Onstage/Offstage

Jo Penn February 01, 2026 1 0

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Listen to this daily worship

Micah 6: 1-8 (NIV-UK)

1 Listen to what the Lord says:

‘Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
    let the hills hear what you have to say.

2 ‘Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
    listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
    he is lodging a charge against Israel.

3 ‘My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
    also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember
    what Balak king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.’

6 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?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 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.

One of my favourite theatre experiences was watching a professional production of ‘Noises Off’ by Michael Frayn. This play begins with a touring theatre company preparing for the opening night of a fictional play, and follows them through the run. Act 2 visits the company back stage two weeks in, and Act 3 is set at the end of their tour to see how things have developed. The play they are performing ‘on stage’ is a farce and the real set turns so the theatre audience sees all the interactions behind the scenes in between their entrances and exits. The final act descends into hilarious chaos. The cast are still ‘putting on a show’, but the real audience can now see that relationships have broken down, and practical things are not going well.

In today’s reading from Micah, the Lord speaks to his people about all the blessings and care God has shown to them at particular points in their history and how God’s people are being ungrateful, stuck in the ‘show’ of going through the motions in their worship, and forgetting to trust God in the now.

Making extravagant gestures of burnt offerings and sacrifices to appease a displeased God is not what God wants. Sacrifices meant to show loyalty and thankfulness to God are instead empty of intent without a heart attuned to serving a loving God — like an actor flatly speaking someone else’s words with no feeling.

Micah calls them to live with their hearts aligned with God, to ‘act justly, love mercy and walk humbly’ with him. The allying of justice and mercy is important so that power is wielded in love. God is concerned about everyday actions and attitudes: how his people deal with one another, structure their society and settle disputes in a way that reflect what they know about their compassionate God.

In our society where ‘the performance’ is so valued, I wonder how we accept God’s call to live unshowy lives valuing justice, mercy and humility within our own spheres of influence.

Prayer:

Lord, keep me humble of heart. May my actions speak of Your loving mercy and justice. Amen