Living In Between

Zechariah 13:1-9
Two verses from today’s Old Testament reading caught my attention. “On that day the prophets will be ashamed, every one, of their visions when they prophesy; they will not put on a hairy mantle in order to deceive, but each of them will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil; for the land has been my possession since my youth’” (Zechariah 13:4-5). “I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the soil…” How similar these words are to those of the prophet Amos. “Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”’” (Amos 7:14-15).

In the first case –– in Zechariah –– we are told that in shame false prophets will turn from their deceptive ways and will deny that they were ever engaged in such work. In the second case, however, –– that of Amos –– one who has come to be recognized as a legitimate prophetic voice rejects the title. Oddly, both Amos and the false prophets of Zechariah ultimately point to agriculture as their true occupation. For Amos, this probably meant that he was not a member of the guild of prophets, that he was a true outsider who was doing what God had called him to do. It was a task he could not avoid yet one he accepted reluctantly. The false prophets, however, would be running away from a deceptive past in which they had spoken, not God’s word, but their own, for they had not received a call from the Lord but lived as though they had.

As one who feels called to preach and to serve the church in a particular way, I take each of these stories to heart. On the one hand I know the danger of sharing a “false gospel” based not on the gospel but on what others want to hear. I also wrestle frequently with the heavy expectations that fall on ministers to function with integrity and honesty. Though I am hardly a farmer, there are days when I would welcome the chance to run away and lose myself in a different line of work. At those times I am comforted by Amos’ words and the fact that someone else has come this way before. On other days I find myself swelled by pride and making assumptions that are clearly not correct. Those are the days when I hear the words of Zechariah as a warning against complacency.

No life of faith is easy, no attempt to serve God is without challenges. We all struggle and we all fail from time to time. But somewhere between the false words of pride and self-centeredness and the true words of God’s judgment and grace we find a path to walk that leads us forward in hope. That is the journey we must seek.

Prayer: Almighty God, by your grace may our words be true and our faith be sustained all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Expect the Unexpected

Amos 7:10-17

The book of Amos offers only a brief description of the prophet’s call from God. “Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel”'” (Amos 7:14-15). This is not a unique story in scripture. Moses was herding the flocks of his father-in-law when God called him (Exodus 3). Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8) and Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1) were minding their own business when the presence of the Lord burst upon them with work to be done. In the New Testament Mary was surprised to learn that she would bear God’s Son (Luke 1:26-38); Simon, Andrew, James and John were interrupted in their daily activities when Jesus called them to follow (Matthew 4:18-22); and Paul was stunned by Jesus’ appearance to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). These are just a few of the examples that scripture gives us.

Advent is a time for listening to God’s voice in our lives, for following where God leads us, for doing the unexpected. Few of us herd livestock, prune sycamore trees, or fish for a living. Even fewer—I suspect—are in the habit of persecuting Christians. That’s not the point of these stories. What we need to understand it that God sees in us gifts and skills that we may not readily see in ourselves, and God seeks to use those skills to serve God’s will. The tasks we find ourselves doing may be small or large, may cause us little discomfort or force us to completely change our way of life. Whatever the case, God’s people must always “expect the unexpected.” That may seem difficult during Advent when we think we know pretty well what is going on, but if we are really listening, really paying attention, then we will learn all sorts of things about God, about ourselves, and about the world around us.

Advent is a time for expectations, some of which are very unexpected. Be ready.

Prayer: Lord, keep us focused on what you are doing in our world, and give us the strength to respond when you call. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Who Is Expecting Whom?

Amos 7:1-9

According to our Old Testament reading for today God gave the prophet Amos a clear image of judgment.

“This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword’" (Amos 7:7-9).

In order for a wall to be its strongest it must be built with precision. The wall next to which Amos saw the Lord standing had been built with a plumb line, meaning it had been well constructed. This, then, was the expectation that God was setting for the people. Everything they did was to be as straight and true as a well built wall. If all was not as God wished it God’s judgment would come to bear.

That may not sound like a cheery message for Advent, but the truth is unmistakable. To be in relationship with another or to be bound in covenant means that each party expects the other to abide by the terms of the contract. We, then, are not the only ones with expectations these days. As we await the coming reign of God we must strive to live in truth, to “measure up” to the expectations that God has for us. The good news is that by grace God offers a plumb line for us to use. If we allow God to guide us the lives we construct will be all they should be, a blessing to us and to others.

Prayer: Lord, may our lives we straight and true, built according to your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Floor Plan of God

Jeremiah 22:13-23

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by…” (Amos 7:8). Those are the verses I thought of when as I read through today’s passage from Jeremiah. “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice…” (Jeremiah 22:13). When we take these verses together it is clear that God has a “floor plan” for our world, for our society, for our lives. We may try to create a legacy for ourselves, but unless we pay attention to God’s will and God’s judgment, we build in vain. If our building materials include unrighteousness and injustice then the structure will be insecure and morally out of plumb.

So who would ever knowingly build such a faulty structure? We know the answer to that question because we ourselves are guilty of the practice. A half-truth here, a blind eye there, a choice made according to expediency and not according to what is just, and pretty soon our lives are leaning precariously away from God’s intentions. The same is true of communities and nations. Taking advantage of others, overlooking the needs of the weak and oppressed, focusing too much on our desires and not enough on what God wants can leave us tottering on the brink of a spiritual collapse. We must work to shore up the structures with justice, to support the walls with righteousness. We must allow God to build through us and not ignore God’s instructions. After all, the floor plan of God is the only design guaranteed to provide for our needs and those of others.

Prayer: Gracious God, help to build lives of righteousness and justice and to reach out to those in need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.