Listen Here

Amos 8:1-14

Of all the words of warning that God shares through the prophet Amos perhaps the most ominous comes in our reading for today.

“The time is surely coming, says the Lord God,

when I will send a famine on the land;

not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water,

but of hearing the words of the Lord.

They shall wander from sea to sea,

and from north to east;

they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,

but they shall not find it” (Amos 8:11-12).

Amos is describing a sense of disorientation that few of us can fully appreciate. I imagine the absence of God’s word as similar to the rasping sound of a poorly tuned radio. Unable to find the proper signal we might soon become dizzy following after other voices, other sounds that offered no real substance.

But what if God’s word is present yet we refuse to listen to it? What if our “spiritual radios” are turned off or set to other stations? Is the effect not the same? Do we not risk the same disorientation? Do we not find ourselves drawn to voices and sounds unworthy of our attention? Advent is about tuning into the proper message, about seeking out the correct frequency so that the message comes though clearly. Jesus Christ is the Word of God and in his birth we find God broadcasting the good news to all who will listen.

Prayer: Lord, help us to hear your Word and to respond in faith, during Advent and beyond. In Jesus’ name. Amen.