God Calls Amos November 12, 2017 Sermon

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God who is Creator, Christ, and Comforter.  Amen

Today we get to dig a bit into the Prophet Amos, who lived during the long reign of King Jeroboam II, son of Joash of Israel, and King Uzziah of Judah. The Book of Amos is only nine chapters long and most of it, as the Bible scholars help us to see, is written in poetic form.  This is also why Amos is considered one of the 12 “minor” prophets – not because of content, but because of size.   I put a graphic in the bulletin today to see how all of the Prophets fit into a timeline – how they overlap and to whom their messages were addressed. 

Under King Jeroboam II’s reign, the Northern Kingdom of Israel enjoyed a happy and prosperous period.  However, his relationship with the southern Kingdom of Judah, was still strained at least at first. Jeroboam held members of the Royal family of Judah as hostages, to ensure that this southern neighbor would make no trouble. Later he realized that friendship and mutual help between the two Jewish kingdoms would be better for both of them.

Along with this good political situation came economic prosperity.  Many people in the Northern Kingdom became very wealthy, and began to lead luxurious lives. Unfortunately, this prosperity brought with it a collapse of moral standards.  The principles and the commandments of the Torah: to help the poor, to practice justice and to love kindness were ignored.  The rich oppressed the poor; might made right.

Along with the degeneration of the morals of the people, went increased idolatry.  People built altars to serve the Canaanite gods, the Baal and Ashtarte.  The Golden Calves, which King Jeroboam the first set up, were worshipped more than the teachings of the Torah. The 10 Commandments were viewed with contempt.

God continually sent prophets to admonish the people and to warn them that unless they mended their ways, they and the land would be doomed. Things were good!  So, these loud-mouthed prophets were ignored and their warnings were unheeded.  The people went their own way.

Into this scene comes Amos.  Amos was a shepherd…a herdsman from the village of Tekoa, and a dresser of sycamore trees, not a court prophet as were some of his contemporaries.  His fearless and outspoken words came thundering and stirred the people – at least a little.  We heard his opening words this morning: "The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds will wither, and the top of Carmel dries up." 

Fearlessly, the prophet admonishes the rich who had amassed their fortunes by cheating, robbery, and treading on the poor, that they would not enjoy their riches, but would lose everything.  Amos was not afraid to appear in Bethel at the very time when crowds were gathered there to worship the Golden Calf which Jeroboam the First, had set up in a special temple.  Amos declared boldly and fearlessly that God had sent him to Bethel to speak in God’s Name and warn the people of their impending doom.

The prophet reminded the people of the many kindnesses which God had shown them since the beginning of their history as a people, reminding them that because Gad had chosen them, God demanded of them higher standards, and, like a loving father punishes his erring son because he loves him, so God would punish them for their sins.

This is all good information for helping us put together a history of ancient Israel and the prophets.  So what?

What about today?  What does all of  this have to do for us sitting here today?  My friend, Bryan Sirchio, wrote a song entitled, “Amos, I hear your voice.”  The chorus goes like this:

Amos I hear your voice
Saying let justice roll, and righteousness flow
Amos I hear your voice
Saying my music is noise, unless I cry for justice. 

And there’s the connection!  Where is the cry for justice coming from today?  Is it from us, who sit so comfortably here in our pews this morning living our pretty good lives? 

I seriously doubt it.  We are way too much like those people of that Northern Kingdom. 

I must confess to you today that when it comes to bringing you a message from God for us, to be your prophet, the one who speaks for God (for that is what a prophet is)…I got nothin’. 

My heart, and I truly believe God’s heart, is broken into so many pieces when I think about last Sunday’s shooting at the First Baptist church in Sutherland Springs while the faithful were at worship,…or about the Las Vegas massacre, or the movie theater, or the elementary school, or the high school, or the college campus, or the night club…I cry out…how long, O LORD, how long?

…how many more people have to die? 

…when will it be enough?    

When the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb was here over a week ago, during the question and answer session afterward, someone asked him how he, as a preacher, preaches reconciliation and peace in light of all of the oppression that the nation of Israel inflicts on his flock in Bethlehem?  His answer was beautiful and profound when he replied, “I don’t preach reconciliation and peace.  I preach justice.  For there can never be peace without justice.”  He went on to remind us of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that Nelson Mandela headed in South Africa. 

Amos, I hear your voice…seek good and not evil…hate evil and love good…let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. 

Amos, teach us, show us, point out our silly ways, challenge our benign words, and empower us to be a people of God who do justice, who love kindness, and who  walk humbly with you!

Can I get an amen?

Jacob and Nathaniel Who Dream

 This was the sermon I wrote for 9/25.  This was not the sermon I preached.  God's voice moved me to go off script.  We are climbing Jacob's Ladder! 

The stories from Genesis continue this week!  Baby Isaac has grown up and gotten married to Rebecca.  They had two sons, who were twins.  From conception these two boys couldn’t have been more different!  They fought in Rebecca’s womb and when they were born – Esau, whose name means “first” was they outdoorsy type of boy – rugged and hairy and one who loved to hunt.  Jacob, whose name means “ankle grabber” or “supplanter” because when he had a hold of Esau’s ankle when he was born.  Jacob liked to stay around the tents and help out.  He did some farming and tending of sheep. 

More importantly, Jacob took two things that belonged to his brother, Esau.  He traded Esau’s birthright for a pot of lentil stew.  The birthright was usually given to the oldest son in the family. The one who received the birthright was honored with a double share of his father’s inheritance. This was a special honor, for the birthright also included certain rights and privileges as well as responsibilities.  Esau’s comment was something like, “What good’s a birthright if I’m going to starve to death?”  I wonder if either of them could ever look at lentil stew the same way from that fateful day. 

That story happened years before our story today.  In today’s story, Isaac old and getting ready to die.  Since he’s not sure when his death is coming, he does want to be sure to give Esau his blessing – which is sort of like a last will and testament – giving property, and perhaps some prediction to the future.

With his mother Rebecca’s help, Jacob takes the blessing from Isaac’s hands that was intended for his brother, Esau.  It was a sad state of affairs at the Isaac and Rebecca house when Esau returns to receive a secondary blessing from his father. 

Esau threatens Jacob’s life – so he takes off.  After all, Esau is a big and burly man and Jacob is neither of these things.  He has lived up to his name – and now this ankle grabber…this supplanter is getting his just desserts.  He’s scared, and rightly so!  So, he runs to his mother’s family, and while on his say in the desert, he stops for the night and has this dream of angels going up and down from earth to God’s throne. 

What does this mean for Jacob?  He wakes up and realizes that he is in a “thin place” as the Celtic people put it – a place where God and humans draw close to each other.  He names the place Beth-el, “House of God.” 

Have any of you dreamed dreams with ladders and angels in them?  What did you take it to mean? 

♫  We are climbing Jacob’s ladder
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder
Soldier of the Cross

Ev’ry round goes higher ‘n’ higher
Ev’ry round goes higher ‘n’ higher
Ev’ry round goes higher ‘n’ higher
Soldier of the Cross ♫

Jesus’ allusion to Jacob’s ladder from our gospel text today is interesting.  Did you notice that quick reference to Genesis as Jesus was talking to Nathaniel?  You have to know the Old Testament to get a deeper understanding of the New Testament!  Nathaniel would have gotten the allusion, and perhaps he began to wonder just who Jesus really is! 

Greater than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  Greater things than covenants, and miracle babies, and the 12 tribes?  What kind of things did Nathaniel see?

Crowds fed, bodies healed, demons exorcised, the dead raised, and hope implanted…countless people were introduced to God who is love and grace and hope and healing as Jesus walked through Palestine bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. 

Nathaniel saw Jesus nailed down and raised up on Calvary…the ladder of Jacob’s dream turned into the cross of Jesus’ reality…as Jesus, suspended between earth and heaven became the last and final bridge for God and humans to be united again. 

Love…amazing love is what Nathaniel witnessed.  And, like the other disciples, he ran away when Jesus was being tried and killed.  Yet, he came back.  As he watched Jesus go into heaven after his resurrection, he went on his way telling people about God and Jesus. 

♫ Brother do you love my Jesus
Brother do you love my Jesus
Brother do you love my Jesus
Soldier of the Cross

If you love him why not serve him
If you love him why not serve him
If you love him why not serve him
Soldier of the Cross ♫

Jacob’s dream led him to much success and to be the one to carry on the blessing that God began with his grandfather, Abraham.  His sons are the foundations of the 12 tribes of Israel.  Blessed to be a blessing to the nations. 

The power of these stories – Jacob’s and Nathaniel’s and ours – is that God uses us…even with all of our foibles and imperfections.  Even when we are deceitful, or run away in fear, God’s love is there for us.  And when we ask for forgiveness, forgiveness is always given – freely and without strings.  For that is how grace works – thanks be to God! 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

The Lamb

The Lamb

Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God who is Creator, Christ and Comforter.  Amen

Here we are in week 2 of a 4 week quick run-through of the book of Revelation – probably the most confusing books written for 21^st modern people.  It’s chock full of imagery and flip-flopping scenes of earthly violence and heavenly praise! 

What is its significance for us today?

Let’s back up one chapter to Chapter 4 of Revelation and start with who God is in this book.  God is introduced as the God of all creation who is holy, holy, holy.  For those of you who know and love liturgy, these words should send you into many hymns and pieces of liturgy that we have sung for years.  Chapter 5 continues this liturgy by telling us: worthy is Christ the Lamb who was slain.  Again, beautiful liturgical settings sung through the years come to mind! 

And, quite honestly, those of us who love praise music the whole industry would fall apart without Revelation 4 & 5’s imagery!  Worthy…lamb…holy…words we sing with all our hearts!  These two chapters of Revelation are THE most sung passages in all of Scripture?

So there it is – in and of itself – musicians and poets through the centuries right up to today have used the images of these two chapters to proclaim our faith! 

But why?  John uses the powerful image of Jesus as the Lamb who was slain – something that people of his day would know – both from the marketplace and from their own Jewish roots – to reveal the most important character of God, of Jesus, of the church, of hope. 

A slain lamb.

Who is Jesus, the son of God, the son of Mary the peasant-woman of Palestine.

Who has shown us in how he lived, and taught, and love and accepted everyone how to be more fully, completely, totally human

Who shows us how to be church in the world in which we live – as crazy and scary and confusing and convoluted as it is.

Which, in the middle of all of these feelings – as we look at that slain lamb (Jesus of Nazareth – who lived and died and was resurrected) we know that God’s love is real and tangible and available for EVERYONE. 

And, this brings us hope. 

Hope, even when we see people dying at the hand of ideologies that condone violence like in Barcelona, or Paris, or London, or Boston, or you-name-the-city.

Hope, even when our government is spending so much time infighting and NOT doing the work that our government should be doing – of the people, by the people and for the people. 

Hope, hope that is deeper than our most sincere wishes and wider than our most sincere desires and taller than our aspirations. 

We have hope – hope that God who is the Creator of all things is still in control of our world and holds this loving creation in cosmic hands.

We have hope – hope that the Holy Spirit is still alive and well and working and moving in our congregation, our community, our country and our planet, changing lives.

We have hope – hope that the powerful message of Jesus and his love for all people is real and relevant and as necessary for those of us who are Christians as breathing is! 

We find this hope here in this place where we gather to sing, and pray, and be that beloved community.  We come here to be loved, to give love, and most of all to be fed by the music and the Word of God, and by Jesus, the Lamb who was slain!

Just like John, we look around us weeping, wanting to know just who is worthy of our praise and adoration.  Just like John, we expect it will be someone powerful and strong, with charisma and an honesty of character, a real lion of a person.  And we are so surprised to find a lamb, a gentle lamb who has been slaughtered, whose love and self-sacrifice has changed our world for the last 2,000 years! 

I heard the story of a Lutheran pastor, now retired and living in Carlsbad.  He was raised in Guyana, his father was from India and Hindu, his mother was Muslim.  His dad converted to Islam to marry his mother.  But this boy was fascinated and compelled by the Holy Spirit to become a Christian – no matter how much he was punished for going to hear the missionaries.  He came to the US to study and felt called to become a pastor.  After graduation from college before seminary, he took a job at a Lutheran camp in upstate New York.  At Union Station he asked a young woman directions and it just so happened she was on her way to the very same camp as the camp nurse.  She was an Orthodox Jew.  They fell in love and she converted to Christianity.  They served God faithfully in our church, the ELCA until retirement. 

If that slaughtered lamb we know as Jesus can do that…