In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Lenten Greetings on behalf of the Saint Lucia Christian Council. We continue with our reflection on the text of Micah 6:8. Mic. 6:8 He 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?
The question posed within the text: What is good and what does the Lord require of you? invites us to self-examination and reflection during this Lenten season. The question was posed to the people of Israel when all was not going well in their society in the social, economic, political and the religious life of the nation. The question posed was important to the people of Israel as it provided a guidance for their relationship with God and determined the shalom, meaning the wholeness of life for the people. In this Lenten season as we seek to revisit the basics and essentials of our spiritual life and what should be at the heart of our being, that is our relationship with God and our relationship with our neighbours, we must be determined to affirm that what is good is captured only in the will of God and what best guides our daily lives is to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God? In this message we will focus on the aspect of walking humbly with God.
To walk humbly with God involves the following. Firstly, it involves our attitude towards God. This denotes a life of trusting God with our lives. It entails our spiritual orientation and our heart commitment of love and trust towards God in everything and in every aspect of our lives. It means that God is our priority. When God is no longer the central orientation of our lives other things quickly fill the void and become idols that we worship. We are invited individually and as a Christian community to reflect on our attitude towards God. To walk humbly with God demands intimate relationship, deep emotional feelings and sincere behavioural actions that we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is our Lord.
Secondly, To walk humbly with God involves putting God’s agenda and God’s concern at the heart of our life’s purpose. This means we must put aside our own agenda. Paul highlights this in Philippians 2: 1-4 Phil. 2:1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, Phil. 2:2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Phil. 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Phil. 2:4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Phil. 2:5 Let the same mind be in you that wasa in Christ Jesus, Furthemore, Paul in giving the true marks of a Christian life with the agenda of God at the center of ones life states: Rom. 12:9 ¶ Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; Rom. 12:10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Rom. 12:11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.a Rom. 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Rom. 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Rom. 12:14 ¶ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rom. 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Rom. 12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly do not claim to be wiser than you are. Rom. 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Rom. 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.
What affects greatly our lives today is the personal agenda, political agenda, religious and denominational agenda, the nationalistic agenda that are evident in everyday life and behaviour, how nations are governed and how people treat each other every day. Our disturbs life and wholeness of life is an agenda outside and in contrast to the agenda of God. This year we celebrated the 47th year of independence in Saint Lucia with the theme: Douva Asama: Nourshing the people and strengthen the nation. We can ask the question: What is good and what the Lord requires of Saint Lucia to be nourished so to be strengthened to be the light unto the world. The answer is to walk humbly with God meaning to have an attitude and world view that place God at the centre of our lives and live each day with the purpose and will of God at heart. This is at the heart of marriage and family life and national building. Brothers and Sister in Christ life are more than a business association and transactions. It is a life of relationship lived in love, commitment and trust that is reflect in the life of Jesus Christ and the cross. If there is a better representation of a life to walk humbly with God, it is the life of Jesus which is represented by his death on the cross. The cross is the symbol of Jesus attitude towards God the father and his willingness to obey and live and die with the agenda of love of God the father. What is good and what is best for you and for me and for Saint Lucia is to walk humbly with God. What nourishes
our spirituality and strengthens our nation is to walk humble with God. On behalf of the Saint Lucia Christian Council, I invite us in this Lenten season to walk humbly with our God.