Licensed Fruit Inspectors
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
The last week has been a tumultuous one that has highlighted the divisions in American society. As the country emerged from the July 4th holiday -- a time generally devoted to parades, backyard barbecues, and fireworks displays as we celebrate our shared American heritage -- the news was dominated by the FBI director’s announcement that though Hillary Clinton was quite careless with her e-mail communications during her time as Secretary of State, in his judgment criminal charges in the matter should not be pursued... a decision that clearly rankled congressional Republicans. But within a few days, these political divisions seemed paltry compared to the fault lines exposed by the fatal shootings by police of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota -- actions that sparked nationwide protests. Then we were all stunned when a Dallas demonstration was turned into a shooting gallery by an aggrieved sniper, leaving five police officers dead.
It’s been a difficult time as the country wrestles with complex questions of racial dissension, police behavior, and the ubiquitous spread of assault weapons. But as team member Dean Feldmeyer points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, perhaps the underlying issue is the many ways we are deeply divided as a society -- and how we are all too willing to pass judgment on those we feel are on the other side of the wall, so to speak. As a result, we feel empowered to act upon our convictions. But Dean suggests that scripture counsels us to seek understanding rather than to pass judgment, for only God is qualified to judge others. Instead, we are merely his “inspectors” -- and, Dean reminds us, that inspection ought to start with looking at ourselves and the consequences of our actions.
New team member Beth Herrinton-Hodge shares some additional thoughts on modern examples of the questionable business practices that Amos excoriates. Yet there is hope -- as Paul makes clear to the Colossians, there is always the possibility of reconciliation. The message for us, Beth notes, is that all are welcome in God’s tent -- until we place ourselves outside of it and separate ourselves from God’s word by our actions... especially those that take advantage of the poor and powerless.
Licensed Fruit Inspectors
by Dean Feldmeyer
Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 52; Luke 10:38-42
Scripture warns us about the pitfalls of passing judgment on others (Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:37-38). God will, we are told, judge us with the same temperament that we judge our brothers and sisters. But there is a huge difference between establishing ourselves as a moral authority over others and simply evaluating choices that people make by noting the results those choices produce.
We may not be judges, as a mentor of mine used to say, but we are all licensed fruit inspectors.
In this week’s lections the issue of “judgment” takes center stage. Amos pronounces God’s judgment upon the people of Israel -- a judgment which, he says, they have brought upon themselves. The psalmist sings a hymn of judgment upon those who misuse their power. And Mary asks Jesus to pass judgment upon Martha’s refusal to help her in the kitchen, a refusal which Mary deems to be laziness.
It isn’t hard to hear our own voices in the midst of this chorus, judging and asking for judgment. The question before us is: Are we being judgmental, or are we simply “inspecting fruit”?
In the News
A week filled with heartbreaking violence -- and the violence is almost always followed by grief, pain, anger, frustration, accusations, and calls for judgment.
Police shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Falcon Heights, Minnesota have added the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile to the list of black men killed by police under, at the very least, questionable circumstances. In response, people -- black, brown, and white -- take to the streets in protest.
In Dallas, by all accounts, the protest was a peaceful one with police officers and members of the protest interacting peacefully and amicably. And then gunshots rang out. People scattered, screaming and running in panic. People fell to the ground, bleeding. Confusion reigned in the news media as they tried to describe what had happened and what was, even then, happening.
In the end, five police officers were dead, five officers and two civilians were wounded, and the shooter, Micah Xavier Johnson, was dead -- killed by a robotized bomb used by police when he refused to surrender and come out of a parking garage where he had barricaded himself.
Johnson was, according to news sources, an honorably discharged army veteran of the war in Afghanistan who changed after he returned home. He became one of about 175 fans of a small, hyper-radical web site, the African American Defense League, that called for the killing of white police officers. He began espousing extreme racial views; amassing guns, ammunition, and resources that could be used for making bombs; and engaging in military-style drills in his backyard. But none of that was, in and of itself, illegal -- so he was neither arrested nor judged.
Meanwhile, the release of the FBI’s report on their investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of e-mail during her tenure as Secretary of State has renewed and refired the indignation that some people feel about her actions and her explanation of them. Judgment is not hard to come by in this case.
Some have judged that she intentionally broke the law and then lied about it to federal investigators, another crime, and should therefore be judged accordingly and sent to prison. Others have judged her actions to be no more than a misstep -- a lapse in judgment in an otherwise largely impeccable term of service -- and want to see her elected president of the United States.
Those who hate her want her to be judged one way; those who love her want her to be judged another way; and those in the center will probably be the ones who will ultimately pass judgment... and that will be in the voting booth.
On the other side of the aisle, Donald Trump is being judged for an image he tweeted which included a star looking suspiciously like a Star of David surrounded by money. Is he an anti-Semitic bigot or is he simply clueless about the power which that particular symbol wields? We are being asked, by both his supporters and his opponents, to judge him. And what about his business decisions in Atlantic City and Las Vegas? Is he an unethical opportunist who declares bankruptcy to avoid paying his subcontractors and vendors, or is he a sharp, canny businessman who should not be judged for his tough, unyielding ruthlessness in the business world -- a ruthlessness which he promises to bring to the office of U.S. president?
Do we judge? What criteria do we judge by? Or are we called to simply watch for the results of these actions and inspect the fruit?
In the Scriptures
Amos
The Book of Amos is a collection of sermons (oracles) preached by the prophet in the northern kingdom, Israel. Amos was himself a southerner from Tekoa, a city about 20 miles south of Jerusalem in the kingdom of Judah, but YHWH called him to preach to the people of the northern kingdom. He was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees -- hardly the qualifications one associates with a preacher or prophet -- but he was good at what he did and managed to collect a small circle of disciples around him who preserved some of his oracles. (The use of a lowercase “s” in “sycamore” indicates that it is being used in its generic sense and probably refers to different kinds of fig trees.)
He was a contemporary of Hosea, whose oracles dealt with matters of state and the relationships of Israel to other countries, but Amos’ sermons deal almost exclusively with the treatment of the poor and the excluded by the aristocracy of Israel -- and in particular Samaria, the capital, and Bethel, the center of religious worship and practice.
Last week, you will recall, he used the metaphor of a plumb line, a builder’s tool for judging whether a wall is upright and straight. This week his metaphor is a basket of summer fruit. English speakers find this a confusing symbol, but it involves a subtle play on words in Hebrew: the word for summer fruit is pronounced gay-its, and the word for “end” is pronounced gets.
The basket of fruit is Amos’ way of saying “The end is near.” And this “end” is one that the people have brought upon themselves by using unscrupulous and dishonest methods of measuring and weighing in the marketplace, thus cheating the poor. If you are rich and buying 100 pounds of grain, a little chaff and dirt in the bag doesn’t mean much -- but if you’re poor and buying only a few ounces of grain, every grain of chaff and dirt in the bag represents a theft from your purse.
The “fruit” that these unscrupulous businesspeople shall harvest as a result of their treachery and dishonesty is unrelenting devastation and doom. God’s judgment will come to them as the consequences of their own actions, and not just they but the entire country will suffer.
Psalm 52
Here is a song of judgment that includes “both accusation and verdict” (“Commentary” in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, p. 797).
The “O mighty one” who is addressed in the first line of the song is not YHWH but the rich and powerful people of Judah who work treachery and make false judgements against the poor. They lie, they cheat, they abuse not because they must but because they can; they actually enjoy it. They love “words that devour.”
And the result of this love of treachery will be their downfall while everyone watches them and says, “Big Man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money, made his living from catastrophe” (Eugene Peterson).
The righteous, who are so close to YHWH that they live as though their very home was the Temple, will grow, slow and steady, straight and tall, like an olive tree in the greenhouse of God’s love and grace.
Luke
Rarely do we think of this somewhat comical story of Mary and Martha as being about judgment, but let’s take another look.
Martha is an overachiever who gets things done -- probably the oldest sibling, she’s responsible, hard-working, and likely a parent pleaser. She invites Jesus into her home. Once he is comfortably ensconced on the couch, she runs around getting beverages and snacks -- and maybe even throws something in the crockpot for supper while getting out the good china and Grandma’s silver because it’s a special occasion and she wants to make a good impression on her guests.
Martha’s sister Mary, however, is more into talking and listening. She sits on the floor at Jesus’ feet and actually engages him in conversation, hanging on his every word.
Now, understand that Martha is a good person. She is fulfilling the cultural expectations of her time, doing what a good hostess does. Emily Post would be proud of her right up to the next moment when, frustrated and no doubt tired, she comes into the living room, interrupts the conversation, and instead of addressing her sister addresses Jesus.
“Master, Mary is not doing what a hostess is supposed to do. She’s being a slacker. She’s just sitting there on the floor talking when there’s work to be done. What do you have to say about that?”
Jesus has something to say -- a judgment, if you will -- but it’s not what Martha expects. What he has to say is that this little episode is not about duty and responsibility; it’s about priorities.
There are always duties and responsibilities demanding our time and energy, but sometimes there is a greater, more important opportunity staring us right in the face -- a relational opportunity, a human opportunity that we dare not ignore.
In the Sermon
Writing in a Facebook post this past week in the wake of the Dallas shootings, economist and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich said this:
I don’t recall a period when the divisions in America have seemed so stark -- black and white, Muslim and non-Muslim, foreign-born and native-born, Latino and non-Latino, gay and straight, conservative and liberal. It’s a fantasy to suppose we’ve ever been totally and effortlessly united, but I’m not sure why we’re so divided right now. Are the police more brutal? Have economic stresses made us angrier? Can we blame demagogues like Trump and the denizens of right-wing media? Is it the internet, and easy transmission of violent images and hateful words?
Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show, made very much the same observation but bookended it with humor. According to the Daily Beast,
He began with a plea for the two opposing sides in this conflict to find common ground. And this was before two snipers left at least four officers dead during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas.
“Did you guys see the shooting that happened two days ago?” Noah asked his audience at the top of the show, referring to the death of Alton Sterling. “Because don't worry, if you missed it, there was another one yesterday,” he added of Philando Castile.
“You know, the hardest part of having a conversation surrounding police shootings in America, it always feels like in America, it’s like if you take a stand for something, you automatically are against something else,” the host said.
He said he understands how someone can be a “cat person or a dog person” or like the Red Sox versus the Yankees. “But with police shootings, it shouldn't have to work that way,” he continued. “For instance, if you’re pro-Black Lives Matter you’re assumed to be anti-police, and if you’re pro-police, then you surely hate black people. When in reality, you can be pro-cop and pro-black, which is what we should all be!” Noah said to cheers from the crowd. “That is what we should be aiming for.”
Interesting, is it not, that it isn’t the clergy but a former politician/economist and a comedian whom we hear speaking words no less prophetic than those of Amos.
What they are both pointing to, I believe, is the haste and degree to which we’re willing to pass judgment -- and the stridency with which we insist that others, especially people in positions of power, pass judgment on those with whom we disagree and from whom we feel divided.
It takes no more than a few moments on Facebook to realize that judgment is what many have come there to deliver. Harsh criticism, hateful evaluations, and mean-spirited retorts abound. People are outraged at the slightest hint of slight or insult and respond with overkill and invective.
Disrespect, indignity, scorn, shame, slander, and scurrility rule. And what is it that people feel gives them permission to behave like this, to treat others this way? Why judgment, of course. They have judged other persons as insignificant and undeserving of anything but their contempt.
And as has always been the case, the most extreme among us feel empowered to act on their judgment -- most often with unguarded words, but in other, more physical ways as well. Bad cops abuse their authority, aggrieved snipers murder innocent peace officers, world leaders engage in “regime change,” candidates for office exchange insults rather than ideas, and religious extremists set off bombs.
And few are those who examine the fruit of these actions born of judgment. Few are those who count the bodies, or even take the time to know the names of those who died. Our water-cooler discussions tend toward figuring out upon which side of judgment we should stand rather than how we can help the injured and the aggrieved.
God, the Lord of history and the Creator of all things, is for people of faith the only one qualified to be the moral judge of human beings -- and God’s judgment always falls on the side of forgiveness, grace, and love. When we take that responsibility upon ourselves another picture tends to emerge -- and the fruit we produce may look ripe and beautiful at first, but a closer inspection will show it to be full of worms and rot.
If we are to be the licensed fruit inspectors that Jesus calls us to be, we would do well to begin by inspecting our own actions and the fruit they produce.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Amos 8:1-12
The prophet Amos earns his label as Prophet of Doom in Amos 8. It’s hard to find anything but doom and gloom in these verses, beginning with the inviting image of a basket of summer fruit. Who among God’s people wouldn’t want to pluck a juicy peach from a luscious, overflowing basket? Yet the reader soon finds the inviting image of summer fruit turned to a condemning message about a day of judgment. The bulk of this chapter tastes of spoiled fruit.
Amos does not deliver a hopeful word to the people of Israel. Instead, he reveals that God will send a famine to the land -- a famine not of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. God will turn away from God’s people. God’s words of restoration, provision, and direction will not be heard. There will be only mourning and lament as God issues justice for the sins of the people.
What are these sins? Amos includes a listing of examples: trampling on the needy, bringing ruin to the poor, anxiously awaiting the end of the sabbath so commerce can resume, short-changing the ephah to increase the profits of shekels, and practicing deceit using false balances. Amos writes of cheating and false business practices aimed at maximizing profits -- at the expense, and misuse, of the poor.
One doesn’t have to look far to find contemporary examples of corrupt business practices and ongoing oppression of the poor and needy in today’s world. What word is given to people who inhabit a world with an economic emphasis of profits over people? What word is given to those who participate in such a society? To those who gain from such practices?
Consider these examples:
* Consumers pay $200 for athletic shoes made by factory workers earning $31-81 a month.
* Shoppers often select the least expensive product in the market in order to strengthen the family budget. But what is the cost of a cheaply made and sold t-shirt to the underpaid laborer who made it?
* Corporations emphasize bottom-line profits at the expense of jobs -- laying off salaried employees, only to rehire them as temporary workers on contract with no benefits or job security. Corporations also build new factories overseas, stripping local economies as jobs disappear.
* Voters support presidential candidates who amass huge debt, file for bankruptcy, stiff contractors, eliminate jobs, and yet retain personal profits.
* Candidates receive huge donations and/or speaking fees from corporations who emphasize bottom-line profits at the expense of jobs.
* Lawmakers debate the economic challenges of raising the minimum wage, while full-time workers toil for income that doesn’t cover basic necessities such as housing, food, and transportation... let alone health-care expenses.
Amos’ words come down hard on people who live an ethos of cutting corners to succeed, to get ahead. His words condemn the mindset that it’s okay to cheat others. At some point, Amos asserts, God will punish those who identify themselves with things rather than with God. These people will be known by their actions, their practices, their priorities. God’s justice will prevail.
Psalm 15; Colossians 1:15-28
These two texts offer a balance to the words of judgment found in the Amos text. Where Amos’ words are filled with condemnation, the letter to the Colossians affirms the sufficiency of Christ for salvation. Through Jesus, God reconciled to himself all things on heaven and on earth. God’s reconciliation casts a wide net where all who are part of God’s creation are included. Those who are estranged, those hostile in mind, those who do evil deeds are reconciled to God through Christ. This is not to condone evil-doing; rather, it lifts up God’s grace and mercy as available to all -- even to those whom many would write off.
All of creation -- all creatures, all people -- are included in God’s tent. Yet there is a warning: God reconciles us as holy and blameless until we turn our backs on God. As long as people hold onto faith in God, as long as we hope in the grace and mercy God promises, we are good with God. Letting go of faith or turning from the path God sets before us moves us away from God’s reconciliation. Yet even then, there is always the possibility of returning to God. There is always hope in reconciliation. God provides this.
The psalm points out a model for those who are welcomed in God’s tent: those who do what is right, who speak truthfully and do not slander, who treat their neighbors well and honestly, who fear the Lord, who keep their promises, and who do not make economic gain over the poor and innocent. We expect that people who live this way would be counted among those reconciled to God. These actions embody the Great Commandment of loving one’s neighbor.
Where Amos condemns those who take advantage of the poor and needy, the psalmist asserts a similar sentiment. Psalm 15 stays away from condemnation: rather, those who do not lend money in ways that take undue advantage over people in need; those who do not take bribes against the innocent -- these people are living rightly. These people will not be removed from God’s tent.
There’s a familiar adage about drawing more flies with sugar that with vinegar. In the Colossians letter and in the psalm, we find sugar to balance Amos’ vinegar. Sometimes people need a taste of vinegar to be reminded of how easy it is to buy into oppressive and unloving cultural norms. At other times, people need a reminder that in living counter-culturally there is sweetness, reconciliation, grace, and hope. God always offers the possibility of reconciliation.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Amos 8:1-12
The Netflix original series House of Cards, which will soon be entering its fifth season, centers around Frank Underwood and his wife Claire. At the beginning of the series Underwood is the House majority whip -- but when he is passed over to be the Secretary of State, he engages in ruthless behavior to advance his political power. In his quest to become vice-president, Underwood engages in many ruthless and deceptive practices. He manipulates a Pennsylvania congressman, Peter Russo, to campaign for governor of Pennsylvania -- knowing that Russo is an alcoholic and drug addict. Russo self-destructs during the campaign, and Underwood then kills Russo, making it look like a suicide. In order to protect the Democratic party, this forces the sitting vice-president (a former governor of Pennsylvania) to leave his office and run for governor of Pennsylvania. This sets the stage for Underwood to become vice-president. A reporter by the name of Zoe Bares uncovers the murder, and Underwood eliminates that threat by throwing her in front of a subway train. Thus two people are murdered for political ambition. Once he becomes vice-president, Frank Underwood has to pin general stars on a Marine. Prior to the ceremony he learns that this man raped Claire during her freshman year at Harvard. In a rage over the rape of his wife, Frank demolishes the hotel bathroom.
Application: Underwood has no remorse over murdering two innocent people, but becomes vindictive at the man who raped his wife. It would seem in Amos that we read of people who cannot distinguish between their own sins and the sins of others.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is a “reality” television show in which nobodies somehow are elevated to somebodies. But by what standards? In the upcoming season we can look forward to Teresa Giudice teaching viewers yoga and sharing her memoir Turning the Tables. What seems to be lost (or perhaps enjoyed) by viewers is that Teresa just finished serving an 11-month prison sentence -- and her husband Joe will not be seen on the screen for a while, as he is serving a 41-month sentence for mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud. But as People magazine reports, Teresa will make this just sound normal to the viewing audience.
Application: Amos was trying to tell the Israelites that their behavior was not normal -- it was in defiance of the law set forth by God.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
Hank Fortener grew up in a home where his parents had three biological children, adopted eight children, and fostered 36 other children. In this environment he learned that it is expensive to adopt children. As a pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, he discovered that some of his parishioners wanted to adopt a child but did not have the financial resources to do so, as upfront costs can begin at $40,000. So he started AdoptTogether, a website in which friends and strangers can help finance an adoption for a couple. Fortener said, “AdoptTogether is not just a website, it is a tribe of people determined to create a family for every child.”
Application: Amos was hoping that the Israelites would become an AdoptTogether family.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
The Islamic State is selling their slave girls as prostitutes in order to raise badly needed funds. They are posting very provocative, explicit descriptions and photographs of the girls -- some of whom are as young as 12 -- on Facebook and Instagram. The prices begin at $12,500. The postings are distributed to all IS checkpoints, to prevent any girls from escaping.
Application: We should be aware that the sin which Amos condemned is still a part of our society today.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
During season four of the Netflix original series House of Cards, Frank Underwood and his wife Claire (who is just as ruthless as her husband in obtaining power and position) are running for president and vice-president on the same ticket. In reviewing this scenario, Jonathan Holmes wrote in Radio Times that “there are limits to the stupidity that viewers are willing to accept.” Holmes articulated just how absurd and unbelievable the program had become.
Application: Paul instructs us to preach the truth that has been given to us, which is factual, real, and believable.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
Author and journalist Gay Talese’s new book The Voyeur’s Motel is about Gerald Foos, a Colorado motel owner who spied on his guests for years. After the book was completed Talese learned that all the information in the book was not accurate, so he decided not to promote it. Then he changed his mind and is now promoting the book, even with its inaccuracies.
Application: Paul instructs us to speak with integrity.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
Tennis star Serena Williams just won her 300th Grand Slam match. Williams realizes that her career has reached the point that a win is not news, only a loss. Williams said, “Every time I step out on the court, if I don’t win, it’s major national news. But if I do win, it’s just like a small tag in the corner.”
Application: Paul wants us to be such winners that what we do is no longer noticed, just accepted and appreciated.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
In the comic strip The Lockhorns, Leroy is sitting, slumped over and unshaven, in his easy chair watching TV. His wife Loretta is standing in the room and says to a friend, “Leroy balances work and home by being lazy at both.”
Application: Wherever we may be, Paul wants us to be active and involved.
*****
Luke 10:38-42
Darryl McDaniels is famous for being a member of the legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC. But McDaniels became an alcoholic at the age of 15, and this was followed by several other illnesses that required hospitalization. McDaniels recounts in his new memoir that his spirit was finally broken when he learned that he was adopted and that his bandmate Jam Master Jay had been murdered. This put McDaniels back into rehab. He was sober coming out of rehab, but he still felt a void. McDaniels says that he was saved by a song, that he got himself back together by listening to just one song -- Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” The last verse reads:
In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
Application: Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus needed to hear “Angel.”
*****
Luke 10:38-42
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut just set the record for eating the most hot dogs and buns at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, held at Coney Island in New York City. He consumed 70 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, and was awarded the Mustard Yellow International Belt. Chestnut ate 17 hot dogs more than the second place finisher.
Application: Be you either a Martha or a Mary, Jesus is clear that we have more important things to do with our time and talents.
***************
From team member Robin Lostetter:
Amos 8:1-12
“Sam Wyly, 81, brazenly committed securities fraud and cheated on his taxes for decades, according to trial verdicts in New York and Texas.” Columnist Elliot Blair Smith goes on to summarize the complex ways in which Wyly and his family have cheated the American people by withholding at least a billion dollars in rightly owed taxes. He quotes a federal bankruptcy judge as saying that “a primary reason for making the offshore system so complex was the hope that no one, including the court, could ever figure out what was going on here and why.”
In the end, under Chapter 11 protection, holdings valued at only a quarter of the money owed were designated to be paid to the government. And that, of course, may be of lesser value today. Meanwhile, other assets are being auctioned by the Wyly family. What Smith refers to as a cat-and-mouse game is a good example of what Amos describes in 8:4-6.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
According to the Wall Street Journal, “The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Tesla Motors Inc. breached securities laws by failing to disclose to investors a fatal crash in May involving an electric car that was driving itself, a person familiar with the matter said, heightening scrutiny of how the company handled the information.”
The allegations that Tesla withheld information from “the little guy” -- impacting not only potential customers, but also financial investors -- comes hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal, described as “the most flagrant violations of our consumer and environmental laws in our country’s history” by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. The emissions shortcut not only hurt the environment, it also cost thousands of ordinary consumers -- who will hopefully be compensated, for starters, by the nearly $15 billion penalty levied on the company.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
The little guy isn’t always someone without means, and the damage isn’t always obvious. Dr. Phil has done what few celebrities have bothered doing: he has sued American Media, Inc., which owns the National Enquirer and similar tabloids, for “libel stemming from years of reports that he believes to be defamatory.”
The tabloids almost always spread delicious and salacious stories with often only a grain of truth, which feeds people’s desires to judge others, to feel superior, to gossip without factual basis, and to participate in other exciting but generally unhealthy practices.
Interestingly, the information on this lawsuit comes from the internet source gossipcop.com. How apropos!
*****
Psalm 15
...in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt... (v. 4)
Jeremy and Eliana Bookbinder, 20-year-old twins employed by Camp Marriott (a Boy Scout camp 20 miles from Lexington, Virginia), took compassion on an injured bald eagle. Their actions, although apparently legal, cost them their positions at the camp. As near as one can tell from reading the Washington Post’s account, it appears that the camp leadership was unaware that the bald eagle was no longer designated as endangered, and therefore it was legal to approach, touch, capture, and assist the bird. But the leadership forbade the young people from doing so.
Nevertheless, their compassion for one of God’s creatures overrode their obedience to the scout commander’s directive, and they contacted wildlife authorities. Using instructions for how to carefully capture the bird, they did so and delivered it to the rehabilitation center. This action caused both of them to be fired.
“Reflecting on the incident, both [Eliana] and her brother, a sophomore at the College of Southern Maryland, said the episode has showed them the importance of sticking to one’s moral and ethical convictions -- even if it means getting fired. ‘I know the sort of moral fiber I have now,’ she said.”
*****
Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 52; Luke 10:38-42
The following story is currently making the rounds on the internet:
A lovely little girl was holding two apples in both hands. Her mom came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile, “My sweetie, could you give your mom one of your two apples?”
The girl looked up at her mom for some seconds, then she suddenly took a quick bite of one apple, and then quickly of the other. The mom felt the smile on her face freeze. She tried hard not to reveal her disappointment.
Then the little girl handed one of her bitten apples to her mom and said, “Mommy, here you are; this is the sweeter one.”
No matter who you are, how experienced you are, and how knowledgeable you think you are, always delay judgment. Give others the privilege to explain themselves. What you see may not be the reality. Never conclude for others -- which is why we should never only focus on the surface and judge others without understanding them first.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: O God, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?
People: Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right;
Leader: Those who speak the truth from their heart;
People: Those who do not slander with their tongue;
Leader: Those who stand by their oath even to their hurt.
People: Those who do these things shall never be moved.
OR
Leader: The God of all creation calls us into the presence of the divine.
People: We come in awe to worship and praise our God.
Leader: God invites us to reflect on our own lives.
People: We are afraid, but we will take inventory of our lives.
Leader: When we look at our own lives critically, we become less critical of others.
People: We know we aren’t perfect. We won’t expect it of others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O Worship the King”
found in:
UMH: 73
H82: 388
PH: 476
NNBH: 6
NCH: 26
CH: 17
LBW: 548
ELA: 842
W&P: 2
AMEC: 12
“Fairest Lord Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 189
H82: 383, 384
PH: 306
NNBH: 75
NCH: 44
CH: 97
W&P: 123
AMEC: 95
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“Let There Be Light”
found in:
UMH: 440
NNBH: 460
NCH: 589
STLT: 142
“Help Us Accept Each Other”
found in:
UMH: 560
PH: 358
NCH: 388
CH: 487
W&P: 596
AMEC: 558
“Here I Am, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 593
PH: 525
AAHH: 567
CH: 452
ELA: 574
W&P: 559
“Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart”
found in:
UMH: 500
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 133
NCH: 283
CH: 259
W&P: 492
“Lord, Speak to Me”
found in:
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELA: 676
W&P: 593
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God, who is slow to wrath and to condemnation: Grant us the grace to avoid the rush to judgment that brings condemnation and separation to your people: through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We offer our praise and worship to you, O God, for you are slow to wrath and slow to condemn. Send your Spirit upon us, that we might be renewed in reflecting your image. Help us to withhold the negative judgment of condemning others. Help us to look within. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our quickness to condemn others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have sat in judgment over other people without fully learning their story. All the while we expect others to overlook our shortcomings. Send your Spirit upon us, that we might become less condemning while still being able to discern the good from the bad in our own behavior. Amen.
Leader: The God who will judge us all hears us and grants us the presence of the Spirit which brings us to spiritual maturity.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you and adore you, O God, for you are the one who patiently waits for us to return to the pathway that leads to you and to life.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have sat in judgment over other people without fully learning their story. All the while we expect others to overlook our shortcomings. Send your Spirit upon us, that we might become less condemning while still being able to discern the good from the bad in our own behavior.
We give you thanks for all the blessings you have sent upon us. We thank you for those who have withheld their condemnation of us and allowed us to come back to you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all those in need, and especially for those who find it hard to believe in your forgiveness because they feel condemned by others. Help us to reach out in compassion to all who find it difficult to follow the path that leads to wholeness and blessing.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
If you didn’t use Dean Feldmeyer’s children sermon from a few weeks ago with the nasty-looking banana, this would be a good time to try it.
OR
Ask the children if they have ever done anything they shouldn’t have. Did they get in trouble for it? It’s not fun, is it? It is always better to think about what we are doing, and decide not to do it before we end up in trouble. God invites us to do that. God is the Great Judge -- but God would rather we decide to do what is right in the first place.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
When Fruit Goes Bad
by Chris Keating
Amos 8:1-12
Theme: God wants us to be people who pay attention to the way we treat other people.
Gather ahead of time:
* pictures or illustrations of different types of fruit
* a few pieces of overripe fruit (bananas, some “furry” strawberries, withered apples, and so forth)
* two tomatoes or other fruit that are similar in size, but sufficiently different so that one weighs a bit more than the other (these don’t go with the “furry” fruit!)
* a simple homemade weighing scale (this YouTube video gives an example of how you might make a scale from plastic cups, some string, and a plastic hanger)
Read ahead of time:
* Amos 8:1-12
* learn about the new Pokemon Go game that has become this summer’s rage (read up on this and you’ll become the coolest worship leader ever in the eyes of at least some of the children!)
Greet the children as they join you for the children’s time, and ask them to name different types of fruit. Flip through the various illustrations or pictures you have gathered showing all types of tasty and delicious fruit. You could say to the children, “All this talk about fruit is making me hungry!”
Tell them that this is their lucky day -- you’ve brought along some fruit to share. The key here is to sound as if you really spent a lot of time preparing a special treat for them. Tell them how hard you worked, how long it took you to prepare the fruit, how much time was involved in putting together the fruit you brought to share with them. You can do this in a way that sounds a bit over the top -- they’ll begin to get the idea you’re telling a bit of a story!
Then show them the plate of overripe and not very appetizing fruit you’ve brought in. Pass around the overly ripe banana or show them the moldy strawberry (taking precautions, of course, to just show them the fruit). More than likely, the children will laugh. You can tell them, “I guess this isn’t a very good treat, is it?”
When something ripens, we need to pay attention and serve the food at the right time -- otherwise it won’t taste right. Sometimes food gets lost in the back of our refrigerator, like the old strawberries. We stop paying attention, and then it isn’t good to eat any more. In our Bible lessons today, God is helping us understand what it means to pay attention.
It’s a bit like the new game people are playing called Pokemon Go. In order to find Pokemon, you have to pay attention!
For Amos, paying attention meant looking at the ripe fruit and knowing that God wanted him to take action. Time was ripe -- it was the right time to do something. Amos was told to help people pay attention to God’s laws, including not hurting the poor or cheating those who do not have much money.
Show the children the homemade scale (you might even consider printing instructions so that they can make one at home later). Holding the scale, put a small piece of fresh fruit in one cup, and a larger one in the other. Let them hang down for the kids to see.
“Which one is heavier? If I were to give one child a big piece of fruit and another child a smaller piece of fruit, would that be fair?” Help them to understand that Amos saw many people who were cheating their customers because they were not weighing their produce correctly. It was especially bad if you were poor.
But God wants us to pay attention to what is important, and to act with justice by showing love and mercy to all people. Close by praying that we would learn how to pay close attention to what is important to God and other people.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 17, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
It’s been a difficult time as the country wrestles with complex questions of racial dissension, police behavior, and the ubiquitous spread of assault weapons. But as team member Dean Feldmeyer points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, perhaps the underlying issue is the many ways we are deeply divided as a society -- and how we are all too willing to pass judgment on those we feel are on the other side of the wall, so to speak. As a result, we feel empowered to act upon our convictions. But Dean suggests that scripture counsels us to seek understanding rather than to pass judgment, for only God is qualified to judge others. Instead, we are merely his “inspectors” -- and, Dean reminds us, that inspection ought to start with looking at ourselves and the consequences of our actions.
New team member Beth Herrinton-Hodge shares some additional thoughts on modern examples of the questionable business practices that Amos excoriates. Yet there is hope -- as Paul makes clear to the Colossians, there is always the possibility of reconciliation. The message for us, Beth notes, is that all are welcome in God’s tent -- until we place ourselves outside of it and separate ourselves from God’s word by our actions... especially those that take advantage of the poor and powerless.
Licensed Fruit Inspectors
by Dean Feldmeyer
Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 52; Luke 10:38-42
Scripture warns us about the pitfalls of passing judgment on others (Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 6:37-38). God will, we are told, judge us with the same temperament that we judge our brothers and sisters. But there is a huge difference between establishing ourselves as a moral authority over others and simply evaluating choices that people make by noting the results those choices produce.
We may not be judges, as a mentor of mine used to say, but we are all licensed fruit inspectors.
In this week’s lections the issue of “judgment” takes center stage. Amos pronounces God’s judgment upon the people of Israel -- a judgment which, he says, they have brought upon themselves. The psalmist sings a hymn of judgment upon those who misuse their power. And Mary asks Jesus to pass judgment upon Martha’s refusal to help her in the kitchen, a refusal which Mary deems to be laziness.
It isn’t hard to hear our own voices in the midst of this chorus, judging and asking for judgment. The question before us is: Are we being judgmental, or are we simply “inspecting fruit”?
In the News
A week filled with heartbreaking violence -- and the violence is almost always followed by grief, pain, anger, frustration, accusations, and calls for judgment.
Police shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Falcon Heights, Minnesota have added the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile to the list of black men killed by police under, at the very least, questionable circumstances. In response, people -- black, brown, and white -- take to the streets in protest.
In Dallas, by all accounts, the protest was a peaceful one with police officers and members of the protest interacting peacefully and amicably. And then gunshots rang out. People scattered, screaming and running in panic. People fell to the ground, bleeding. Confusion reigned in the news media as they tried to describe what had happened and what was, even then, happening.
In the end, five police officers were dead, five officers and two civilians were wounded, and the shooter, Micah Xavier Johnson, was dead -- killed by a robotized bomb used by police when he refused to surrender and come out of a parking garage where he had barricaded himself.
Johnson was, according to news sources, an honorably discharged army veteran of the war in Afghanistan who changed after he returned home. He became one of about 175 fans of a small, hyper-radical web site, the African American Defense League, that called for the killing of white police officers. He began espousing extreme racial views; amassing guns, ammunition, and resources that could be used for making bombs; and engaging in military-style drills in his backyard. But none of that was, in and of itself, illegal -- so he was neither arrested nor judged.
Meanwhile, the release of the FBI’s report on their investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of e-mail during her tenure as Secretary of State has renewed and refired the indignation that some people feel about her actions and her explanation of them. Judgment is not hard to come by in this case.
Some have judged that she intentionally broke the law and then lied about it to federal investigators, another crime, and should therefore be judged accordingly and sent to prison. Others have judged her actions to be no more than a misstep -- a lapse in judgment in an otherwise largely impeccable term of service -- and want to see her elected president of the United States.
Those who hate her want her to be judged one way; those who love her want her to be judged another way; and those in the center will probably be the ones who will ultimately pass judgment... and that will be in the voting booth.
On the other side of the aisle, Donald Trump is being judged for an image he tweeted which included a star looking suspiciously like a Star of David surrounded by money. Is he an anti-Semitic bigot or is he simply clueless about the power which that particular symbol wields? We are being asked, by both his supporters and his opponents, to judge him. And what about his business decisions in Atlantic City and Las Vegas? Is he an unethical opportunist who declares bankruptcy to avoid paying his subcontractors and vendors, or is he a sharp, canny businessman who should not be judged for his tough, unyielding ruthlessness in the business world -- a ruthlessness which he promises to bring to the office of U.S. president?
Do we judge? What criteria do we judge by? Or are we called to simply watch for the results of these actions and inspect the fruit?
In the Scriptures
Amos
The Book of Amos is a collection of sermons (oracles) preached by the prophet in the northern kingdom, Israel. Amos was himself a southerner from Tekoa, a city about 20 miles south of Jerusalem in the kingdom of Judah, but YHWH called him to preach to the people of the northern kingdom. He was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees -- hardly the qualifications one associates with a preacher or prophet -- but he was good at what he did and managed to collect a small circle of disciples around him who preserved some of his oracles. (The use of a lowercase “s” in “sycamore” indicates that it is being used in its generic sense and probably refers to different kinds of fig trees.)
He was a contemporary of Hosea, whose oracles dealt with matters of state and the relationships of Israel to other countries, but Amos’ sermons deal almost exclusively with the treatment of the poor and the excluded by the aristocracy of Israel -- and in particular Samaria, the capital, and Bethel, the center of religious worship and practice.
Last week, you will recall, he used the metaphor of a plumb line, a builder’s tool for judging whether a wall is upright and straight. This week his metaphor is a basket of summer fruit. English speakers find this a confusing symbol, but it involves a subtle play on words in Hebrew: the word for summer fruit is pronounced gay-its, and the word for “end” is pronounced gets.
The basket of fruit is Amos’ way of saying “The end is near.” And this “end” is one that the people have brought upon themselves by using unscrupulous and dishonest methods of measuring and weighing in the marketplace, thus cheating the poor. If you are rich and buying 100 pounds of grain, a little chaff and dirt in the bag doesn’t mean much -- but if you’re poor and buying only a few ounces of grain, every grain of chaff and dirt in the bag represents a theft from your purse.
The “fruit” that these unscrupulous businesspeople shall harvest as a result of their treachery and dishonesty is unrelenting devastation and doom. God’s judgment will come to them as the consequences of their own actions, and not just they but the entire country will suffer.
Psalm 52
Here is a song of judgment that includes “both accusation and verdict” (“Commentary” in The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, p. 797).
The “O mighty one” who is addressed in the first line of the song is not YHWH but the rich and powerful people of Judah who work treachery and make false judgements against the poor. They lie, they cheat, they abuse not because they must but because they can; they actually enjoy it. They love “words that devour.”
And the result of this love of treachery will be their downfall while everyone watches them and says, “Big Man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money, made his living from catastrophe” (Eugene Peterson).
The righteous, who are so close to YHWH that they live as though their very home was the Temple, will grow, slow and steady, straight and tall, like an olive tree in the greenhouse of God’s love and grace.
Luke
Rarely do we think of this somewhat comical story of Mary and Martha as being about judgment, but let’s take another look.
Martha is an overachiever who gets things done -- probably the oldest sibling, she’s responsible, hard-working, and likely a parent pleaser. She invites Jesus into her home. Once he is comfortably ensconced on the couch, she runs around getting beverages and snacks -- and maybe even throws something in the crockpot for supper while getting out the good china and Grandma’s silver because it’s a special occasion and she wants to make a good impression on her guests.
Martha’s sister Mary, however, is more into talking and listening. She sits on the floor at Jesus’ feet and actually engages him in conversation, hanging on his every word.
Now, understand that Martha is a good person. She is fulfilling the cultural expectations of her time, doing what a good hostess does. Emily Post would be proud of her right up to the next moment when, frustrated and no doubt tired, she comes into the living room, interrupts the conversation, and instead of addressing her sister addresses Jesus.
“Master, Mary is not doing what a hostess is supposed to do. She’s being a slacker. She’s just sitting there on the floor talking when there’s work to be done. What do you have to say about that?”
Jesus has something to say -- a judgment, if you will -- but it’s not what Martha expects. What he has to say is that this little episode is not about duty and responsibility; it’s about priorities.
There are always duties and responsibilities demanding our time and energy, but sometimes there is a greater, more important opportunity staring us right in the face -- a relational opportunity, a human opportunity that we dare not ignore.
In the Sermon
Writing in a Facebook post this past week in the wake of the Dallas shootings, economist and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich said this:
I don’t recall a period when the divisions in America have seemed so stark -- black and white, Muslim and non-Muslim, foreign-born and native-born, Latino and non-Latino, gay and straight, conservative and liberal. It’s a fantasy to suppose we’ve ever been totally and effortlessly united, but I’m not sure why we’re so divided right now. Are the police more brutal? Have economic stresses made us angrier? Can we blame demagogues like Trump and the denizens of right-wing media? Is it the internet, and easy transmission of violent images and hateful words?
Trevor Noah, the host of The Daily Show, made very much the same observation but bookended it with humor. According to the Daily Beast,
He began with a plea for the two opposing sides in this conflict to find common ground. And this was before two snipers left at least four officers dead during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas.
“Did you guys see the shooting that happened two days ago?” Noah asked his audience at the top of the show, referring to the death of Alton Sterling. “Because don't worry, if you missed it, there was another one yesterday,” he added of Philando Castile.
“You know, the hardest part of having a conversation surrounding police shootings in America, it always feels like in America, it’s like if you take a stand for something, you automatically are against something else,” the host said.
He said he understands how someone can be a “cat person or a dog person” or like the Red Sox versus the Yankees. “But with police shootings, it shouldn't have to work that way,” he continued. “For instance, if you’re pro-Black Lives Matter you’re assumed to be anti-police, and if you’re pro-police, then you surely hate black people. When in reality, you can be pro-cop and pro-black, which is what we should all be!” Noah said to cheers from the crowd. “That is what we should be aiming for.”
Interesting, is it not, that it isn’t the clergy but a former politician/economist and a comedian whom we hear speaking words no less prophetic than those of Amos.
What they are both pointing to, I believe, is the haste and degree to which we’re willing to pass judgment -- and the stridency with which we insist that others, especially people in positions of power, pass judgment on those with whom we disagree and from whom we feel divided.
It takes no more than a few moments on Facebook to realize that judgment is what many have come there to deliver. Harsh criticism, hateful evaluations, and mean-spirited retorts abound. People are outraged at the slightest hint of slight or insult and respond with overkill and invective.
Disrespect, indignity, scorn, shame, slander, and scurrility rule. And what is it that people feel gives them permission to behave like this, to treat others this way? Why judgment, of course. They have judged other persons as insignificant and undeserving of anything but their contempt.
And as has always been the case, the most extreme among us feel empowered to act on their judgment -- most often with unguarded words, but in other, more physical ways as well. Bad cops abuse their authority, aggrieved snipers murder innocent peace officers, world leaders engage in “regime change,” candidates for office exchange insults rather than ideas, and religious extremists set off bombs.
And few are those who examine the fruit of these actions born of judgment. Few are those who count the bodies, or even take the time to know the names of those who died. Our water-cooler discussions tend toward figuring out upon which side of judgment we should stand rather than how we can help the injured and the aggrieved.
God, the Lord of history and the Creator of all things, is for people of faith the only one qualified to be the moral judge of human beings -- and God’s judgment always falls on the side of forgiveness, grace, and love. When we take that responsibility upon ourselves another picture tends to emerge -- and the fruit we produce may look ripe and beautiful at first, but a closer inspection will show it to be full of worms and rot.
If we are to be the licensed fruit inspectors that Jesus calls us to be, we would do well to begin by inspecting our own actions and the fruit they produce.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Beth Herrinton-Hodge
Amos 8:1-12
The prophet Amos earns his label as Prophet of Doom in Amos 8. It’s hard to find anything but doom and gloom in these verses, beginning with the inviting image of a basket of summer fruit. Who among God’s people wouldn’t want to pluck a juicy peach from a luscious, overflowing basket? Yet the reader soon finds the inviting image of summer fruit turned to a condemning message about a day of judgment. The bulk of this chapter tastes of spoiled fruit.
Amos does not deliver a hopeful word to the people of Israel. Instead, he reveals that God will send a famine to the land -- a famine not of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. God will turn away from God’s people. God’s words of restoration, provision, and direction will not be heard. There will be only mourning and lament as God issues justice for the sins of the people.
What are these sins? Amos includes a listing of examples: trampling on the needy, bringing ruin to the poor, anxiously awaiting the end of the sabbath so commerce can resume, short-changing the ephah to increase the profits of shekels, and practicing deceit using false balances. Amos writes of cheating and false business practices aimed at maximizing profits -- at the expense, and misuse, of the poor.
One doesn’t have to look far to find contemporary examples of corrupt business practices and ongoing oppression of the poor and needy in today’s world. What word is given to people who inhabit a world with an economic emphasis of profits over people? What word is given to those who participate in such a society? To those who gain from such practices?
Consider these examples:
* Consumers pay $200 for athletic shoes made by factory workers earning $31-81 a month.
* Shoppers often select the least expensive product in the market in order to strengthen the family budget. But what is the cost of a cheaply made and sold t-shirt to the underpaid laborer who made it?
* Corporations emphasize bottom-line profits at the expense of jobs -- laying off salaried employees, only to rehire them as temporary workers on contract with no benefits or job security. Corporations also build new factories overseas, stripping local economies as jobs disappear.
* Voters support presidential candidates who amass huge debt, file for bankruptcy, stiff contractors, eliminate jobs, and yet retain personal profits.
* Candidates receive huge donations and/or speaking fees from corporations who emphasize bottom-line profits at the expense of jobs.
* Lawmakers debate the economic challenges of raising the minimum wage, while full-time workers toil for income that doesn’t cover basic necessities such as housing, food, and transportation... let alone health-care expenses.
Amos’ words come down hard on people who live an ethos of cutting corners to succeed, to get ahead. His words condemn the mindset that it’s okay to cheat others. At some point, Amos asserts, God will punish those who identify themselves with things rather than with God. These people will be known by their actions, their practices, their priorities. God’s justice will prevail.
Psalm 15; Colossians 1:15-28
These two texts offer a balance to the words of judgment found in the Amos text. Where Amos’ words are filled with condemnation, the letter to the Colossians affirms the sufficiency of Christ for salvation. Through Jesus, God reconciled to himself all things on heaven and on earth. God’s reconciliation casts a wide net where all who are part of God’s creation are included. Those who are estranged, those hostile in mind, those who do evil deeds are reconciled to God through Christ. This is not to condone evil-doing; rather, it lifts up God’s grace and mercy as available to all -- even to those whom many would write off.
All of creation -- all creatures, all people -- are included in God’s tent. Yet there is a warning: God reconciles us as holy and blameless until we turn our backs on God. As long as people hold onto faith in God, as long as we hope in the grace and mercy God promises, we are good with God. Letting go of faith or turning from the path God sets before us moves us away from God’s reconciliation. Yet even then, there is always the possibility of returning to God. There is always hope in reconciliation. God provides this.
The psalm points out a model for those who are welcomed in God’s tent: those who do what is right, who speak truthfully and do not slander, who treat their neighbors well and honestly, who fear the Lord, who keep their promises, and who do not make economic gain over the poor and innocent. We expect that people who live this way would be counted among those reconciled to God. These actions embody the Great Commandment of loving one’s neighbor.
Where Amos condemns those who take advantage of the poor and needy, the psalmist asserts a similar sentiment. Psalm 15 stays away from condemnation: rather, those who do not lend money in ways that take undue advantage over people in need; those who do not take bribes against the innocent -- these people are living rightly. These people will not be removed from God’s tent.
There’s a familiar adage about drawing more flies with sugar that with vinegar. In the Colossians letter and in the psalm, we find sugar to balance Amos’ vinegar. Sometimes people need a taste of vinegar to be reminded of how easy it is to buy into oppressive and unloving cultural norms. At other times, people need a reminder that in living counter-culturally there is sweetness, reconciliation, grace, and hope. God always offers the possibility of reconciliation.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Ron Love:
Amos 8:1-12
The Netflix original series House of Cards, which will soon be entering its fifth season, centers around Frank Underwood and his wife Claire. At the beginning of the series Underwood is the House majority whip -- but when he is passed over to be the Secretary of State, he engages in ruthless behavior to advance his political power. In his quest to become vice-president, Underwood engages in many ruthless and deceptive practices. He manipulates a Pennsylvania congressman, Peter Russo, to campaign for governor of Pennsylvania -- knowing that Russo is an alcoholic and drug addict. Russo self-destructs during the campaign, and Underwood then kills Russo, making it look like a suicide. In order to protect the Democratic party, this forces the sitting vice-president (a former governor of Pennsylvania) to leave his office and run for governor of Pennsylvania. This sets the stage for Underwood to become vice-president. A reporter by the name of Zoe Bares uncovers the murder, and Underwood eliminates that threat by throwing her in front of a subway train. Thus two people are murdered for political ambition. Once he becomes vice-president, Frank Underwood has to pin general stars on a Marine. Prior to the ceremony he learns that this man raped Claire during her freshman year at Harvard. In a rage over the rape of his wife, Frank demolishes the hotel bathroom.
Application: Underwood has no remorse over murdering two innocent people, but becomes vindictive at the man who raped his wife. It would seem in Amos that we read of people who cannot distinguish between their own sins and the sins of others.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
The Real Housewives of New Jersey is a “reality” television show in which nobodies somehow are elevated to somebodies. But by what standards? In the upcoming season we can look forward to Teresa Giudice teaching viewers yoga and sharing her memoir Turning the Tables. What seems to be lost (or perhaps enjoyed) by viewers is that Teresa just finished serving an 11-month prison sentence -- and her husband Joe will not be seen on the screen for a while, as he is serving a 41-month sentence for mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud. But as People magazine reports, Teresa will make this just sound normal to the viewing audience.
Application: Amos was trying to tell the Israelites that their behavior was not normal -- it was in defiance of the law set forth by God.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
Hank Fortener grew up in a home where his parents had three biological children, adopted eight children, and fostered 36 other children. In this environment he learned that it is expensive to adopt children. As a pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, he discovered that some of his parishioners wanted to adopt a child but did not have the financial resources to do so, as upfront costs can begin at $40,000. So he started AdoptTogether, a website in which friends and strangers can help finance an adoption for a couple. Fortener said, “AdoptTogether is not just a website, it is a tribe of people determined to create a family for every child.”
Application: Amos was hoping that the Israelites would become an AdoptTogether family.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
The Islamic State is selling their slave girls as prostitutes in order to raise badly needed funds. They are posting very provocative, explicit descriptions and photographs of the girls -- some of whom are as young as 12 -- on Facebook and Instagram. The prices begin at $12,500. The postings are distributed to all IS checkpoints, to prevent any girls from escaping.
Application: We should be aware that the sin which Amos condemned is still a part of our society today.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
During season four of the Netflix original series House of Cards, Frank Underwood and his wife Claire (who is just as ruthless as her husband in obtaining power and position) are running for president and vice-president on the same ticket. In reviewing this scenario, Jonathan Holmes wrote in Radio Times that “there are limits to the stupidity that viewers are willing to accept.” Holmes articulated just how absurd and unbelievable the program had become.
Application: Paul instructs us to preach the truth that has been given to us, which is factual, real, and believable.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
Author and journalist Gay Talese’s new book The Voyeur’s Motel is about Gerald Foos, a Colorado motel owner who spied on his guests for years. After the book was completed Talese learned that all the information in the book was not accurate, so he decided not to promote it. Then he changed his mind and is now promoting the book, even with its inaccuracies.
Application: Paul instructs us to speak with integrity.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
Tennis star Serena Williams just won her 300th Grand Slam match. Williams realizes that her career has reached the point that a win is not news, only a loss. Williams said, “Every time I step out on the court, if I don’t win, it’s major national news. But if I do win, it’s just like a small tag in the corner.”
Application: Paul wants us to be such winners that what we do is no longer noticed, just accepted and appreciated.
*****
Colossians 1:15-28
In the comic strip The Lockhorns, Leroy is sitting, slumped over and unshaven, in his easy chair watching TV. His wife Loretta is standing in the room and says to a friend, “Leroy balances work and home by being lazy at both.”
Application: Wherever we may be, Paul wants us to be active and involved.
*****
Luke 10:38-42
Darryl McDaniels is famous for being a member of the legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC. But McDaniels became an alcoholic at the age of 15, and this was followed by several other illnesses that required hospitalization. McDaniels recounts in his new memoir that his spirit was finally broken when he learned that he was adopted and that his bandmate Jam Master Jay had been murdered. This put McDaniels back into rehab. He was sober coming out of rehab, but he still felt a void. McDaniels says that he was saved by a song, that he got himself back together by listening to just one song -- Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” The last verse reads:
In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
You’re in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
Application: Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus needed to hear “Angel.”
*****
Luke 10:38-42
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut just set the record for eating the most hot dogs and buns at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, held at Coney Island in New York City. He consumed 70 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, and was awarded the Mustard Yellow International Belt. Chestnut ate 17 hot dogs more than the second place finisher.
Application: Be you either a Martha or a Mary, Jesus is clear that we have more important things to do with our time and talents.
***************
From team member Robin Lostetter:
Amos 8:1-12
“Sam Wyly, 81, brazenly committed securities fraud and cheated on his taxes for decades, according to trial verdicts in New York and Texas.” Columnist Elliot Blair Smith goes on to summarize the complex ways in which Wyly and his family have cheated the American people by withholding at least a billion dollars in rightly owed taxes. He quotes a federal bankruptcy judge as saying that “a primary reason for making the offshore system so complex was the hope that no one, including the court, could ever figure out what was going on here and why.”
In the end, under Chapter 11 protection, holdings valued at only a quarter of the money owed were designated to be paid to the government. And that, of course, may be of lesser value today. Meanwhile, other assets are being auctioned by the Wyly family. What Smith refers to as a cat-and-mouse game is a good example of what Amos describes in 8:4-6.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
According to the Wall Street Journal, “The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Tesla Motors Inc. breached securities laws by failing to disclose to investors a fatal crash in May involving an electric car that was driving itself, a person familiar with the matter said, heightening scrutiny of how the company handled the information.”
The allegations that Tesla withheld information from “the little guy” -- impacting not only potential customers, but also financial investors -- comes hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal, described as “the most flagrant violations of our consumer and environmental laws in our country’s history” by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. The emissions shortcut not only hurt the environment, it also cost thousands of ordinary consumers -- who will hopefully be compensated, for starters, by the nearly $15 billion penalty levied on the company.
*****
Amos 8:1-12
The little guy isn’t always someone without means, and the damage isn’t always obvious. Dr. Phil has done what few celebrities have bothered doing: he has sued American Media, Inc., which owns the National Enquirer and similar tabloids, for “libel stemming from years of reports that he believes to be defamatory.”
The tabloids almost always spread delicious and salacious stories with often only a grain of truth, which feeds people’s desires to judge others, to feel superior, to gossip without factual basis, and to participate in other exciting but generally unhealthy practices.
Interestingly, the information on this lawsuit comes from the internet source gossipcop.com. How apropos!
*****
Psalm 15
...in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt... (v. 4)
Jeremy and Eliana Bookbinder, 20-year-old twins employed by Camp Marriott (a Boy Scout camp 20 miles from Lexington, Virginia), took compassion on an injured bald eagle. Their actions, although apparently legal, cost them their positions at the camp. As near as one can tell from reading the Washington Post’s account, it appears that the camp leadership was unaware that the bald eagle was no longer designated as endangered, and therefore it was legal to approach, touch, capture, and assist the bird. But the leadership forbade the young people from doing so.
Nevertheless, their compassion for one of God’s creatures overrode their obedience to the scout commander’s directive, and they contacted wildlife authorities. Using instructions for how to carefully capture the bird, they did so and delivered it to the rehabilitation center. This action caused both of them to be fired.
“Reflecting on the incident, both [Eliana] and her brother, a sophomore at the College of Southern Maryland, said the episode has showed them the importance of sticking to one’s moral and ethical convictions -- even if it means getting fired. ‘I know the sort of moral fiber I have now,’ she said.”
*****
Amos 8:1-12; Psalm 52; Luke 10:38-42
The following story is currently making the rounds on the internet:
A lovely little girl was holding two apples in both hands. Her mom came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile, “My sweetie, could you give your mom one of your two apples?”
The girl looked up at her mom for some seconds, then she suddenly took a quick bite of one apple, and then quickly of the other. The mom felt the smile on her face freeze. She tried hard not to reveal her disappointment.
Then the little girl handed one of her bitten apples to her mom and said, “Mommy, here you are; this is the sweeter one.”
No matter who you are, how experienced you are, and how knowledgeable you think you are, always delay judgment. Give others the privilege to explain themselves. What you see may not be the reality. Never conclude for others -- which is why we should never only focus on the surface and judge others without understanding them first.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: O God, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?
People: Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right;
Leader: Those who speak the truth from their heart;
People: Those who do not slander with their tongue;
Leader: Those who stand by their oath even to their hurt.
People: Those who do these things shall never be moved.
OR
Leader: The God of all creation calls us into the presence of the divine.
People: We come in awe to worship and praise our God.
Leader: God invites us to reflect on our own lives.
People: We are afraid, but we will take inventory of our lives.
Leader: When we look at our own lives critically, we become less critical of others.
People: We know we aren’t perfect. We won’t expect it of others.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
“O Worship the King”
found in:
UMH: 73
H82: 388
PH: 476
NNBH: 6
NCH: 26
CH: 17
LBW: 548
ELA: 842
W&P: 2
AMEC: 12
“Fairest Lord Jesus”
found in:
UMH: 189
H82: 383, 384
PH: 306
NNBH: 75
NCH: 44
CH: 97
W&P: 123
AMEC: 95
“Let There Be Peace on Earth”
found in:
UMH: 431
CH: 677
W&P: 614
“Let There Be Light”
found in:
UMH: 440
NNBH: 460
NCH: 589
STLT: 142
“Help Us Accept Each Other”
found in:
UMH: 560
PH: 358
NCH: 388
CH: 487
W&P: 596
AMEC: 558
“Here I Am, Lord”
found in:
UMH: 593
PH: 525
AAHH: 567
CH: 452
ELA: 574
W&P: 559
“Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart”
found in:
UMH: 500
PH: 322
AAHH: 320
NNBH: 133
NCH: 283
CH: 259
W&P: 492
“Lord, Speak to Me”
found in:
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELA: 676
W&P: 593
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God, who is slow to wrath and to condemnation: Grant us the grace to avoid the rush to judgment that brings condemnation and separation to your people: through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We offer our praise and worship to you, O God, for you are slow to wrath and slow to condemn. Send your Spirit upon us, that we might be renewed in reflecting your image. Help us to withhold the negative judgment of condemning others. Help us to look within. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially our quickness to condemn others.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have sat in judgment over other people without fully learning their story. All the while we expect others to overlook our shortcomings. Send your Spirit upon us, that we might become less condemning while still being able to discern the good from the bad in our own behavior. Amen.
Leader: The God who will judge us all hears us and grants us the presence of the Spirit which brings us to spiritual maturity.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord’s Prayer)
We praise you and adore you, O God, for you are the one who patiently waits for us to return to the pathway that leads to you and to life.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have sat in judgment over other people without fully learning their story. All the while we expect others to overlook our shortcomings. Send your Spirit upon us, that we might become less condemning while still being able to discern the good from the bad in our own behavior.
We give you thanks for all the blessings you have sent upon us. We thank you for those who have withheld their condemnation of us and allowed us to come back to you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all those in need, and especially for those who find it hard to believe in your forgiveness because they feel condemned by others. Help us to reach out in compassion to all who find it difficult to follow the path that leads to wholeness and blessing.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father . . . Amen.
(or if the Lord’s Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
If you didn’t use Dean Feldmeyer’s children sermon from a few weeks ago with the nasty-looking banana, this would be a good time to try it.
OR
Ask the children if they have ever done anything they shouldn’t have. Did they get in trouble for it? It’s not fun, is it? It is always better to think about what we are doing, and decide not to do it before we end up in trouble. God invites us to do that. God is the Great Judge -- but God would rather we decide to do what is right in the first place.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
When Fruit Goes Bad
by Chris Keating
Amos 8:1-12
Theme: God wants us to be people who pay attention to the way we treat other people.
Gather ahead of time:
* pictures or illustrations of different types of fruit
* a few pieces of overripe fruit (bananas, some “furry” strawberries, withered apples, and so forth)
* two tomatoes or other fruit that are similar in size, but sufficiently different so that one weighs a bit more than the other (these don’t go with the “furry” fruit!)
* a simple homemade weighing scale (this YouTube video gives an example of how you might make a scale from plastic cups, some string, and a plastic hanger)
Read ahead of time:
* Amos 8:1-12
* learn about the new Pokemon Go game that has become this summer’s rage (read up on this and you’ll become the coolest worship leader ever in the eyes of at least some of the children!)
Greet the children as they join you for the children’s time, and ask them to name different types of fruit. Flip through the various illustrations or pictures you have gathered showing all types of tasty and delicious fruit. You could say to the children, “All this talk about fruit is making me hungry!”
Tell them that this is their lucky day -- you’ve brought along some fruit to share. The key here is to sound as if you really spent a lot of time preparing a special treat for them. Tell them how hard you worked, how long it took you to prepare the fruit, how much time was involved in putting together the fruit you brought to share with them. You can do this in a way that sounds a bit over the top -- they’ll begin to get the idea you’re telling a bit of a story!
Then show them the plate of overripe and not very appetizing fruit you’ve brought in. Pass around the overly ripe banana or show them the moldy strawberry (taking precautions, of course, to just show them the fruit). More than likely, the children will laugh. You can tell them, “I guess this isn’t a very good treat, is it?”
When something ripens, we need to pay attention and serve the food at the right time -- otherwise it won’t taste right. Sometimes food gets lost in the back of our refrigerator, like the old strawberries. We stop paying attention, and then it isn’t good to eat any more. In our Bible lessons today, God is helping us understand what it means to pay attention.
It’s a bit like the new game people are playing called Pokemon Go. In order to find Pokemon, you have to pay attention!
For Amos, paying attention meant looking at the ripe fruit and knowing that God wanted him to take action. Time was ripe -- it was the right time to do something. Amos was told to help people pay attention to God’s laws, including not hurting the poor or cheating those who do not have much money.
Show the children the homemade scale (you might even consider printing instructions so that they can make one at home later). Holding the scale, put a small piece of fresh fruit in one cup, and a larger one in the other. Let them hang down for the kids to see.
“Which one is heavier? If I were to give one child a big piece of fruit and another child a smaller piece of fruit, would that be fair?” Help them to understand that Amos saw many people who were cheating their customers because they were not weighing their produce correctly. It was especially bad if you were poor.
But God wants us to pay attention to what is important, and to act with justice by showing love and mercy to all people. Close by praying that we would learn how to pay close attention to what is important to God and other people.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, July 17, 2016, issue.
Copyright 2016 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
