"He (God) has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6:8

All of us are quite familiar with this verse from the prophet Micah in the Old Testament. We have seen and heard it many times. I must admit it is one of my favorite passages from the Bible, being one of the few verses I can repeatedly quote verbatim. It speaks to my heart as much as to my mind and calls me to reckon with compassion, goodness, and mercy. I think I get the justice and kindness bit, but I struggle with the “humble” part. What does it mean and how does it look to walk humbly with God? Certainly I do not think it calls for a literal ambulation with another type of being beside or near me. Rather it calls for a close relationship with God as we “travel” through life. So far, so good. But the humble issue is still the stumper. I am in awe of the power and majesty of my Maker. Is that what it means, to be so reverent that we are in a sense fearful of the Almighty Presence? For me that sense of being afraid would significantly hinder relationship building. Thank the Good Lord I was never afraid of my biological father. Our love was mutual. I want my relationship with God to be built on love, not anxiety. This draws me back to wrestling with the “humble” issue.

Language and its derivation can be most revealing when it comes to understanding meaning. The English word “humble” is derived from the Latin word humulis which means lowly, on the ground. And that word comes from the Latin humus, which translates to earth, soil. Do you have any humus in your garden? To be humble then is to be a creature of the earth, not the heavens where the gods reside. We read in Genesis, “then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” To be humble is to remember that “we are but dust and to dust we shall return.” To be humble as we walk with God is to be fully who we are, to be truly human, made bodily of the simple and unassuming elements that comprise all of creation (nothing more and nothing less). The words “human” and “Homo sapien” are also derived from the Latin humus. Go figure. To be humble is to be authentic, to be the real McCoy, the being that God created us to be and who he genuinely desires us to be. Micah implies that God desires that we be humane (from “human”), kind, gentle, and polite. Where we get into trouble is where we strive to be what we are not. From the beginning God has given us what we need in order to be in a loving relationship with him, with each other, and with the earth. Maybe that is what humble means, to honor our Creator with thanksgiving for who our Father has made us to be. As the anonymous medieval author of The Cloud of Unknowing states, “If you were truly humble, you would have the right feeling for this divine work, even as I say: That God gives it freely without any meriting.”

RCPC Preschool Job Openings

Raleigh Court Presbyterian Preschool has multiple job openings available for the fall! We are in search of an enthusiastic and talented person to teach music two days a week. In addition, we have a five day teaching position open and a teaching assistant role available. The hours are 8:45 AM- 12:15 PM. If you love children, are high energy and a team player, please contact Betsy at (540)-343-5541 or betsy@rcpres.org.

Call for Ushers

This Wednesday, May 18, will be the last House of Bread baking day before we take a summer break. If you have not already ordered bread and granola you may do so at our website: www.houseofbreadroanoke.com/new-products.

House of Bread is five years old this year and RCPC has been a huge supporter of the ministry every step of the way. We are celebrating this anniversary with a picnic on Friday, June 3 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. All current and former students, volunteers, and supporters are invited for an evening of food, fun, and fellowship. If you can join us please RSVP here: http://evite.me/D9nbfk7VYV

Capital Campaign Payments

With the departure of the very talented Dennis Fisher, we are feeling the void that he left. If you have any interest in photography and are willing to take photos of church events, please email Molly Bullington at mollysbullington@gmail.com

anne@rcpres.org or call the church at 540 343-5541. The cost is $80, which is for two arrangements placed in the chancel of the sanctuary.

Amazon Smile to Benefit the Rent Assistance Funds Distributed by PCC and RAM

Already shopping on Amazon? Why not have your purchases support RCPC's support of the rent assistance funds distributed by PCC and RAM at the same time! AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.

16 Rusty McCown

17 Mary Grace Knappe

Hunter Moore

Lucy Smith

Sharon Stinnette

18 Tom Alcoke

Ron Kemnitzer

Rebecca Lovingood

20 David McFarland

21 Heidi Peters

Rennie Snow

The This Week @ RCPC is published every Monday morning via email. This publication is for weekly activities at RCPC. If you would like to receive this email please contact Julie Satterwhite at julie@rcpres.org or call the church office at 540-343-5541 x 107. The deadline for the This Week is noon on Wednesday prior to the Monday publication.

Have an upcoming event? Pictures from a recent event? Want to get information displayed on the video board in the Gathering Area? Please send the information to Carole Banks at pixiebowls@gmail.com 

Dawn Blakeman, Kerry Bossert, Brendan Brown (Kathy and Les Brown's grandson), David Dale (Janis Wertz’s brother), Chris Eberhard, Warren Ferguson, Lynne Fields, Tom Hahn, Norma Hall, Dick Kepley, Susan Lindstrom, Rusty McCown, Joe McCrobie, Nancy Smith (Alan Smith’s mother), Jill Wood, and all caregivers.

(Prayers request as of Friday, May 13. Names in bold indicate an addition to the prayer list this week.)

5:30 PM - Stewardship & Finance

6:30 PM - Cub Scouts

4:00 PM - Camp Bethel Pick Up