritual leaders who are misusing their power? Do you catch any irony in His forecast, and if so, what is it? If you get a chance, read Isaiah 42:1-4 – it gives a beautiful description of how Messiah will use power – and I believe – a template for Messiah’s followers to use in our use of whatever power we may be afforded in life.

This will be a challenging study – I hope you can join us this Sunday!

The Bible has a unique feature that sets it apart from its contemporaries in ancient literature, in that it tells most of its narrative from the vantage point of poor and oppressed people. That really sets the Bible apart from other ancient documents which largely represent the views and history of the ruling elite.

In our study this Sunday we’ll be continuing through Micah, reading Micah chapter 2.

The first 10 verses of this chapter outline the sins of God’s people, specifically the ruling class who were oppressing common folk by seizing their property. We’ll look at what was happening this Sunday, but suffice it to say, it violated both the 10th commandment as well as other commands from the Torah.

As you read this chapter, how do you imagine God’s attitude toward those who do these things simply because they have the “power to do so”(v7)? Is God in solidarity with the oppressed or the oppressor? We have to realize that oppression still goes on in our world. We sanitize it as best we can, and certainly do our best not to ever talk about it or readily acknowledge the reality of it – but oppression remains a reality in our modern world.

What are our own views on those who are poor or in a weakened position in society? Do we instinctively blame poverty on the individual, or the system, or a little for both? In what ways are those attitudes helpful, and in what ways might they be unfair?

How would you reword v 7 and 11 to represent a challenge to our modern world?

The final verses ring with a hope for the future – a Shepherd who will come and lead us out of exile into a new relationship with God. Who might that Shepherd be, and how can we represent his care in our world today?

This will, again, be a challenging study, but one I believe is well worth it. Hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM!

This Sunday we’ll begin a new book series, doing an examination of the Minor Prophet, Micah. I recognize that some may start to squirm in their seats at the thought of reading through the thundering pronouncements of an Old Testament prophet on a Sunday morning – but I can assure you we will not be leveraging these writings to try and scare anyone about God. As a matter of fact, I tend to agree with N.T. Wright who asserts that the promotion of a wrathful, vengeful God is a somewhat pagan initiative, and not representative of the Biblical narrative.

That’s not to say that Micah will be an easy read. Far from it. We will encounter a lot of talk about judgement described on a cosmic scale – but this Sunday we’re going to take a moment to consider what God’s corrective judgement might be telling us about God’s nature. When we think of God’s judgement, what normally comes to mind? What images do we conjure up? It’s fairly important to grapple with our own picture of God and His character as we unfold the words of Micah, because often the things that trouble us are merely the preloaded assumptions which we map onto the text.

If you’re up to it, you may want to read the book of Micah (it won’t take long) before we start in on it in the next few weeks. Let your mind conjure up images of what it described and take some time to jot down who God is confronting and why. We have a modern tendency to personalize sin without taking into account how much attention God pays to how we interact with our fellow human being.

If you can’t manage to read the book, maybe take a look at The Bible Project’s summary of the book – it’s very informative and will point you in the direction we’ll be taking in this study (you can view it at the bottom of this page). I hope you can join us for this study – it will be a wonderful lead up to where we go next!

This Sunday we’ll be wrapping up our study through the book of 1 Corinthians – we’ll be reading all of chapter 16, where Paul closes his letter.

We’ll be focusing on his final instructions in v1-4, where he talks to the Corinthians about gathering funds to support the believers in Jerusalem. Part of Paul’s missionary journey through Asia Minor was meant to raise funds for the poor in Jerusalem. We aren’t totally sure why, but it’s likely that the famine mentioned in Acts 11 played a role in that need.

In the process of giving his instructions, Paul actually provides some important principles for us, as modern readers, when it comes to how we approach financial gifts within the church community. What stands out, if anything, about Paul’s instructions? Does Paul want money to be raised while he’s with them? Why do you think he gives this instruction? How might we learn about generosity from this section?

The rest of the chapter will be dealing with specific greetings and Paul’s closing remarks, which we’ll look at on Sunday.

If you stuck with us through this study, I hope you got something out of it; I know I did. Did anything come to light for you during our reading of this letter? What parts did you find most challenging, and which parts gave you comfort? I’d be interested in knowing, if you have time to put it in the comments.

Hope you can join us this Sunday as we conclude our look at the Hot Mess Church of Corinth!