First reading: Amos 7:12-15
Psalm: Ps 85:9-14
Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times
Who was Amos:
Today’s readings begin with a selection from the Book of Amos. Amos is in an argument with a priest at Bethel. He tells Amaziah: —I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.—
Now that is a little misleading in English. When we picture shepherds and arborists we picture skilled workmen at best. Amos was more than a workman. He was likely a wealthy and educated owner of herds. This point-of-view is supported in that Amaziah accepted Amos as a prophet, Amos wrote in educated language, and because Amos had knowledge of the wider world, something a simple shepherd would not have. So first, let’s look at Amos as much closer to one of us, an educated, at least upper middle-class man.
Amos gets the call:
So we’re sitting at home one night doing the summery things we all do. We’re mowing the lawn, setting up the bar-b-que, playing catch with the kids, enjoying a cold one, going for a stroll and bang, God calls us.
Hey! you! Yeah, you with charcoal lighter and the Budweiser, you’re my prophet. Amos got that kind of call. Amos says:
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
This regular upper middle-class guy, in no way a professional prophet or a prophet in training got up and followed God’s call.
Just suppose again, that we got that call. Certainly, hearing God’s call we would put down the charcoal lighter, the matches, and the Bud and head out.
To do what:
What would we do? The interesting thing about the call is that it is a call. Amos didn’t get a lot of info, a dossier of things to say and do. All he got was the call.
Let’s think about Jonah for a moment. Jonah is one of those traditional prophets we immediately think of when we hear the work prophet. He received a call to prophesy, he received a message, travel instructions —“ the whole game plan. Except for the running away part he had all the traditional prophet stuff going on. He even had a message of doom. God told him (Jonah 1:2 and Jonah 3:4):
“Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
…and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
In Amos’ time professional prophets were a dime-a-dozen. They would proclaim oracles from God for profit, or attempt to divine the future for a fee. Most of these prophets only said what the people wanted to hear (Jeremiah 6:13-14).
Unfortunately, when we think of prophets we focus on that kind of foretelling, and usually foretelling doom like the alleged apparitions some people always talk about. People love the doom message and the floating image in a garden, or on toast. People love to hear that sort of prophesy, the stuff of Jonah and pious superstition. It wasn’t that way for Amos.
Amos wasn’t in that game. Amos was there to warn. Amos says that he is God’s spokesperson. He was a messenger prophet, entrusted with an authoritative message —“ and committed to delivering it.
So if we were to put down the charcoal lighter, the matches, and the Bud, to follow God’s call we would likely have little in the way of a game plan, a travel itinerary, and no more than the ability to tell it like it is; to speak an authoritative message, certainly no message of doom.
What did Amos talk about?
Amos didn’t focus on doom. He was there to talk about things as they are. He told the people, and especially the rulers, that actions have consequences, that God requires justice, and that a covenant people should live a covenant lifestyle if they hope for covenant blessings.
Amos confronts Amaziah and would not compromise his message even in front of the power of the priest who represented the king and state. Amaziah wants Amos out, and if he can’t get rid of him he wants Amos to moderate his authoritative message. Moderating an authoritative message doesn’t make it very authoritative, does it?
Where do we get the authoritative message?
Amos’ message lives on in the fullness of the Gospel. Actions have consequences, God requires justice, and a covenant people should live a covenant lifestyle if they hope for covenant blessings.
Putting down the charcoal lighter, the matches, and the Bud, and following God’s call should be easy for us. We don’t need to foretell the future or proclaim a message of gloom and doom. We are fully equipped to do as Jesus asks (Matthew 11:29):
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
That doesn’t mean that we put down the Bud and put our feet up to rest, but that Jesus’ work, the proclamation and lifestyle of the authoritative message of the Gospel, is where we will find fulfillment.
Our authoritative message is the Gospel, the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes, all that He said and did, and ultimately in His example of complete self giving. That’s the game plan.
They went off:
Today we see Jesus sending the disciples off two-by-two. They kept it simple: a tunic, walking stick, sandals.
So they went off and preached repentance.
We too must go.
We are called:
Paul makes it clear. I opened with Paul’s words to the Ephesians:
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times
God set out the plan. There is no mystery, no secret formula, nothing unknown or hidden. Christians are people who build their house on a hill and put their lamps on lamp stands, for all to see. Jesus gave us the entire message and we are called to make it known. We do not need and cannot put our faith in floating apparitions and visions in apartment block windows. We have the authoritative message of the Gospel —“ easy to speak, simple to hear, open to all.
As I said: Jesus’ work, the proclamation and lifestyle of the authoritative message of the Gospel, is where we will find fulfillment.
The authoritative message isn’t prophesying nor is it a telling of oracles so we can hear what we want, so we can interpret as we please. Rather it is the clear truth and path to salvation. Certainly it is hard sometimes. Certainly walking away from the nice charcoal fire with the thick juicy steaks on top and the cold Bud to follow Jesus’ call isn’t convenient, but following God’s call, that’s heaven.
I left one line off of Paul’s message to the Ephesians. The wisdom and insight we have in the authoritative message of the Gospel, the mystery that has been made plain, is:
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.
We are to warn, to be God’s spokespeople, to be messengers of the authoritative Gospel. Doing that is no burden, and heaven is worth fourteen Clydesdales and a whole wagon full of Buds. Our Christian task, our truth says that we are to bring everything and everyone together in Christ Jesus. Let nothing stand in our way in summing all things up in Him. Then we can say with St. Paul (Romans 8:38-39):
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here’s our call: Put down the charcoal lighter, the matches, and the Bud. Pray, take action, and give the wortd the authoritative message —“ come to the Lord and Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Amen.
