Follow Micah

Wednesday night (4/27), I officiated Robin and Michael’s wedding ceremony at a friend’s home in Dallas, Texas. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests:

Robin and Michael’s description of each other’s essence is very similar, which I find fascinating. Robin says that Michael is, “a righteous dude with an elevated consciousness and a high vibration.” Oh, sorry, wrong Jew, that’s her description of Jesus… You gotta admit, though, hard to argue with and accurate.

OK, where was I? Ah, yes, their description of each other’s essence. Robin says, “Michael has good energy and a chill vibe. He’s calm and level-headed… He is just such a good person to be around and everyone who knows him says it.”

And Michael says, “Robin has very positive energy and has a smile that will make you just want to smile as well… she is just a great person and has a personality that can light up a room.”

This raises the question: what does it take to be a good person? Many people, especially in Texas, have really definitive answers to that question. You just have to believe exactly what they believe and do exactly what they do.

You might think that such immature approaches would be confined to kindergarten. In fact, one of the most prominent preachers in Dallas, recently gave a sermon from his gaudy $142 million downtown church, titled “Why God Sends Good People to Hell.”

It’s strange really, because the Bible, that same book that all these people claim to believe in, has the answer. I’m not just talking about the general vibe, to use Robin’s word, of the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures, who seem way more interested in social justice and way less interested in religiosity. 

I’m talking about their explicit words. Micah, who lived in the 8th century B.C.E. in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, is really quite straightforward. He asks, “With what shall I approach the Lord, do homage to God on high?” He goes on to ask, do I need to offer animal sacrifices, do I need to offer maybe even human sacrifices? Remember, those were not unheard of in the ancient world.

His answer is simple. It almost seems like he is somewhat exasperated with having to repeat himself: “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice, and to love goodness, and to walk modestly with your God.” Basically, like every good Jew, he answers a question with a question: Just be a good person; seriously, is that too much to ask?

Beyond the lesson for life, in general, there is a great lesson here for marriage. Would you like yours to be successful? The answer seems almost too simple. Chill out; follow the approach of Micah, follow the approach of Robin and Michael.