Micah 6:1-8 Listen to what the Lord is saying: "Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints. 2"And now, O mountains, listen to the Lord's complaint! He has a case against his people Israel! He will prosecute them to the full extent of the law. 3O my people, what have I done to make you turn from me? Tell me why your patience is exhausted! Answer me! 4For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from your slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. 5"Don't you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness." 6What can we bring to the Lord to make up for what we've done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? 7Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the Lord? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make him glad? 8No, O people, the Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (NLT) Psalm 15 L. Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? C. Those who lead blameless livesand do what is right, speaking the truth from sincere hearts. L. Those who refuse to slander others or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. C. Those who despise persistent sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord and keep their promises even when it hurts. L. Those who do not charge interest on the money they lend, and who refuse to accept bribes to testify against the innocent. C. Such people will stand firm forever. (NLT) The second lesson 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. 19As the Scriptures say, "I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas." 20So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made them all look foolish and has shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. 21Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save all who believe. 22God's way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. 23So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. 24But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God. 25This "foolish" plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength. 26Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. 27Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, 29so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God. 30God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. He is the one who made us acceptable to God. He made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom. 31As the Scriptures say, "The person who wishes to boast should boast only of what the Lord has done." (NLT) The Gospel Lesson Matthew 5:1-12 1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them, saying: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (NIV)