Reflections on "Privilege and Responsibility" Amos 3: 1-2; Amos 5: 21-24

The minor prophets series continues with Amos.  I can already tell that I have two significant challenges each week.  1.  How to keep it from being a Sunday school lesson instead of a sermon.  I have so much information and background I want to share, but I have to do it within the context of the sermon.  I suspect that most of the weeks the congregation will know very little about the particular prophet, but I don't want to turn my sermons into lectures.  2.  how to connect the prophet and his words with our world today.  

I debated throwing out the sermon and focusing solely on the shootings in Charleston.  I chose not to do so, but did include comments about the shooting in the announcements to start the service, in the prayers, and then referenced it in the sermon.  

The Sanctuary sermon went better.  I tweaked a few things along the way in the second service, but those tweaks are probably not reflected in the text below because I did not write them down.  

“Privilege and Responsibility” FPC, Troy, Minor prophet series; Amos 3: 1-2; 5: 21-24

Introduction: the first part of the 8^th century BCE turn out to be a good time for Israel.

At that time, Israel was the northern kingdom and Judah was the southern kingdom of what had been the

Israel, the Northern kingdom, is experiencing prosperity and peace. According to Anderson, "during the reign of Jereboam II, the commercial and colonial activity of the Phoenicians was at its peak in the Mediterranean world, and Israel shared in the profits that flowed from the exchange of goods and services" (Bernhard Anderson, Understanding the Old Testament 4th edition, 288).

Time of optimism – the Day of Yahweh, when all things would be good, appeared to be at hand. At least, I suppose, if you were one of the people benefiting form the prosperity.

c. Shift in how Israel was structured

1. Earlier Israel had been a tribal federation in covenant with Yahweh.

        2. Tribal federations were not prone to class structure.

        3. As Amos prophesies Israel was a monarchy with a royalty at the top; a ruling class; a merchant class that develops to do business; a working class; and a class of poor, not working.

       4. Class stratification has arrived with some,a s Amos describes it, having summer homes and winter homes, and other experiencing poverty.

  d. On the horizon, not quite a problem, but at least a question appears Assyria.

        1. The rising power in the world

       2. what if, What if Assyria decides to set its sights on Israel?

Move 2: Here comes Amos

a. Amos comes from Tekoa, a small village in Judah.

1. Judah, the southern kingdom.

2. Imagine that – a preacher from the south moving north to preach to the northerners!

b.  Amos does not claim to be a prophet.

     1.  In fact, in Chapter 7 Amaziah, the priest of Bethel (one of the holy cities in the northern kingdom) the priest Amaziah attacks Amos on two fronts.

     2. First of all, he tells King Jereboam that Amos is prophesying against the king.

     3.  then he confronts Amos and tells him to go back home to the south and prophesy there.

     4.  Amos responds by telling Amaziah that he is not a prophet.

      5.  “I am just a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees.” He takes care of the animals and cuts a slit in the fruit to help in the ripening process (http://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hbd/view.cgi?n=1675)

      6.  but, God sent me to prophesy to Israel.

7. “I am not a prophet. I am just doing with God told me to do.”

100. But he's a preacher extraordinaire!

1. I had a chance yesterday to visit with Mario (our former intern, who now and Associate Pastor). We talked about how much he is enjoying preaching; different styles of sermons; he described how much fun it is to reel the listeners in, and then suddenly twist the sermon. Amos does that.

2. Typical style.

3. “Thus says the Lord”
4. Attacking the other countries, the enemies of Israel. “you go Amos!”

4. Got to the seventh in the cycle of oracles. The seventh is the final one. It's the worst one saved for last. And the target is Judah, the southern tribe. Amos has proven his brilliance by setting his prophetic sights on Judah.
   5. then the twist. An eight oracle is added. And the target is Israel. In fact, the rest of the prophecy will focus on Israel.
5. Amos has revealed the worst of the sinners, and it is Israel. They are the worst..
6. it reminds me of the story of the two elderly women who were sitting together in the front pew of church with a fiery preacher. they excitedly and loudly responded to the preaching. When this preacher condemned the sin of lust, these two ladies cried out at the top of their lungs.....AMEN... BROTHER! When the preacher condemned the sin of stealing, they yelled again....PREACH IT REVEREND! And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying.... they jumped to their feet and screamed, RIGHT ON BROTHER.... TELL IT LIKE IT IS..... AMEN! But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got quiet and one turned to the other and said, "He's done quit preaching and now he's meddling'.
   Amos has gone to meddling.”

100. Amos calls into question all that they do.
     1. his critique exposes the way they live; the class structure and its inequities.
     2. His challenge the way they worship. What's the point of their glorious worship if they do not do justice?
     4. Amos challenges them to connect their faith, their worship, their relationship with God with how they are living their lives.

Move 4: Privilege demands responsibility.

a. sounds like a pretty good Father's day theme. A father teaching his children that with privilege comes responsibility.

b. Amos reminds them of the special relationship they have with God.

1. Chapter 3 (3:2) beings with Amos sharing with the Israelites these words from God: “you only have I known of all the families of the earth”
2. Covenant language.
3. Israel is God's nation, chosen by God for a special relationship, special purpose.
4. We can relate to that sense of specialness because of our theology of call.
5. But also because that is the language that is often used these days to describe our own nation.

b. Amos follows it up with the twist – “therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (3:2)

1. Israel has been given all the advantages of their special relationship with God, but they have failed to respond accordingly.
2. As Donald Gowan describes it, Israel has “enthusiastically claimed the privilege,” but has “forgotten responsibility” (Theology of the Prophetic Books: The Death and Resurrection of Israel, Donald Gowan, 32)
3. Leads to lament – one of the most intense feelings of grief in ancient Israel was when a young, unmarried person who had no children to carry on the family name died.
4. That's the language Amos uses in the opening verses of Chapter 5: “Fallen, no more to rise, is maiden Israel; forsaken on her land, with one to raise her up.”
5. The prophet laments over Israel because because Israel failed to recognizes its responsibilities and is now facing exile (Amos is the first
   c. Responsibility

1. We are connected.
2. Economic injustice and disparity – we want to make it simply an economic policy or someone else's issue – but Amos asks us – how can you be satisfied if you are doing well, but others are not?
3. Charleston shootings – what can we do in the face of race issues; recurring mass shootings?
4. Worship – imagine Amos here. How does our worship send us into the world?

Conclusion: Is there any hope? The last chapter of Amos has has a glimmer of hope. Probably added by a later writer.

A writer who could not stand the idea of Israel's death as permanent. A writer who may have written after the exile, when the Israelites had returned to Jerusalem and saw firsthand the power of God to restore.

A writer who reveals a truth about God – the one who called Israel, demanded responsibility; saw Israel's defeat an exile is also a God of hope. The God who would send Jesus Christ so that we would know the power of God to resurrect.

Amos may add the twist to the story that points to the death of Israel, but God had the final twist – death leads to resurrection.

Amen.