“BEHAVE: Morals, Ethics, Justice”

(Micah 6:1-8; Ps 15; Mt 5:1-12) JG White ~ 10:30 am, Sun, Feb 1, 2026, FBC Amherst

I came across this morning prayer of thanks: Dear God, so far, today, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped or lost my temper. I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, or self centered. I’m really happy about that so far. But in a few minutes I’m going to be getting out of bed, and then I’m going to need a lot of help. Thank you! Amen

Is this what being a Christian is? Being good? Keeping up good morals and ethics. Being obedient to all the right rules? Maybe also standing up for the best ways to live, and trying to help others obey? For some, it is. Actually, I think it is what some people outside the Faith think Christianity is all about. Being good. Saw a picture online of two guys looking at a smartphone, one of them a bearded, long-haired fellow, with the caption: Jesus showing me memes from my phone and explaining why I can't go to heaven.

Of course, it is so easy to take this path: be good - be good enough - don’t be a sinner - and you can get to eternal life. Our Bible tells us this, yes, but also far more than this. We discover this thing called GRACE. Getting more than we can earn, or deserve, or can accomplish. Jesus comes among us, and opens the path to Life. 

He also becomes our main moral teacher. 

Having been trained in Baptist Churches almost all my life, I learned a lot of guidance about what is right and what is wrong to do. My lifetime has also been a time of transitions and changes in Churches about ethics and behaviour. As I grew up I learned how different we Christians can be in our attitudes and biblical interpretations. It is challenging! My conversations with Jesus about right and wrong continue. 

Almost thirty years ago I headed out on my own to be the Pastor of a Baptist Church. Actually, three Baptist Churches. And as free thinking and progressive as I thought I was, I discovered how conservative and traditional I still was. Two of the best friends I made there are a couple who will be celebrating fifty years together this fall. They have never yet married, actually. It’s a common law marriage, and they surely have had their legal and financial matters well planned for many years. But actual marriage is not something they want. I want it, but they don’t. Hey, it’s not up to me. 

So, should a non-married couple be teachers of children in a Church? In other situations, I struggled: do I baptize people living common-law? What do we require of people, to be considered Christians, or to serve in this or that ministry? The landscape has kept changing, in our lifetimes. On so many issues. I’m sure that, decades ago, I would be hard pressed to find a Church that would have me in the pulpit, after marrying a woman who is divorced. 

‘We’ve come a long way, baby.’ Some would say that some things that were sins aren’t considered sins any more, and some things that weren’t we feel now are. Some of this is true learning. Our new Church Covenant says that we commit: to act with integrity, compassion, and justice in all our relationships and endeavours.

Our behaviour is important. Not just when we consider we may be judged on our behaviour by God. More importantly is that good behaviour is good for others, and for the world. That is what matters. Is this not why it matters to our God? We do good so that there will be more good happening in the world!

We heard from the ancient Jewish prophet Micah this morning, calling upon the people to do the right things. We even worked at singing a famous part of the message. One Bible scholar explained the situation concisely: Seven hundred years before Christ, Israel was in the middle of a revival. The temple was crowded. Giving was over budget for the first time in years, but Micah knew that something was wrong. Israel was arrogant and uncaring. (Brett Younger, Feasting on the Word, Year A Volume 1, 2010, p. 293)

So here, in Micah 6:8, we get the golden text of the First Testament. One of the two best known bits of the short book of Micah. The other being 5:2, which says, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel.  

But today, the golden text: and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice and to love kindness

     and to walk humbly with your God?

“That’s a great verse,” Matt Skinner, the biblical scholar, said. It is one of the strongest calls for doing the right things in biblical history. Recently, in a short video for the Working Preacher Podcast, Prof. Skinner spoke from Minneapolis, Minnesota, near where he teaches. He quite cleverly said: I am walking on the streets of Minneapolis in January, where we have to walk carefully because there is so much ice [ICE] on the streets. 

Hey, what is it that pushes people to go public? What is it that pushes people out into the streets and declare what they believe to be true and to call for change and to call for a new state of affairs? In Matthew chapter 4 with Jesus it appears it is the arrest of John by a petty, thin-skinned tyrant. 

Jesus goes public with his message of the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven. He has a message of mercy, of a new way, a new way of being in the world, a way in which God's way holds sway. 

Next, in chapter 5 Jesus begins what we now call The Sermon on the Mount with these words of blessing, called The Beatitudes. As Christ starts His preaching, he declares a list of people who will be blessed by this Divine Kingdom, breaking in upon the world. To do good, to be good, to behave, is to join the side that blesses such people: the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, those who are desperate to have the right things happen. And so on. 

The part of our Christianity that is ‘good behaviour’ includes justice: social justice and other activities. Perhaps you can think of people you’ve known who stood for truth and justice. I know a few. 

I’ll pick one person I know who I’d say is an activist. Not someone who marches in protests with placards, though she might if ever there was one in her little town. 

My friend is a retired person, a visual artist, and a Christian. She is certainly not well-to-do, but she is always generous and making and giving away things of value. She is on the side of needy people in her community. She gets to know refugees and immigrants; becomes one of their greatest supporters. She is very white, but is such a friend and ally of the local African NS community. Some of the paintings she has prepared for members of that community have been incredibly beautiful and meaningful. She is a friend of the local Indigenous community in Bear River, regularly putting on various workshops with them. She’s been active in supporting Ukrainians, with some special events that included pysanky decorating. Her father was one of the British Home Children, so she speaks up for that cause. 

And so on. She is always creating a fundraiser for someone, and offering a ‘paint night.’ She is always getting to know, and support, young people. And recently, with the weather, she posted again on social media - yet again - about the need for a warming centre in the community.  

Do we have a warming Centre in Digby? 

If so….where?….if not, why?❤️🙏

If she’s said this once, this winter, she’s asked it a hundred times in the past decade! I’m sure the Mayor and others are tired of hearing from her. But she can’t help it! It’s in her nature! It’s her gift. It is her calling. She has the vision; she has the voice. She sometimes drove me crazy too, in the Church, but I loved her. 

To be inspired and learn from such people is a true gift, especially to those of us who are not activists. We don’t all need to be such vocal, vibrant workers in our community. But we all are called upon to do well, to do right, to discover our own best ways of doing our best. And becoming part of the blessing for the world. 

For some, the heart of living as a Christian is a life of holiness, or a life of justice. Next Sunday I am going to continue this theme, and consider how we do good and manage to join in with others in bringing some blessings. Next week in this series is BLESS ALL: Serve, Give, Share.