My father was a pastor and left me many helpful words of advice for pastoral ministry. None has been more helpful, in terms of understanding the guidance and direction offered in scripture, than the admonition to "interpret what is not clear in light of what is clear." This is common sense and yet too often ignored when it comes to biblical interpretation. Of course, each of us still has to make determinations about what is clear and what is not!

Micah 6: 8 is a verse that has provided clear direction for people of faith for many centuries. I think it served to clarify Jesus' faith and understanding as well.

[God] 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? (NRSV)

The Bible reflects generations of discipleship. In its pages are many different images about who God is, what God wants, and what it means to be in intimate relationship with God. But these words from the prophet Micah are certainly a beacon of light for all people to follow, one that must have shone brightly for Jesus and that continues to illuminate the journey for each person of faith today. Like generations before us, we can walk in that light.

The middle phrase, often translated "to love kindness" or "to love mercy," can also be written "to love tenderly." This reflects an active quality to the love. We actually need to put love into practice-to do it and not just love the idea of it. To love tenderly points directly to Jesus' new commandment, "Love one another as I have loved you." (John's 13:34) It also guides us to the wisdom of the author of the first Epistle of John, "Beloved, let us love one another for love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1John 4:7)

Faith clearly has an intellectual component--how and what we believe. Perhaps even more, however, faith involves how we feel and trust, and our willingness to risk and persevere. To love tenderly is to reflect God's love and to trust in that love as a fundamental reality of life. In terms of the prophet Micah's historical context, it reflected God's Covenant love for Israel.

To love tenderly is to grasp with our whole being that we are loved and accepted without reservation. It is to trust that the community in which we grow our faith holds us tenderly during the broken apart parts of our journey. The community creates and maintains a safe and dynamic place as we move toward reorientation, newness, and growth.

To love tenderly is to trust that the strength we develop often surfaces a corresponding weakness. This weakness-perhaps a childhood fear or long-buried grief-dares to show itself for us to address in our new found strength. Spiritual growth brings with it both the ability and the opportunity to address those fears within a supportive community of faith. To love tenderly is to trust and act boldly in this process, seeing it as a clear manifestation of God's nature in our human lives. We need to be thankful and courageous for that love and for all that it empowers us to do.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.
  
Jack Price

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