Adapted from a sermon delivered to the Fellowship of Oso Creek. Yes, they asked me preach on giving more...
Things couldn't possibly get any better. The economy was booming; new industries were being forged, which created more jobs, and at the same time, cheap labor allowed for drastically increased profit margins. The nation was safe, secure; not an enemy or an army in sight. And best of all, worship attendance was the strongest in 100 years--it almost seemed like people were eager to demonstrate their religious devotion to God through weekly rituals of service and sacrifice. And why wouldn't they, it was obvious that God had so richly blessed the nation with great prosperity.
And yet, it exactly at this time when everyone thought everything was as it should be that God sent a prophet to say to His people:
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria,”
Each year I try to do my best to make sure everyone knows I love Christmas--no like I really love Christmas. I love christmas decorations, I love Christmas trees, I love Christmas lights, I love Christmas music, I love Christmas elves, and I especially love Christmas cookies. It’s all so wonderful and magical that there isn’t one thing about this season to Bah-Humbug. Now I know when you stand behind a pulpit you are supposed to go on a tirade about the secularization of Xmas, but I'm not going to.
And yet, it exactly at this time when everyone thought everything was as it should be that God sent a prophet to say to His people:
“Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria,”
Each year I try to do my best to make sure everyone knows I love Christmas--no like I really love Christmas. I love christmas decorations, I love Christmas trees, I love Christmas lights, I love Christmas music, I love Christmas elves, and I especially love Christmas cookies. It’s all so wonderful and magical that there isn’t one thing about this season to Bah-Humbug. Now I know when you stand behind a pulpit you are supposed to go on a tirade about the secularization of Xmas, but I'm not going to.
It doesn't get any better than Christmas Time. At Christmas everything is GREAT! People are filled with a noticeable glint of joy. The economy gets a burst of energy from all the extra holiday spending. New jobs are created and filled to help retail stores to make it through the seasonal rush. Even better than this, churches start filling up again because every year during this time people have a renewed sense of devotion to God. During the Christmas season there are a thousands way that we are reminded of how truly blessed we really are.
700 hundred years before the Advent of Jesus, the kingdom of Israel was also feeling particularly blessed. Everything was going good. Actually everything was great. The people had concluded that everything was great because, as they would say, "If YHWH is for us who can stand against us". Had it not been for the prophet Amos, Israel probably would have never figured out they were secretly estranged from God.
By "secretly" of course I mean that there was a hidden veil of deception that covered the entire nation of Israel. The people believed they were in right relationship with God and that God was greatly blessing Israel when in reality the people were far from the heart of God. They misinterpreted their security and comfortable lifestyles to mean God was on their side, but in reality Israel had broken their covenant with God. And God was preparing to unleash his wrath on the nation of Israel. Israel was God’s chosen people, to whom God had revealed his commands, and the prophet Amos was sent to the people so that they would know that they had sinned against God and broken their covenant with YHWH.
But the things they have done to violate the covenant may come as a surprise...
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion
And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria,
The distinguished men of the foremost of nations,
To whom the house of Israel comes.
Go over to Calneh and look,
And go from there to Hamath the great,
Then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are they better than these kingdoms,
Or is their territory greater than yours?
Do you put off the day of calamity,
And would you bring near the seat of violence?
Those who recline on beds of ivory
And sprawl on their couches,
And eat lambs from the flock
And calves from the midst of the stall,
Who improvise to the sound of the harp,
And like David have composed songs for themselves,
Who drink wine from sacrificial bowls
While they anoint themselves with the finest of oils,
Yet they have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.
(Amos 6:1-6 NASB)
The images that Amos uses here are jarring: the comfort of pillowy mattresses, and squishy couches, all you can eat buffets, serving only the finest meats and drinks, lotions and oils would make even Bath & Body Work jealous. They are jarring because, well these are all good things, right?
Who doesn’t enjoy reclining in bed or on a comfortable couch or buffets that actually serve good food; and ladies, I know you love the sweet fragrance of the lotion in purse. So, what’s the big deal In Verse 6, Amos hints at the problem . . . “They have not grieved over the ruin of Joseph." Joseph of course is not the Joseph of Genesis but a metaphor for the nation of Israel. They are not grieved over the ruin of Israel, God’s chosen people. Now, throughout the book of Amos the prophet proclaims to the people of Israel that their nation is about to be destroyed, but that is not the “ruin of Joseph” because look at your verb tenses . . . They have not grieved - Israel is already in ruins
Wait a second, how can Amos use all these powerful images of comfort and security and yet at the same time proclaim Israel is in ruins. A nation in ruins is most certainly not a prosperous nation where people live comfortably because prosperity is equivalent to a cosmic seal of approval--at least that what I have been breed to believe.
But there is more to the story . . .
As I said before, the people mistakenly believe their “blessings” are from God, but something much more serious is going on. Look at Amos 8...
Hear this, you who trample the needy,
to do away with the humble of the land,
saying, "When will the new moon be over, So that we may sell grain,
And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to cheat with dishonest scales,
So as to buy the helpless for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?"
(Amos 8:4-6 NASB)
Sadly this isn’t the only place Amos tells of how unjust of the poor are treated in Israel. They are “trampled on”, walked all over, taken advantage, forced into lives of slavery, indebtedness, and hard labors, and quite frankly it’s because of business practices that keep the rich, rich and the poor, poor. Essentially, what Israel has done is created a society with the philosophy that seeks literally do away with the poor. I don’t mean “do away” in the sense that they wanted to exterminate the poor from existence. No, they simply wanted to push the poor into the “blind spots” society, “Out of sight, out of mind” I don’t have to care about what I don’t have to look at.
But why is this such a big deal, there will alway be “the poor” in society, at least that's what Jesus said, besides aren’t their much more serious sins to rail against. Not according to Amos...
Israel was God’s chosen people, whom God had revealed his commands to. In other words, Israel should have known better. Israel should have known that God cares for the poor and weak of society. God never intended that his people neglect their obligation to take for the needs of the weak of society:
"If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.
(Deuteronomy 15:7, 8 )
Recently, I was talking to Dan, one of our friends downtown. Dan is a quiet man probably in is mid-to-late 40s, and loves to where the color black. Dan does not struggle with an addiction, does not have a mental illness, but Dan is homeless. I asked Dan about his situation, and in particular why he doesn’t work. I was curious because he certainly looks like he should be able to work.
Dan informed me that he doesn’t work because nearly two years ago he had been working and his health was progressively getting worse and worse. At the time when he quit his job he was taking 6 different medication a day and had to see a doctor every other week. He said, “When I quit my job, my health started getting better and better, and now I don’t need to a doctor or take any medication.”
“But now you’re homeless” I replied.
He shrugged and said, “I don’t mind being homeless. I have no stress, no responsibility, and my health is good.”
“So, let me make sure I understand this correctly, being homeless is good for your health?”
“Yep, I have nothing to worry about . . . except for the police. The police are always harrassing the homeless, running us off, telling us “You can’t be here”.”
Dan went on to tell me how he didn’t have an arrest record until we became homeless, because the city has a “No Camping” ordinance that say if you sleep in any public place it’s considered camping and its against the law. So, Dan, not for being a drunk, not for agitating people, not vandalizing property, was arrested . . . for sleeping. Each night in Corpus Christi, homeless men and women do their best to sleep in remote, unseen locations.
When I hear Dan' story, the words of Amos echo in my head, "Hear this, those who take advantage of the poor and try to push them out of sight." Israel made no room for anyone they deemed “unfit” to participate in their society, and in our own city, we make no room for anyone that is not like everyone.
Let me be clear here, America is NOT Israel, Corpus Christi is not Israel. Our civil authorities are just that civil authorities, and they are under no obligation to shape this nation or this city according to image of the Kingdom of God. But we are not “civil”. We are not “secular”. We are the church. God’s set apart people, whom God has given his commands. God most certainly cares about what governments do, and He calls us to be involved in civil affair, that I do not doubt, but Amos does not rail against the government or the police. No he says, “Woe to you who are at ease.” Woe to you seek pursue your own comfort and neglect the fact that people are hurting and suffering.
People are hurting and suffering around the global. People are hurting and suffering around city. People are hurting and suffering within your neighborhood. People are hurting and suffering within your church. Forgive me for saying this, but if we take to heart what Amos is saying, people are hurting and suffering because of us. Because of me and you.
We have been deceived into thinking that God blesses us with lives of comfort and security, but Amos tells us sometimes it is not God who is blessing us, sometime we are just blessing ourselves at the expense of others. I’m sure at this point, you are either ready to sell your house or run me out of the sanctuary, but let me encourage you to do neither.
We live in a broken world, and the church cannot heal the brokenness of our world, but that does not mean we are without responsibility. As God’s people, we are called to be citizens of kingdom of God. We are called to be Good News to the world. If we are to learn anything from the prophet Amos, it’s that we cannot be apathetic to the state of our world and our own community, and we cannot go through life seeking our own comfort and security when there are those in our own communities who are uncomfortable.
I couldn’t say all this about the poor and needy of our community without giving some practical suggestions on things we can do to serve and care for poor, and let me start with a few easy things you can do:
Pray:
When it freezes overnight and you’re bringing in your plants, remember there people who are not brought in. Pray for those who hunger, in need of healing from addiction, or mental health. Pray for that God would break your heart for the poor and open your eyes to see people in need. Prayer is vitally important to the work of God, but it is to be infused with action. We have prayer to connect with God and his word, but it never substitutes for God’s works.
Go:
For most of us, the poor and needy do not live in our neighborhoods. If they don’t come to you, then go to them. Get together with a group of friends, make sack lunch and go down to City Hall on Saturday morning. Shelters and non-profit agencies are always in need of volunteers; go serve a meal at a local soup-kitchen. Come to theStation Church on a Sunday or Wednesday night, or go to the Church Without Wall in Flour Bluff.
Give:
Let me say something that you would expect a preacher to say; set aside at least a tenth of your household income. Now let me say something you would NOT expect a preacher to say; don’t give it all to your church. Make that tenth your homes benevolence fund. Use it to support your church (most definitely), and use it to support local and global organizations that are on the front lines, fighting to provide the poor of our world with food, water, medical care, education, job skills. But also use that money on people. Individual people that you know and see in our community. When you eat fast food, pick up a $5 gift card. When you go grocery shopping, buy a box of granola bars, or other ready-to-eat food items. Keep them in your car and give them to people on the side of the road. When you see someone asking for food, you roll down your window, simply say to the person, “Hi, what’s your name?” Shake their hand and say, “I don’t have any money but what I do have I give in name of Jesus.”
These next few, I call these hard because they cost you something more than money. They may cost you your comfort and make you vulnerable in the eyes of the world. But didn’t Jesus teach that being his disciples will cost your very life.
Talk:
Sadly, people who are homeless are used to being ignored by nearly everyone. When you see someone in need make eye contact, and introduce yourself, use their name, and learn their story. You’ll be amazed what you hear. I studied interpersonal communication in college, and I learned that human interactions rely heavily on “communicative norms”. There is this unspoken norm of panhandling most people are familiar, and if I describe it, it would sound like this...
- Pedestrian - “This guy wants something”
- Panhandler - “I can get something from this guy.”
When you see someone in need, don’t assume you are dealing with someone who is an addict or drug dealer. Instead, assume you are the greater sinner, b/c your sin is hidden away so no one will notice. Work to change your mindset about others. Don’t try to fix someone’s homelessness, you can’t, and if you try, you will feel like a failure, give up and do nothing. There is great value in the Kingdom in simply knowing someone to is not like yourself, and it is difficult to know someone if you don’t talk to them.
Eat:
I’ll say this as simply as I can. The most scandalous thing that Jesus did in his ministry was eat with sinners. Today, the same rules apply. The most audacious thing we can do is eat and befriend someone who completely different from us.
There are a thousand ways that we can give more, but I hope you hear that while giving is opposed to avarice, it ought not be transactional. If our giving is merely transactional, then we are nothing more than fleshly ATM machines spitting out good works. This is not the model of giving set forth before us by our Father. Consider the gift of Jesus. Jesus did not simply write a check redeemable for our salvation, no Jesus step out of the throneroom of the cosmos and took on our own form and being. In other words, Godly giving is going to and being with.
I am deeply disturbed by the words of the prophet Amos to the people of Israel. I am deeply disturbed because I fear that I am more like the Israelites than I am like Jesus. I fear that I am turning the God of creation into the God of my own comfort, and if I’m not careful, I’m afraid I won’t be able to tell a difference.
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