Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7: 18-19)

If I am forgiven, saved, loved as a child of God, why should I hesitate?

With God, I should not hesitate, but be bold in every way.

With my neighbor and even with myself, caution and care are well-placed.

I ought to act justly: loving others.

Love mercy: forgiving others and being kind

Walk humbly: engaging, listening, honoring the other.

Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. (Micah 7:8-9)

The Hebrew translated above as wrath is za'aph. 

Wrath or indignation, rage or anger are possible meanings.

 Even more common in everyday usage is sad, perplexed, or troubled.

 God has good cause to be "za'aphed" with me, in every meaning of the word.

Yet God engages me,  delights in me, and invites me to turn sadness into joy.

I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave. The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. (Micah 7:1-2)

Relationships are abused.

Power is misused.

Trust is dishonored.

"Now is the time of your confusion."

The sacred has been replaced by self-assertion.

With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:6-8)

We are to move with God.

As God pulls, we are to pull.

As God descends, we are to ascend.

We dance with God.

Pulling, pushing, in tension and together.

The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. (Micah 5:7)

Their influence is subtle, hard to measure.

Occurring early, beginning the day.

Recurring late, with last light.

The remnant glistens and dampens, seems to soften,

The hot, hard, brilliance of shared struggle.

“I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation... Writhe in agony, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city to camp in the open field. You will go to Babylon there you will be rescued." (Micah 4:6-7,10)

 Have you been to Babylon?

 Have you experienced your own crucifixion?

 In what weakness have you found strength?

 Through what failure have you been redeemed?

 From agony can emerge new life.

They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. (Micah 4:3-5)

I inherited a fig tree, but did not know it.  I thought it was dead and nearly killed it.

It has become fabulously fruitful.

I planted two vines.  One was poisoned.  The second has withered before each harvest.

In the season just begun, I still hope to taste some grapes.

Both fig and grape start green and hard. Just ripe their surfaces stay firm, sleek.

Beautiful flirts peaking from their leaves, yet soon shriveling in the summer sun.

With care an essence may be preserved: dark, wet, succulent with flavor.

In winter wine or Christmas tarts we recall the bright warmth of younger times.