Amos 5:21-24

“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 everflowing stream.” vss. 23-24

During Israel’s golden age, the time of its greatest prosperity, Amos came out of the wilderness of Judah with a message from the Lord. To put it bluntly, there was nothing that the people were doing that was pleasing. They were cheating the poor, indulging the rich, and their sacrifices were a stench in the nostrils of the Lord. And what passed for worship in their sanctuaries was a waste of time. No one in the heavenly places was listening! But there was a way to touch the heart of God, and Amos was concise! These are some of the most impressive words in all the Hebrew scriptures, “Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.” This verse sums up the teaching of every prophet of every age. This is the heart of the prophetic message, and a brilliant summation of Jesus’ message when he began his ministry. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Even though the religious don’t much like to hear it, social justice is the very center of every congregation’s mission!

Thought for the Day: What justice issue is dear to my heart?

Amos 5:18-20

“Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear…” vss. 18-19a

When Amos came out of the south and into the prosperous north with a word from the Lord, he wasn’t going to a people who were unfamiliar with the traditions of Israel. There were religious leaders and active worship centers–these were people who were well-acquainted with rituals and sacrifice. Evidently some of them were looking forward to the day of the Lord and the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel. And Amos mocks them!  When that day comes, he tells them, it’s going to be a time of destruction worse than they could imagine. Hidden in Amos’ words we can catch a hint of what happens for those who have gotten smug and comfortable in their faith. It can even occur among us. If we believe the coming kingdom has any connection with our religiosity and empty traditions, we’re going to be sadly mistaken. We’re not talking hellfire and brimstone here, just the general emptiness that can grip the people of God when their religions become a charade, and they wander away from the plan and purposes of God. As Amos puts it so well, at those times our songs of praise become only repetitive noise to the Lord, and our well-phrased sermons like the drone of a well-traveled freeway. God is not impressed.

Thought for the Day: What’s the point of worship in my congregation?

Matthew 5:7-12

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 10

Jesus has already mentioned that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake will be blessed, but sometimes we forget just who those folks are. It’s the word righteousness that throws us off. We generally think of that in moralistic terms, but really these are the people who yearn for justice. They want the poor to be lifted up, they want an end to abuse and exploitation. They want the rich to stop taking advantage of the poor. We know who these people are. Some of us have applauded their efforts through the years. Others of us have considered them to be a nuisance. They’ve been called every name under the sun. Jesus knows that some of these disciples are going to be abused too, so he says “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” They’ve got a special place in the kingdom. Working for social justice in our world is dangerous. People don’t mind it if we feed the hungry and clothe the naked, that’s charity, and that’s a good thing to do. But if we start marching or striking, or standing with victims, if we get involved in justice issues it starts getting controversial. We can get abused on social media, our families can be threatened, and we can lose a ton of friends. Jesus says, “Don’t worry, that’s what they did to the prophets. And it’ll be wonderful if they do it to you too!”

Thought for the Day: Why is working for social justice controversial?

Matthew 5:1-6

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” vs. 3

On this All Saints Sunday we’ll be remembering in a formal way all those we’ve been thinking about this week. Many of those loved departed ones will be mentioned during prayers–sometimes their names will be printed in the bulletin or appear on a screen. They are the saints of our hearts, and not necessarily of the stained glass variety. Of course some of them will have had deep and profound faith–but not all. The first people Jesus mentions in his beatitudes are the poor in spirit, and that opens the door for a whole variety of folks. We can’t be exactly sure what he meant by “poor in spirit,” but it could be he was thinking of those who have never been able to get their spiritual houses in order. We all know people like that–and maybe that’s how we’re feeling too. We see believers in our congregations and families who seemingly have it all together. Doubt is an infrequent visitor, and their trust is unshakable. That’s a wonderful thing, and such people really are an inspiration. But the truth is that a lot of us really struggle with issues of faith and many experience what can be called “spiritual poverty.” If Jesus called such persons blessed, well, that leaves hope for us all. Even the rascals among us have a place in the kingdom! Nobody gets left behind! 

Thought for the Day: What is spiritual poverty?

1 John 3:2-3

“Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” vs. 2

John leaves room for mystery in our future. We don’t yet know what we one day will be, but what we do know is that right now, today, we are God’s beloved children. For most that will be enough. We have plenty to do in the present and it feels good to know that we have a loving and intimate God connection. With that knowledge we can deal with whatever comes our way in the course of daily living, even on the days when it seems like the garbage is piling up. As far as the future goes and we finally make our transition from the Church Militant to the Church Triumphant, John simply says that the God connection continues and we will become one with Christ. To put it another way, we will be as Christ is! Of course details are lacking, there’s no way with our limited experiences and vocabulary that we could ever describe that perfect Unity. In one sense it is good that it is a mystery. This way each of us can ascribe whatever images and pictures we want to that glorious reunion. All we need to know is that it will be better than we can even imagine, and certainly better than a dream!

Thought for the Day: How do I imagine becoming one with Christ is like?

1 John 3:1

“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” vs. 1a

We regularly hear that we are children of God, and for some that’s really old news. It’s old hat, something we take for granted. But for John, the epistle writer, it was spectacular, the supreme example of God’s abundant love. We can suspect that it meant so much to him because, in one sense, at least, being children of God meant that we were in the same category as Jesus, almost the equivalent of being a son of God. Put that way, being a child of God is about as good as it gets in this world. We certainly don’t get put in that category because of our fine behavior. All we have to do is take a look around and see what despicable things we humans are capable of doing to put that notion to rest. Not even the ones we call saints become the intimates of God because they are such fine people–though in fact they are the creme de la creme. No, we are the children of God purely because of God’s love–it is who we are–and it’s love that makes it so! Again, it may be that today we are responding to that good news with another big ho-hum, what else is new. If that’s the case, it’s really too bad because life really doesn’t get any better than this. 

Thought for the Day: How does being loved change my life?

Psalm 34:1-10, 22

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want.” vss. 8-9

Today is All Saints Day, the festival set aside for remembering those who have moved from this life to the next, the ones who are said to rest from their labors. We all have memories of such persons, and sometimes our thoughts of them can bring tears–we miss them so very much! But it’s not only the saints of the church triumphant that we call to mind today–there are saints who are very much alive who have had a profound influence on us. They live all around us, in our neighborhoods and in our congregations, and they remind us regularly that their trust is in the Lord. Many have served the Lord Jesus through their entire lives and have regularly given of their time and energy in lifting up the lives of the needy. Some have seen tough times and their suffering is written on their brows and in the wrinkles of their faces. But they’re not complainers, and regularly testify to the goodness of the Lord. If you want, they will gladly tell you how they have been lifted up and given refuge by their Savior. They ask for nothing more than to walk humbly with their Lord for the rest of their days. These are the ones Jesus called, “the salt of the earth.”

Thought for the Day: The living saints who bless my life!

Revelation 7:13-17

“They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” vss. 16-17

There are some people who don’t particularly like the book of Revelation. They’re literalists and the beautiful metaphors and images don’t touch their hearts. They believe that since we can’t really know anything about life after death, we shouldn’t say anything. But what fun is that! The words of comfort in these verses have lifted the spirits of mourners for centuries. Of course they’re metaphors, but metaphors aren’t lies! They’re the words used to describe the indescribable and to paint a picture of what we want for our loved ones beyond death. No more hunger, no more thirst, no more Phoenix summer heat! The Good Shepherd will be there to guide them to springs of living water, and then we see these incredible words, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Some may prefer the light-filled testimony of those who have had near death experiences, but for sheer beauty there’s nothing that can beat Revelation. Whatever lies ahead for us, these words provide all the reassurance any of us need to hear. And tomorrow, on All Saints Day, perhaps we’ll be able to imagine our loved ones in the arms of the Shepherd, and really, who could want for anything more!

Thought for the Day: Why are images better than words to describe new life?

Revelation 7:9-12

“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” vs. 9

Tomorrow is Halloween, or All-Hallows Eve, the evening before All Saints Day, an annual holiday set apart by the Church to remember the dead, and traditionally a time for the lighting of candles in memory of loved ones and for prayer. And while most congregations do continue to celebrate an All Saints Sunday, Halloween itself has been taken over by the culture and, through marketing magic, has been completely rebranded in the eyes of the public. For the last month neighbors have been competing to erect macabre displays in their front yards, build haunted houses, and celebrate a ghoulish notion of the dead more in line with Hollywood fantasy than Christian faith. It’s telling to contrast those scenes with the vision presented in the book of Revelation. While there are scary chapters in Revelation, these verses are spectacular: a multitude beyond number, from every tribe and nation, totally inclusive, all robed in white, gathered before the throne and the Lamb, with palm branches in their hands. Now wouldn’t it be great if we could catch a glimpse of something like that in our neighborhood yards? It would be a vast improvement over skeletons and the revenge of the zombies!

Thought for the Day: Who will I be remembering this All Saints Eve?

John 8:34-36

 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” vs. 36

We love freedom! Nothing else gets our juices flowing like the prospect of being free! It’s been the rallying cry of nearly every revolution as the masses have risen up together against tyranny. Many can remember the joy of leaving the structured living of parental homes, and for the first time realizing that they could go where they pleased and come back whenever they wanted. It’s a delicious feeling–and though it can dissipate quickly as we enter the rat race, we savor the memory, and look forward to feeling it again in retirement. The problem is that we are never as free as we think we are. As Jesus reminded the Jews who flaunted their freedom, anyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. And he’s right. And those who flit around doing whatever their flesh desires, learn quickly that doing as they please can lead to the ugliest kinds of bondage and captivity. According to Jesus there’s only one way to know real freedom, and that is through forgiveness. And that’s the message that’s been the heart of the gospel from the beginning. It’s the good news that Paul proclaimed and that Luther discovered anew in the Reformation. Through the cross of Christ we have the complete forgiveness of all of our sins, and have been set free to live in accordance with God’s perfect design. Yes, freedom is wonderful, but it comes, not through our own works, but by the grace of God.

Thought for the Day: When did I discover the joy of freedom?