"You trample on the poor, afflict the righteous, and push aside the needy." - Sermon, Sun, Oct 10

Today’s Sermon by Father Matt, Rector. The text below is similar to the version preached.

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Our Old Testament Lesson today is from the Book of Amos. It may surprise you to learn that Amos was not a professional prophet or part of a school of prophets. Actually, he was a sheep herder and a sycamore fig farmer. The Book of Amos is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets and is the first of the extant prophets from the 8th Century BC – he is an older contemporary of Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah, and he was active from about 760–755 BC during the rule of kings Jeroboam II of Israel and Uzziah of Judah.

Amos lived in time when the people of Israel had long been divided into two nations: Israel in the North, and Judah – which included Jerusalem – in the south. The bulk of his prophesy is directed at the northern kingdom, but the issues that he addresses are not just limited to Israel – they are common to both nations. He is prophesying at a time when the older tribal order and structures of society of Israel and Judah are beginning to break down, and in place is emerging special class of super wealthy at the top of society who not only benefit the most from the economic and governmental structures at the time but also refuse to use or share their hoarded wealth on anyone but themselves. If you have been in my Isaiah class for the past few months, you know that this exact same situation has continued in the decades following Amos – in the days of Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah, the rich got richer and the poor were left to fend for themselves.

It is to the rich that Amos speaks when he states bluntly:

You trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
[you] afflict the righteous, [you] take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.

Amos, like his contemporaries, warns that the empty religious piety of the wealthy won’t save them and, frankly, is totally meaningless if they neglect and oppress the poor. We are reading from Chapter 5 – listen to a few more verses from later in the same chapter:

I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

To be clear, Amos isn’t singling out his own people as being particularly oppressive or especially unjust. The problem is that they are as bad as EVERY OTHER NATION. Amos’ Book begins with a string of oracles against various foreign nations condemning the people of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Amon, and Moab. When he gets to Judah and Israel he notes that they are no different – no better – than all the rest. The chosen people of God, the people of the promise are no different, no better, no good. Like every other nation, the rich of God’s Chosen People oppress and take from the poor and push aside the needy so they can enjoy their wealth and prosperity in “peace”.

The situation that Amos was addressing isn’t all that different from the world we live in. Condemnation of a society where the rich get richer and poor get poorer isn’t a message confined to Amos. It is the same that Isaiah proclaims several generations later, it is the same as every prophet – if you don’t believe me, read them – and it is a message that is perhaps best summed up in the writing on the wall that the Prophet Daniel interpreted: You have been weighed on the balances and found lacking. The clarion call of the prophets has been communal responsibility, and this is a message that has been sounded again and again throughout history.

The People of God – which includes you are me – are called to account by God.

How does the percentage of our time, talent, and treasure that goes to and is stored up for ourselves, our families, and our friends compare to the percentage of our time, talent, and treasure that goes to those in need?

However you are doing, strive to do better. A journey of faith is about moving continually closer to God, always taking that next step, even when you feel like you’ve gone pretty far already. There will be times when we will feel very much like the rich man in the Gospel who has tried to live a righteous life, thinks he has done pretty well in living out his faith, and yet in a moment discovers that more is asked because there is still more to give.

It is in those moments when I most need to know that Jesus is there, and that he is on my side, loving me, letting me know that I do have more in the tank, encouraging me to start the journey again, and assuring me that we he will walk with me to the end.