[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? – Micah 6:8

It is always a special moment when a class of teens completes confirmation, joins the church and is presented to the congregation.

This year’s group (Davis, Kody, Conner, Knox, Hazel, Lily and Chandler) is a little larger than usual as our youth ministry is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance after several lean years. And, with three of the teens also being baptized the occasion came with all of the feels.

Betty Connette, who followed Rebekah for a short-term interim gig, gave a thoughtful message based on the prophet Micah’s always challenging “What does the Lord require of us?” admonition.

I can’t think of a more appropriate passage of scripture for these teens as they take their newly minted commitment out for its first series of test drives.

The beauty of following Jesus is that God’s Way is completely unrelated to human distractions like race, nationality, gender, income or politics. The prophet’s words are directed at a people who have lost their way and forgotten what their relationship with God requires of them.

• Don’t just talk about what is right and fair and balanced, follow God’s way and actually DO JUSTICE.
• Move beyond the letter of the law and the harshness of judgement and, instead, be people who LOVE – and practice – KINDNESS.
• Get off your moral high horse, stop the boasting and the self-promotion, take a cue from those Buddhist monks who marched through America recently and WALK HUMBLY with your God.

I pray that these young people invest themselves deeply into getting to know Jesus more and more, and let him be their friend and guide.

Jesus has saved these teens for God’s initiatives of love, grace, mercy, encouragement, light, justice, healing, reconciliation and more. Seven more young people walking humbly with God is a beautiful thing.

And I can assure them of this: the more they work for justice, and conduct themselves with kindness and humility, the less they will be distracted by the false and harsh narratives that are separating more and more people from the love of Jesus.

In love, and because of love – DEREK