“The
time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the
land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of
the Lord.”[1] The prophet Amos is speaking to the
Israelites who have been committing economic sins against the poor and needy of
their land, using their power in abusive ways for self-serving purposes that
deny others their rights or their human dignity.[2] And, “even if it means the death of Israel
[God’s chosen people], God will take action against those who harm the least of
these.”[3] This action, according to Amos, includes the
sending of an earthquake, turning feasts and songs into mourning and
lamentation, and, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.[4]
There is no room in this passage for an individual to stand up and say, “but it
wasn’t me, I didn’t do those things. I didn’t abuse my power. I didn’t neglect
the needy.” God’s action, God’s judgment will be upon all the people. This is
where the rubber hits the road in our reading of Scripture, isn’t it? Because at
least as far as this prophesy goes, it doesn’t matter if you were involved in
the sin or were merely an observer – or goodness, even if you were blissfully
unaware - ALL are implicated in the punishment.
And
the truth is, Amos could just as well be speaking to us today – about any
number of atrocities – the destruction of the environment by large
corporations, the failure of elected officials to pass sensible gun
legislation, the rejection of the dignity and rights of asylum seekers crossing
our borders. And you and I may find ways
to distance ourselves from these sins: “I don’t work for that company” or “I
didn’t vote for that person” or “I live nearly 1400 miles from the Mexican
border.” It’s easy to distance ourselves from responsibility. And yet, God reminds us through the prophet
Amos that we are all connected, all responsible, and all accountable. We cannot shrug off the blame. We must take
action ourselves – actions that reflect God’s mercy, God’s justice and God’s
love – until all of God’s creation is made whole. We are all called to become like Amos – a
prophet who speaks truth to the powers that be. We are called by God to write
letters, make phone calls, attend rallies, boycott organizations that take
advantage of the needy or destroy God’s creation, or protest and cry out for
God’s justice, mercy and love in other ways.
We
have people all around us who can help show us the way. The young activists –
young adults who were not long ago the teenagers whose schools experienced mass
shootings – these young people who continue to lead the way in the fight for
sensible gun control legislation. They
are speaking truth to power and showing us the way. They are prophets in our time. There are organizations as well – ICDI,
ICIRR, The National Immigrant Justice Center and others who are providing
services to immigrant communities and the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center
who are working to ensure that asylum seekers at our nation’s borders and
immigrants are treated with dignity and respect and within the constraints of
the law. These are prophets in our time. And the Good News is that this prophetic
gift is given to all of us by God’s Spirit breathed within us at the time of
creation.[5]
But we have to use it until there is no work left for us to do. Milner Seifert was at The Hymn Society’s
Annual Gathering in Dallas last week and he shared with me a hymn text written
by Carl Daw (to music written by Mark Miller) called “God Has Work For Us To Do.” It goes like this:
Till all the jails
are empty and all the bellies filled:
Till no one hurts or steals or lies, and no more blood is spilled:
God has work for us to do,
Till God’s will is done and all things are made new,
God has work for us to do.
Till no one hurts or steals or lies, and no more blood is spilled:
God has work for us to do,
Till God’s will is done and all things are made new,
God has work for us to do.
In tending to
creation, to water, land, and air,
through what we do and what we don’t to nourish and repair:
God has work for us to do,
Till God’s will is done and all things are made new,
God has work for us to do.
through what we do and what we don’t to nourish and repair:
God has work for us to do,
Till God’s will is done and all things are made new,
God has work for us to do.
In seeking the
protection of creatures great and small;
in binding up the web of life that animates us all,
God has work for us to do,
Till God’s will is done and all things are made new,
God has work for us to do.[6]
in binding up the web of life that animates us all,
God has work for us to do,
Till God’s will is done and all things are made new,
God has work for us to do.[6]
We
do not need to do God’s work alone but we must do the work. We cannot sit back
and point the finger of blame at others.
For to do so is to clearly implicate ourselves. God has work for us to do. God’s prophets are
putting us all on notice. Let us hear
the words of the Lord.
[1]
Amos 8:11.
[2]
Amos 8:4-6.
[3]
Matthew Richard Schlimm, “Amos 8:1-12, Commentary 1: Connecting the Reading
with Scripture,” in Connections: A
Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, Volume 3: Season
after Pentecost, Joel B. Green, et. al., editors, (Louisville, KY: Westminster
John Knox Press, 2019), p. 163.
[4]
Amos 8:8, 10, 11.
[5]
Carol J. Dempsey, “Amos 8:1-12, Commentary 2: Connecting the Reading with the
World,” in Connections, p. 165.
[6]
Carl P. Daw, Jr., “God Has Work for Us to Do,” (Carol Stream, IL: Hope
Publishing, 1996, 2018).
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