“The message of Amos is a challenge to people and nations caught up in the pursuit of material wealth and comfort. Societies driven by consumerism can lose sight of faithful stewardship of wealth and the just distribution of goods. Amos reminded the people that true faithfulness is trusting in God alone and treating the neighbor with justice.” These are not my words — this is from the Lutheran Study Bible’s intro on the Book of Amos.
I heard about a Jewish doctoral professor, this week, who used to say, “If you like the prophet Amos, you don’t understand him.”
Let me clarify a bit: Amos was from Tekoa, a little village about 10 miles south of Jerusalem...which means that Amos was from the Southern Kingdom.
We’ve fast-forwarded again in our autumn Tour d’Old Testament, and now the kingdom has split since David and Solomon. Now we’ve got Israel in the north, and Judah (which includes Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and little Tekoa) in the south. Amos was from the south, but did his prophetic ministry up in the north, in Bethel.
In other words, Amos wasn’t a local! [pause] I don’t know anyone who likes an outsider coming in and casting judgement on a community, a region, a congregation — where she or he isn’t from at all...
This would be like a prophet coming to the U.S. from Mexico — from a poor family of farmers (that was Amos) — and preaching to an affluent congregation in North County. (Actually I’ve got a friend, we’ve got a pastor in our synod — Pastor RZ — who is in fact from Mexico, serving a traditionally white, suburban congregation, First in Vista. Would be interesting to talk to him about this text.)
Amos was from the south, but was called to be a prophet in the north. God called him from from a simpler life: “I am no prophet,” Amos says in Chapter 7, “nor a prophet’s son; but I’m a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees. But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel [northern kingdom].’” Sometimes God calls us where we don’t want to go...to speak truth to power. We’ve seen this theme over and over through this Old Testament season. All we can do is trust in God.
Amos is a prophet for justice. He critiques pretty much everyone: both the authorities and the everyday people of Israel, and he calls them to the justice and righteousness of God...misphah and zedekah.
Now maybe you have an idea already of what justice and righteousness looks like today. Let’s start with what it looked like for Amos (Chapter 2):
-People were being forced into slavery if they couldn’t pay their debts...even very small debts. Business sans ethics.
-“They would trample the head of the poor and push the afflicted out of the way.” (vs.7)
-And Amos talks about sexual exploitation, especially of girls and young women.
Sadly, we can relate to these horrific injustices even today. [pause] But we can add more to the list. These are not the ways of mishpah and zedekah (j&r). These are an abomination, “a profaning of the holy name” as Amos would say. When we, as human beings, get caught up in these kinds of injustices, we are taking God’s name in vain!
Contrast that again with Luther’s explanation of “Give us this day our daily bread.” What is daily bread? Luther: “It’s everything included in the necessities and nourishment for our bodies, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, farm, fields, livestock, money, property, an upright spouse, upright children, upright members of the household, upright and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, decency, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”
When we pray this petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we are prophesying like Amos that everyone everywhere might have daily bread, recognize their daily bread, and openly receive it with thanksgiving. Everyone everywhere.
Just imagine with me for a minute — a country where everyone had enough. Where we didn’t have to worry about crime and violence, because people weren’t having to scrap and steal for crumbs. What if we made ending hunger and poverty a centerpiece of our democracy. (That’s different from making “obtaining wealth” a centerpiece.)
Can you imagine a world where everyone is fed? Where everyone can have good medical care? Where everyone is loved? And everyone is housed and can pay for it, and everyone gets to go to a good school. Where everyone gets plenty of time off for Sabbath, for family, for travel...
Bishop Dr. Guy Erwin — I think I talked about him last week too — at our Conference in the desert a few weeks ago, talked about Germany as he offered some reflections on the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. And Bishop Erwin said, “You know, it’s amazing how Luther’s Small Catechism has seeped into the halls of government in Germany. I don’t think that’s an accident.”
Bishop Erwin’s heard some Americans tourists critique Germans — or at least are shocked — that ‘none of them go to church anymore’. But their Lutheranism shows in their policies, he exclaims. It’s no coincidence, that’s the 4th petition of the Lord’s Prayer is dripping out from the halls of power, now at the Reichstag in Berlin: Luther’s words in their policies! “Everything included in the necessities and nourishment for our bodies, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house...money, property...upright and faithful rulers, good government...peace, health, decency, honor...faithful neighbors, and the like.” It’s like they all listened in Confirmation, memorized Luther’s Small Catechism, and it actually stuck, we joked!
If it feels like I’ve lost track of Amos in the OT, I don’t think I have: Amos is a prophet for justice, for everyone having enough. And if you too didn’t like him before, you’ll really dislike him with this reading for today, where he turns to religious, ritualistic types like us, and says:
“I despise your festivals, I take no delight in your solemn assemblies...take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Friends in Christ, when our actions in church are not grounded in justice and righteousness, then our worship and assemblies — both solemn and joyous — are worthless. This is Amos. [pause]
And it’s actually good news, even while it’s no fun to have a prophet from somewhere else come and judge us. It’s actually good news: it’s certainly good news to those who have been trampled on, pushed aside. To the poor and the starving, those who have been longing for justice to come. Maybe that’s you. [pause] But even if Amos has got you (like me) squirming uncomfortably in your upper-middle class cushioned seat, it’s still good news: Amos gets our eye back on the ball! If we’re honest, we can so easily loose track of what it is we are to be about as God’s church here in La Mesa. [pause]
When our actions are not grounded in justice and righteousness, then our worship and assemblies — both solemn and joyous, both small crowds and packed houses out into the narthex — it’s all worthless. When our music is fantastic and our budgets are bloated, but we are doing nothing to move aside and “share the pond with others who need to fish too”, it brings God no delight: “Take away the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the melody of your harps! But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” This is gospel truth, brothers and sisters in Christ!
In this season of budget forums and congregational meetings, what if we looked at our budget for 2018, and ask, “What would Amos say? What would Martin Luther say? What would Jesus say?” The budget is the real mission statement here, right — who we are?
And let’s give thanks for prophets among us who step out of their comfort zones, who answer their call to go into foreign (perhaps hostile) territory, to speak a word from the Lord. Amos left his quiet life to enter the fray, to cross the border, to preach good news to the poor, let the enchained go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. That’s Amos; but...sound familiar?
Sisters and brothers, we follow after the one who fulfilled this prophesy, who died and rose in order that ALL might have life and have it abundantly. We follow after that One Jesus who calls us from our comfortable places and into the frays of this world, across borders, into new lands, to speak truth to power, to shine like the “Little Christs” that we are. (Luther called all the baptized Little Christs.) Heeding Amos’s strong words is living deeply into our baptism.
Sisters and brothers in Christ, God’s still got us! Let’s go in peace, and share the good news of God’s justice and righteousness. AMEN.
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