The Old Testament prophets are a funny bunch. God plucked ordinary people to bring a message to their neighbors, and generally their neighbors ran them out of town. I can’t understand why! Prophets generally told people that what they were doing was wrong. “You’re full of pride. You are greedy and jealous. You worship incompetent gods who don’t care about you. You don’t trust the everlasting God of creation. You are not the center of the universe.” Even today we avoid people who criticize and judge us.
Yeah, the old prophets were not a judgment-free zone.
So why listen to them today?
What if… they have a message that we still need to listen to?
Amos has a small book in the Old Testament that records his message from God. He had no plan to become a prophet. He was a farmer who trimmed sycamore trees. He had a small life and kept to himself.
Then God showed up and told him to go bother his neighbors.
I hate, I reject your festivals; I don’t enjoy your joyous assemblies.If you bring me your entirely burned offerings and gifts of food— I won’t be pleased; I won’t even look at your offerings of well-fed animals.Take away the noise of your songs; I won’t listen to the melody of your harps.But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:21-24
Whoa. Did Amos just undermine the rules of Deuteronomy and Leviticus by saying that God rejects the sacrifices and worship practices that are the core of Israel’s relationship with God? Weren’t these the very practices that maintained Israel’s relationship to God?
It seems that God is very angry. VERY angry with Israel. The last verse gives the reason: lack of justice and holiness. Israel was using worship as a smoke-screen to avoid providing justice for everyone in their community. They were not caring for those experiencing poverty. They weren’t feeding people who were hungry. They wanted to feel exceptional and special and safe and content, and they didn’t take time for people who were struggling or living with disabilities or without family to care for them.
Uh oh. That sounds like our lives today.
What if Amos calls us to take a long, hard look at our religious practices? What do we see? How much of our budget and staff and volunteer time at church goes to worship? How much goes to ministries of justice and mercy?
What would our church look like if we spent equal money and time on missions as we do on worship? If we gave the same attention to justice and mercy as to praise and worship?
Instead, do we feel good about our weekly one hour of worship, and then go about our comfortable lives, satisfied that we have ticked off a box of connecting with God?
I get nervous when Amos says God rejects our songs of praise. This is major! God loves music! Perhaps it's a warning sign that it’s time to review the expectations God has for us, as individuals and as a family of faith. Perhaps Amos has a message we need to hear today.
If you are inspired by Amos to rebalance your spiritual practices and include more justice and mercy ministries that make a difference in people’s lives, please contact me. I have youth who are asking to be part of service projects, and maybe they are our Amos, challenging us to take action. Let’s accept Amos’s challenge to create a new calendar and budget that grows to give the same emphasis to ministries serving others as we do for worship that serves us and God, and see what happens. Amen.
Pastor Anna-Lisa Hunter
August 6, 2024
