May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to you, O Lord. Amen.
Perhaps you have seen the award-winning movie "An Inconvenient Truth". It is a 2006 American documentary film about former United States Vice President Al Gore and his campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own estimate, he has presented over 1000 times in an effort to convince audiences worldwide about the urgency of his topic. Given the current situation regarding global warming, we can say that his message is probably still relevant.
If we had to find a title for the readings we heard today, we might borrow the title from Vice President Gore's film - "An inconvenient truth". Both the Old Testament prophet Amos as well as John the Baptist had to share an inconvenient truth with the powerful leadership of their respective days. Even though they both lived centuries apart their core message was quite similar. They challenged their hearers to repent of their sins and to turn to God.
In Amos' case, God spoke to Amos in a vision using the image of a plumb line. A plumb line is basically a piece of string with a weight attached to the end. It is used to check if a wall is built correctly (meaning straight up, not slanted). Using a plumb line it is easy to spot if the wall is not built straight. God used this image to convey that he measured his children Israel to see if they were 'standing straight' against his standard. But sadly they were not. God had repeatedly warned them but they simply refused to change their course. "I will never again pass them by" says the Lord. He wants Amos to drive home the point that the presence of the Lord is a gift and a blessing. He also wants to emphasize that willful rebellion and fellowship with the Lord cannot go together.
We would be mistaken though to think that God was just planning to ignore them from now on. He is certainly not the God who gives us the silent treatment when we go astray. He is the God who lovingly takes corrective action in order to save his children from greater destruction. Hence he asks Amos to convey a tough message. The message is this: Israel and her leadership will be judged by the sword. A horrible period of a painful exile is awaiting them. This is really tough stuff and we expect the people to be shocked and especially the leadership to rethink their course.
Yet, Amaziah, the priest of Bethel and King Jeroboam react differently. They want Amos to leave. They accuse him of sensationalism. They say that he just wants to make money by spreading fearful news and they deny him the right to prophesy ever again in Bethel. "Bethel is the king's sanctuary and a temple of the kingdom!" they protest.
At this point, we must acknowledge that there is a grain of truth in their words regarding being welcome at a specific place. It is impossible to be welcome at a place when one has offended their host. Where the king and the priest have gone wrong though is to assume that they have the role of the host at the place called Bethel. They seem to have forgotten what the word "Bethel" means. It means "house of God" – not "house of the king" or "house of the priest serving the king". The king and Amaziah had mistaken themselves to be the host in Bethel when in fact they were just guests in the place called "God's house", and that too not even good guests! They were conducting themselves in a very offensive way to the one and only true, divine host.
Amos on the other hand had a call from this very divine host, to prophesy to God's people. Amos being a farmer, would not be the first pick for the job from a human point of view. As a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees, he probably had not much in common with the king or the priest who "professionally served" God. Yet, God saw a quality in Amos, which both King Jeroboam and priest Amaziah lacked:
In John the Baptist's case we can make similar conclusions. After all, what did the crazy locust eating, camel's hair wearing prophet crying out in the desert have in common with the nicely groomed Herod living in pomp and luxury? Probably not too much.
John was arrested for speaking out against Herod's sinful affair and marriage with his sister-in-law Herodias. In contrast to King Jeroboam, Herod seems to have taken a more ambiguous approach to John. In a way, Herod seems to be fascinated with John who faithfully kept preaching a message of repentance whenever he was produced before Herod. Herod knew in his heart that John is a righteous and holy man. Yet, his obsession with his brother's wife seemed to have such a tight grip on him, that he was not stirred up enough to change his course of action. He was greatly perplexed with John and even though Herodias kept pressing him, Herod chose to protect John.
We can almost see in our mind how fiercely the battle in Herod's heart must have been fought. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians:
"For our struggle is not against enemies of flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places."
In Herod's case the principalities of spiritual wickedness seem have to won the upper hand: Herod beheaded John the Baptist as "a reward" for an impressive dance performance by Herodias' daughter. It is quite shocking how Herodias took revenge on John by wickedly using her young daughter to ask for his head on a platter. But what is even more shocking is that even though John's message made an impression on Herod, that the impact was not big enough to stop Herod from doing something he knew to be wrong. Herod feared to lose his face before his friends and to cross his wife more than he feared to kill a holy and righteous prophet of God.
Given these examples we might not feel too thrilled to join God's list of people who boldly share an inconvenient truth to a dying world. "What's the point?" we might ask. "People are not going to change their course anyway. And besides", we might argue, "Jesus came to love and it is not loving to judge the lifestyle of others". In this quite flawed line of argument, we seem to forget three important things we are taught through the lives of Amos and John:
I am sure that both Amos and John prayed in their hearts that their message would change the course of whoever might listen to their message. They neither spared the rich and powerful when they preached a message of repentance, nor did they hesitate to speak to common people in their community. Despite many discouraging experiences, they faithfully and boldly kept preaching the message they had been given by God.
And, the same is also true for Jesus. Jesus' message never changed, no matter whom he addressed – whether he spoke to the rich young ruler, a Pharisee, a tax collector, a woman or to a leader like Nicodemus - he always spoke the same message in love. He persistently pointed to the hope of salvation, God's everlasting grace, and never-ending forgiveness.
The Church and indeed every follower of Christ is called to do the same. We are called to share in Christ's yearning and to bring the good news of forgiveness and of salvation to everyone within reach. We are to share the unaltered message of God's love for everyone, despite the opposition and hostility we might face along the way.
Of course, this would be an impossible task if we were to carry it out in our own strength. Thank God that we are not asked to do this on our own. Jesus promised his disciples the power of the Holy Spirit as they carry out his work here on earth. As Jesus' disciples we have free access to the Holy Spirit and to God's rich blessings and promises. His resources are there for us always. As Paul said: "God blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places".
When we hear these words we might still want to protest:
But what about John. He lost his life! How can spiritual blessings be better even though we might even have to risk our own life? How can spiritual blessings make us rejoice in the face of intense hatred and hostility? How can it be worth it to risk one's reputation or even good relationships? How can it be worth it when we are ridiculed, not believed or are being accused of just pursuing selfish means?
I personally believe that this is perhaps one of the great mysteries and even miracles taking place in a believer's personal life: That we are able to find great joy in Christ and the gift of spiritual blessings despite the miseries we might encounter along the way. Paul who wrote these lines of "being blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing" had to endure great pain for the gospel. He was beaten, flogged, imprisoned, shipwrecked in the open sea and even much more. (2 Corinthians 11:23-29).
But Paul is also the same man who found great comfort in Christ as he said:
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.
2 Corinthians 4:8-11
Hence, let us pray today that God works out that same miraculous power in our hearts to rejoice as we faithfully follow his call to lovingly share the good news with everyone we have access to. And may the Holy Spirit remind us of the precious spiritual blessings which we have at our disposal when we carry out his work in a hostile environment.
I would like to end today with Charles Spurgeon's words:
"Our thanks are due to God for all temporal blessings; they are more than we deserve.
But our thanks ought to go to God in thunders of hallelujahs for spiritual blessings.
A new heart is better than a new coat.
To feed on Christ is better than to have the best earthly food.
To be an heir of God is better than being the heir of the greatest nobleman.
To have God for our portion is blessed, infinitely more blessed than to own broad acres of land.
God hath blessed us with spiritual blessings. These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value."
Amen.
Archana Jabob