“… let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an every-flowing stream.”
Amos 5:24
It was about 750 BCE when Amos showed up in the northern country of Israel. About 200 years before—the country, that David had united and passed on to his son Solomon, split into two countries. Judah in the south and Israel was to the north. Things in Israel seemed to be going fairly smoothly. There was a fair amount of affluence; the market was up. There was relative safety on the streets and in the countryside. People had time for some leisurely activities of life. All in all, it seemed to be a pretty good time to be an Israelite.
But then this Amos guy showed up. Amos wasn’t even from Israel—he was from Judah. Amos started saying things that people really didn’t want to hear. He said things like—how come you are worshiping so piously but not taking care of the widows and orphans. Why doesn’t your Monday through Saturday behavior match Sunday’s? Amos saw the world with God’s eyes.
Which brings me to wonder in this 21st century—some 3,000 years after Amos—does our worship reflect our daily living? This becomes a loaded question as we approach the consumers’ feeding frenzy time. Are we into buy, buy, buy, more, more, more, and crassly passing it off as “doing my part to support the US economy!”?
I have been encouraging folks to “slow down”; to be thankful for all we have and may take for granted (clean water, shelter, good enough health to be reading this). When we slow down and engage the world, we, like Amos, will begin to see pain and brokenness. God empowers us to be people of courage to stand by those who are powerless or have no rights. God desires that our daily living reflect all those lovely words we sing and say on Sunday.
We are on the cusp of Advent—a brand new liturgical year for the church. It is a time of waiting for the Christ child to be born anew. It is a time for self-reflection; and view what we see through the lens of God’s desires for justice for all creation.
What are some things that you are actively trying this year so as not to get sucked into the whirling vortex of mindless consumerism? |