The Only Word That Really Matters

Amos 3:1-11 2

2 Peter 1:12-21

The Season of Advent receives its texture and its meaning from the word of God. God has made promises to us that we know will be kept, so even as we wait with hope and expectation we must prepare ourselves for what God is about to do. Two of our readings for today touch on the role that God’s word plays in our lives.

“The lion has roared;

who will not fear?

The Lord God has spoken;

who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:8)

“First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

When God speaks through the Holy Spirit men and woman of faith are compelled to share that message with others. Amos in particular resisted the title of prophet; he was a farmer who had heard the voice of God. What else could he do but speak God’s truth? The writer of 2 Peter affirms that God alone is the source of prophecy. We are not called to speculate blindly about the future, but to embrace God’s will and live toward it. On any given day many voices will clamor for our attention: advertisements, political rhetoric, gossip, the crass and clashing sounds of our culture. Only God’s word, however, can set the tone for the days that lie ahead, for only God’s word contains the truth.

Prayer: Lord, allow us to hear your word and to be moved by it in all that we do, throughout the Season of Advent and into the days ahead. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Cost of Prophesy

Jeremiah 26:1-16(17-24)

There is an account included in the passage from Jeremiah today which, according to the New Oxford Annotated Bible, is added “to illustrate Jeremiah’s personal danger and fortunate official support” (NRSV New Oxford Annotated Bible 10th ed., p. 1003 n.).

“There was another man prophesying in the name of the LORD, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words exactly like those of Jeremiah…. Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor and men with him to Egypt, and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who struck him down with the sword and threw his dead body into the burial place of the common people” (Jeremiah 26:20, 22-23).

Speaking up for God is not always easy. Sometimes it will put us at odds with the culture. Sometimes it will make us seem kooky. Sometimes it will alienate us from friends and family. But the call to be God’s people is not a call to take it easy. God expects more from us. God expects us to risk who we are and what we have for the glory of God’s name, to speak in a strong, clear voice the words that God will give us, and to make sure our actions are consistent with our words. When we do so, when we share God’s message with the world, we act as a beacon of mercy and hope that cuts through the murky atmosphere of apathy and leads others to a better life. What a joyous process in which to be involved, regardless of the danger.

Prayer: Lord, help us to speak your word to the world with integrity and courage that others may hear and believe in you. Amen.