Readings for the Day:
Micah 6:1-8: With the mountains and the foundations of the earth as the jury, God brings a lawsuit against Israel.  God has ‘wearied’ Israel with a long history of saving acts.  God does not want or expect lavish sacrifices to attempt to earn divine favor.  Rather God empowers the people to do justice, to love loyalty to God, and to walk shrewdly in God’s service.  
I Corinthians 1:18-31:  According to the world’s standards of power and might, the message of the cross seems stupid and offensive.  Yet this word reveals the paradoxical way God has chosen to work power and salvation through weakness, rejection, and suffering.  Hence the message of the cross becomes true wisdom and power for believers.
Matthew 5:1-12:  Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount by naming those who are blessed in the reign of God.
 ‘From Sunday & Seasons, copyright 2025 Augsburg Fortress’

Questions To Ponder:
1— How do you do justice, love kindness, and walk with God? (Micah 6:1-8) 
2—How does Paul’s message challenge you in our world today? (I Corinthians 1:18-31)
3—How do you live out the beatitudes?  (Matthew 5:1-12)
4—How do these texts speak to you today?

Prayer:  Holy God, you confound the world’s wisdom in giving your kingdom to the lowly and the pure in heart.  Give us such a hunger and thirst for justice, and perseverance in striving for peace, that in our words and deeds the world may see the life of your Son.  Amen.